Components of Agile— SPRINT & SCRUM
Teams work on several projects and there are multiple tasks within every project. These tasks are handled either by individuals within the teams or sub-teams. It is difficult to keep track on the progress of each and every task within the project.
Regular meetings are conducted to track the current progress of the tasks that the teams are working on after every two to three weeks.
SPRINT PLANNING
Sprint refers to that period during which the teams work on the project tasks and then discuss the progress in the Sprint Planning meeting occuring after the end of that particular sprint period.
As the projects move forward, the goal is to keep the sprints iterative till the project is completed. Sprints are kept fixed in length so that team has a definitive amount of time available to them to do work, which also helps them to plan their efforts accordingly.
Once the sprint is over, you review the product for any required changes or adjustments, and begin another sprint to improve the product or service.
Typical characteristics of Sprints:
- Maintain uniform period of sprint throughout the Project Development effort.
- A new Sprint immediately follows the conclusion of the previous Sprint.
- Length of Sprint is fixed along with start date and end date.
SPRINT REVIEW & RETROSPECTIVE
For providing visibility across stakeholders on the current status of the project, a Sprint Review meeting should be arranged after the end of each sprint. This helps to ensure transparency across all the team members, project leaders and other stakeholders.
Another important meeting involves retrospection with your stakeholders to discuss the overall progress during the sprint. It involves discussion over the accomplishments, backlogs, improvements that can be made to improve productivity of the sprint and commitments for the next sprint.
This refers to Sprint Retrospective meeting.
If your team is new to Agile project management, don’t skip this essential meeting. It helps you understand how much your team can accomplish during each sprint and the most efficient sprint length for future projects.
SCRUM CEREMONIES
There are four Scrum Ceremonies:
- Sprint Planning
- Daily Scrum
- Sprint Review
- Sprint Retrospective
Daily Scrum
After covering Sprint Planning, Sprint Review and Retrospective, lets unfold Daily Scrum!
The Daily Scrum is a short (usually limited to 15 minutes) discussion meeting where the team coordinates their activities for the following day. It involves discussion about what has been done, what needs to be done and if there are any obstacles in their way.
Scrum is a process framework used to manage product development and other knowledge work. It provides a stage for teams to think about what they do, how did it go, retrospect the effort, and make the appropriate adjustments.
Scrum is best applicable where a cross-functional team is working in a product development setting where there is a decidable amount of work that can be split into more than one 2–4 week iteration.
Agile isn’t for everyone, but teams who use it correctly will experience enormous benefits, including streamlined work processes and rapid innovation.
What’s Next?
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