The creation of User Stories is an important component in the extraction of User Requirements in any Scrum Project. While the User Story specifies a specific component that is needed as part of the entire Product Deliverable, it is explained in language that is clear to business User. The technical requirements that underlie this small…
For some Teams, Planning and Estimating User Stories is an Exercise they do not delight in, particularly at the start of a Project. Even where the Product Owner has actually described the Project to the Team by explaining the Epics and what they are expected to deliver, there is a lot of uncertainty about how much Effort is associated with getting each User Story to “Done”. Specifically when a Team is new to Agile, or new to each other, there is a great deal of apprehension regarding what the Team is dedicating themselves and whether they will meet the Stakeholders’ expectations. These fears are groundless, and with the appropriate approach to Estimating User Story, it can be an easy, and even enjoyable process.
A Small Scrum Project with just one or 2 Teams has a distinct benefit over big, Traditional Projects when it comes to Communications. The Product Owner owns all Communications that are external to the Agile Project, while the Scrum Master is responsible for assembling Meetings for simply internal Communications, like the Daily Stand-Up Meeting, as…
How can the value of the Project Deliverables be maximised in a Scum Project? For those knowledgeable about Traditional Software Project Management, Scrum might seem Organised Chaos. For a start, how can you have a Project without a Project Manager? Scrum is a Collaborative Effort and lacks the Command-and-Control structure of Traditional Project. Its light…
Who is the Portfolio Scrum Master and what role do they play within Scrum Projects, Programs and Portfolios? Scrum is well Documented for small Projects. It is reasonably easy to present Scrum to a small-medium sized IT Business. Larger Companies have found adopting Scrum to be a bit of a challenge. This is especially the…
What are the processes and artefacts that are involved within Scrum Scalability? On reading the literature about Scrum, one would believe that all that is needed is between 7 to 10 individuals to produce incredible Development leads to a time-frame that is beyond legendary. While this may hold true for a small Development producing a…
What is Release Management and how does it apply to Scrum Projects? Release Management is a vital element of Scrum Projects. In Scrum Projects it can be more complex than Traditional Product Release. This is because the Releases are Done as early and as frequently as possible in Scrum. If a Project is extremely large…
How can we go about Calculating Earned Value in Scrum Projects, and what does the Sprint Review Meeting Offer to this process? The Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective are often misunderstood. A Sprint Review Meeting is for reviewing the Sprint Deliverables. It is a time for the Product Stakeholders to provide feedback on the…
What is the Release Burndown Chart and how is it used in Scrum Projects? In an earlier post, we went over the value of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in enhancing Product shipment. This was discussed both from the Pre-Project viewpoint and for the Management of the Product Backlog. There are numerous tools and techniques…
What is a Planning Strategy and how can it be used to optimise delivery within a Scrum Project? Producing the Plan for a Project has always been one of the key activities carried out by the Project Manager. The complexities of what is to be Done by whom and when are itemised and organised in…