Agile & SCRUM - Deep Dive for General Assembly

Agile Deep Dive

Theresa Austin, CSM & CSPO.

July ’14, General Assembly NYC.

What is Agile?

Individuals and interactionsWorking software

Customer collaborationResponding to change

over processes and toolsover comprehensive documentationover contract negotiationover following a plan

THE AGILE MANIFESTO

While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

http://www.agilealliance.org

What is SCRUM?

A simple set of principles and practices that help teams deliver products in short cycles, enabling fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid

adaptation to change.

SCRUM is a framework.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(software_development)

How is this Useful?

AS A BUSINESS

Bring Discipline and Focus to collaborative effortsSupplying the organisational alignment needed to execute large scale, complex, products across whole organisations

AS A PRODUCT OWNER

Work in alignment with a dedicated teamAbility to reduce waste, collaborate and fail fast (therefore cheaply)

SCRUM Framework

RolesVoice of the CustomerResponsible for ROI

Subject Matter ExpertData Orientated

Available to the Team

Servant LeaderFacilitator

CommunicatorCollaborator

Removes Impediments Problem Solver

Cross functionalExecute from inception to delivery

Ideally co-located

RESPONSIBILITIES

Sprint Planning Meeting- Bring prioritised product backlog, enough for 1 to 2 sprints- Be ready and willing to negotiate on acceptance criteria

Daily Scrums- Listen and Learn- Breakout to discuss detail afterwards- Resolve your impediments quickly

Sprint Review- Accept or reject each item- Nothing new- Provide feedback to team

Retrospective- Participate as a team member

MOST IMPORTANTLY

- Be available to the team- Be a subject matter expert- Be ready with data

Artefacts

The ‘Big Picture’

The ‘Immediate Detail’

For the Customer

Product Backlog- Artefacts -

Future Releases

Current Sprint

Next Release

Increasing Detail Increasing Priority

EPIC EPIC

THEME THEME

THEME THEME THEME

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

DEV TASKS DEV TASKS DEV TASKS DEV TASKS

Product Backlog- Artefacts -

Sprint Backlog- Artefacts -

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

USER STORY

INVEST

I - Independent - you can schedule and implement in any orderN - Negotiable - must be able to change after conversationV - Valuable - must deliver business and customer valueE - Estimable - must be able to judge size and complexityS - Small - consumable by a team in 1 sprintT - Testable - easy to see when the story is done

Product Increment- Artefacts -

TEAM 1

THEME A

A WHOLE EPIC DELIVERED

TEAM 2 TEAM 3 TEAM 4

THEME B

Tools & Techniques

Velocity

The rate at which work is completed by the team

during the Sprint

Estimation

A guess at effort required based on complexity and comparative

size, made during Sprint Planning

Burndown

A simple visual representation of how

much work is completed over timeSCRUM Board

A highly visible, easily accessible way of tracking progress and

highlighting problems.

Definition of DONE!

A statement which defines your quality

Team Norms

A documented, shared understanding of

expected behaviours

SCRUM Balls- Exercise -

> Over to Lee!

Tools & Techniques

Velocity

The rate at which work is completed by the team

during the Sprint

Estimation

A guess at effort required based on complexity and comparative

size, made during Sprint Planning

Burndown

A simple visual representation of how

much work is completed over timeSCRUM Board

A highly visible, easily accessible way of tracking progress and

highlighting problems.

Definition of DONE!

A statement which defines your quality

Team Norms

A documented, shared understanding of

expected behaviours

Estimation- Tools & Techniques -

To many unknowns to estimate with any accuracy as to when the project will be done.

But everyone is still asking...Get me an estimate for this...

yet to be spec’d system, using ouryet to be determined technology, with ouryet to be determined team, in ouryet to be determined business environmentto be built next year.

What we need is a way of estimating that...

- Allows budgets to be created- Plans for the future- Reminds us that estimates are guesses- Acknowledges the complexities and uncertainties that come with writing software

Estimation- Tools & Techniques -

1. Keep It Simple

One number to the whole story - include whatever it will take your cross functional team to deliver.No separate estimates for development, analysis or testing.

Remember - a little effort goes a long way - discuss, best guess, move on.Staring at the unknown IS NOT going to make your estimate any more accurate.

2. Make it Relative

We are better at making relative comparisons - so this rock is twice the size of that rock and so on.

3. Points do not equate to time

Points are a unit-less measure of complexity and size.So use whatever you like - the fibonacci sequence, pigs, cows, chickens, cats, rocks.

Estimation- Tools & Techniques -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCCUEtjCpCs

23

5

8

13

21

34

Burndown- Tools & Techniques -

Number of points in Sprint Backlog

Number of days in Sprint

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

a ‘perfect’ rate of work team is on track to complete all work be

end of sprint

oh dear...

Velocity- Tools & Techniques -

Number of points

accomplished in previous

Sprints

Number of Sprints

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Velocity

Once we know how fast the team can go...

and our User Stories are sized relatively...

we can start setting expectations around

dates.

USER STORY

99

USER STORY

9

USER STORY

SCRUM Board- Tools & Techniques -

TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE

USER STORY

99

DEV TASKSDEV TASKS

BURNDOWN

USER STORY

USER STORY

9

USER STORY

80

USER STOR

110

USER STORY

90

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

SPRINT CALENDAR

> Sprint Planning - Friday 4th> Dev Starts - Monday 7th> Dev Ends - Friday 18th

VELOCITY

TEAM

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

DEV TASKS

TEAM HOLIDAYS

> Shaun - Monday 7th - Friday 11th> David - Thursday 10th - Friday 11th

RELEASE SCHEDULE

> Sprint 7 of 80> Branch X> Merge on Tuesday’s to Y

Team Eagles

Definition of DONE!- Tools & Techniques -

Team Norms- Tools & Techniques -

Ceremonies

Runs constantly in parallel to the sprint

Lead by the Product Owner

At the start of every sprintThe whole team takes part

3 - 4hSame time & place everydayThe whole team takes part

15min

At the end of every sprintThe whole team takes part

30min - 1h

Runs for 2 - 3 weeks

At the end of every sprintThe whole team takes part

30min - 1h

Product Backlog Grooming- Ceremonies -

Some detail

More detail

No detail

3 days max!Must share back in Review

Sprint Planning- Ceremonies -

PRODUCT OWNER

Brings top priority User Stories with Acceptance

criteria and priorities Be prepared to

negotiate on priority

SCRUM MASTER

FacilitatesSprint board is updated

Velocity is recalculated and confirmed

TEAM

Discusses each User Story and raises any impediments or dependancies immediatelyBreaks User Stories down into tasks with

sufficient level of detail to executeEstimates and commits to completing the work

in a single sprint

CRITICAL

- Time boxed at 3 - 4h- Sprint backlog is agreed and committed to by all- Team does not over commit on story points

Sprint- Ceremonies -

PRODUCT OWNER

Be available SCRUM MASTER

Ensure everyone takes part and holds to Working Agreements

Ensures the Sprint Board and Burndown is updated

TEAM

‘What did you do yesterday?’‘What are you doing today?’

‘Any blockers?’

CRITICAL

- Same time, Same place - EVERYDAY!- It’s not a status report, it’s alignment- 15min max- Include remote team members

Review- Ceremonies -

PRODUCT OWNER

Be available Provide feedback

Share with stakeholders

SCRUM MASTER

FacilitatesEnsure everyone takes part and holds to Working Agreements

Updates Velocity based on points completed TEAM

Show the work that you have accomplished, even if it’s ‘just code’

Maintain trust but not hiding undone work

CELEBRATE!

CRITICAL

- Time boxed at 30min - 1h- At end of every Sprint- Make it constructive & positive

Retrospective- Ceremonies -

TEAM

Uphold the Working Agreement

CommunicateCollaborate

SCRUM MASTER

FacilitatesEnsure everyone takes part and holds to Working Agreements

PRODUCT OWNER

Take part as a member of the team

CRITICAL

- Time boxed at 30min - 1h- Every sprint, after Review- Make it constructive & positive

In Summary

> Create a prioritised roadmap with Epics, Themes & User Stories (4m)

> Hold a Backlog Grooming Session and estimate your top priority User Stories (4m)

> Hold a Sprint Planning session and create a Sprint Backlog - remember to create and estimate tasks, also include acceptance and performance criteria (8m)

> Create a sprint board and run a 3 day sprint, including daily stand-ups- 1 minute per day, 2 minutes per stand-up (5m)

> Hold a showcase to the rest of the class on your roadmap, backlog and board (1m x 3 = 3m)

In Summary- Exercise -

Aditi.Riding a Unicorn. Putting out a fire.

Saving kittens.

Acceptance criteria- take a photo of your drawing

and email to [email protected] - with a haiku

In Summary- Retrospective -

Rocked?

Didn’t love...

What could we improve for next time?

Thank You

Theresa Austin, CSM & CSPO.

July ’14, General Assembly NYC.