In our introductory posts, we discussed what is a business analyst and delved into the role in the context of an Indian software development company. Today, we are going to talk about Agile. More specifically about Agile Scrum.
But what is Agile? Agile is a project management methodology or approach that involves breaking down the project or major features into smaller, manageable parts to work on ongoing implementations. This means an improved collaboration during the incremental updates for continuous improvements. The teams follow a cycle of planning, executing, and evaluating until the completion of the project or feature. Agile Scrum is one of the frameworks of Agile that helps teams manage their work through a set of values, principles, and practices while learning through experiences and self-organizing to improve using an iterative approach continuously.
Scrum was first introduced to the world in 1995 as a way to solve complex problems with a focus on better team collaboration. The framework is fairly simple as the Scrum Team consists of a Product Owner, a Scrum Master, and Developers, each with specific responsibilities and accountabilities. The framework is defined in the Scrum Guide which explains Scrum clearly and succinctly and is maintained by Scrum co-creators, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland.
Agile Scrum is widely adopted in software development companies as well as many other industries where teamwork and collaboration are necessary. The Scrum Team takes part in five events and produces three artifacts. The five events include Sprint Planning, Sprint, Daily Scrum (not standup!), Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective and the Scrum Master is responsible for them. The produced artifacts are product backlog, sprint backlog, and increments.
Scrum events
- Sprint Planning: The planning meeting is used to define the goals for the next sprint and select the tasks collaboratively.
- Sprint: It is a time-bound phase of development where the team focuses on creating and/or delivering a usable product increment.
- Daily Scrum: It’s a brief, daily meeting where team members (specifically developers) synchronize their activities, discuss progress, and address any hurdles. It’s different from the daily standup which includes updates for the stakeholders as well.
- Sprint Review: Once a sprint is ended, the team showcases completed work to stakeholders, seeking feedback and validation. It ensures alignment with project objectives.
- Sprint Retrospective: Once the sprint review is done, the team reflects on their processes and interactions including good or bad things, and aims to improve for the next sprint. It’s the iterative approach of continuous learning and refinement.
Scrum artifacts
- Product Backlog: A dynamic list of all desired features and tasks for the product. It serves as the master list, prioritized by the Product Owner.
- Sprint Backlog: A subset of items from the Product Backlog chosen for the current sprint. It details the work needed to achieve the sprint goal, guiding the team’s efforts.
- Increments: The sum of completed Product Backlog items at the end of a sprint. It represents tangible progress towards the product’s development and is potentially shippable.
Scrum is an empirical process, where decisions are based on observation, experience, and experimentation. That means the team continuously experiments, learns, and adapts from that work. There are three pillars of Scrum: transparency, inspection, and adaptation which support the concept of working iteratively. Scrum is also built on Trust. The team members trust each other to be competent and complete their work according to the goals. The Scrum values of Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness allow them to drive towards Trust in each other.
Scrum Pillars
- Transparency: It ensures that all aspects of the process are visible and understood by everyone involved.
- Inspection: The progress is regularly reviewed to detect conflicts and issues.
- Adaption: Based on assessment results, the process flow or goals are adjustments to optimize outcomes.
Scrum Values
- Courage: The team members are encouraged to speak up, take risks, question norms, and challenge the status quo.
- Focus: Emphasizes the importance of concentrating on agreed-upon goals and priorities.
- Commitment: Promotes the dedication to achieve the sprint goals and deliver value.
- Respect: Facilitates mutual respect among team members, stakeholders, and customers.
- Openness: Create an environment where ideas, concerns, and feedback are freely shared without fear of negative consequences.
The Scrum Team consists of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and Developers, and are responsible and accountable for turning the selection of the work into an Increment of value during a Sprint.
The Scrum Team
- Scrum Master: Serving as a servant-leader, the Scrum Master facilitates the Scrum process and removes impediments to the team’s progress, ensuring adherence to Scrum principles and practices.
- Product Owner: They represent the stakeholders and ensure that the product backlog is well-defined, prioritized, and aligned with business objectives, guiding the team on what needs to be built.
- Developers: Responsible for delivering increments of the working product during each sprint, Developers collaborate closely with the Product Owner and Scrum Master to understand and implement requirements, continuously improving their processes and delivering value to customers.
So, this was the introduction of Agile Scrum and what it entails. I know the list looks exhaustive but in future posts, we will delve into each of the values, artifacts, pillars, values, and teams to provide a deep understanding. Next, we’ll talk about Business Analyst and Scrum!
Until then, Thank you for reading, and be the best version of yourself!