Just because you’re doing scrum, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook with finance and management when it comes to giving a real estimate for completion. Scrum, as most agile processes, takes the approach that cost and time are fixed and that it’s the scope (or features) that are variable. “You’ll rarely be remembered for missing a feature…but you’ll never be forgotten for missing a schedule”….. Which is why it’s important to make sure that communication with all stakeholders is crisp and that they understand how projects are being scheduled. Ken Whitaker has written a detailed article on The Agile Schedule posted on gantthead.com. The article is fairly technical and includes concepts such as the “cone of uncertainty”, “rough order of magnitude”, and “definitive scheduling”. When I took the ScrumMaster certification course we covered these concepts at a high level. We also talked about backlog grooming and why a good and consistent backlog grooming will do wonders for improving release scheduling. Although backlog grooming is not a formal component of the Scrum process, Ken Schwaber, who founded Scrum, advises teams to dedicate five percent of every sprint to this activity. Everyone should attend the backlog grooming meeting and help the Scrum product owner prepare the scrum backlog for the next sprint planning meeting. Activities during this meeting often include breaking epics into stories, adding stories to the backlog, clearly defining acceptance criteria and more. If this is done on a consistent basis you will greatly improve your agile release planning.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Release Planning Using Agile

By now, it’s practically accepted that software development and project management, generally, are being re-imagined by agile management techniques. But in a recent article on Projects@Work, called “Agile Drivers,” CST Angela Druckman explains why that is. As she explains, there are six factors that are driving agility in organizations—and they’re changing the way we conceive of doing business. To summarize, the six factors she identifies are:

• The “hero” mentality gives way to collective intelligence.
• Small teams rule.
• Stop applying pressure, start removing impediments.
• Focus on business value.
• Distributed teams are the norm, not the exceptioin.
• Roles will change.

Sound like some topics that have been on your mind lately? If so, I encourage you to take a look at DruckmanÂ’s article here.

Post from: Agile Methodology

How is Agile Changing the Way We Work?

From where I write, 2009 was a banner year for Scrum and agile. Not only did these project management methods continue to grow in popularity and usage, they importantly spread into the largest, most complex development environments (enterprise-sized companies). But looking at SDTimes’ recap of the past year, they dubbed last year “the year of the cloud.” Certainly, the rise of cloud computing has made a huge impact on the way we store and share information—there’s just no denying it. But it’s good to see that Scrum and agile are on the magazine’s radar for the coming year. The SDTimes staff is already expecting big things from agile in 2010. Here’s how they put it:

“Agile computing is maturing. It’s not just a manifesto anymore: Many development shops have adopted agile practices. Some have gone deep and are religious about Scrum, Extreme Programming or some other methodology. Others are guided more by the agile philosophy and have chosen elements of various methodologies to create their own lean practices. Only the most highly entrenched organizations are untouched by agile.

“The questions now: Where does agile go from here? Does it just fade into a set of best practices? Indeed, is there even an agile movement any longer? We’ll see changes and evolution here in 2010.”

Any predictions? Where do you think agile will go from here? What will see in the coming year? Please peer into your crystal ball and make your prediction in the comments section.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Was 2009 the Year Agile Broke Out?

If you were at Agile 2009 in Chicago last year, then you already know that this conference is a great way to meet other agile practitioners, hear presentations from the industryÂ’s most respected thought leaders, and learn about all the training and tooling options out there. And one more thing: ItÂ’s a lot of fun!

Well, now itÂ’s time to begin looking forward to next yearÂ’s event. The 2010 Agile Alliance-sponsored conference will be held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, August 9 to 13. Jim Newkirk is serving as chair and leading the charge to organize this memorable conference. If youÂ’d like to be a presenter this year, the call for submissions opens on Monday, January 4, 2010. Check the Agile Alliance for more information.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Agile2010: Call for Submissions Opened

Over at InfoQ, Deborah Hartmann Preuss reports on the values of games for teaching the principles of Scrum. If youÂ’ve ever attended a Certified ScrumMaster or Product Owner course, chances are your instructor led the group to a deeper understanding of Scrum and agile principles by playing a game or utilizing an interactive exercise. ItÂ’s an effective strategy for communicating difficult-to-grasp ideas in a fun and memorable way and itÂ’s becoming increasingly common for agile education.

IÂ’ve played a number of games over the course of my agile and Scrum education. If youÂ’re responsible for teaching your team or others in your organization, here are a few helpful links thatÂ’ll give you some proof that games are, in fact, valuable and will provide a few ideas for games to try.

HereÂ’s CST Kane Mar on the Ball Point Game, which he learned from Boris Gloger: http://blogs.danube.com/scrum-trainers-gathering-24-the-ball-point-game

And hereÂ’s Katie Playfair of Danube Technologies arguing for the relevance of game-playing: http://blogs.danube.com/the-value-of-games-ingraining-the-intangible-in-an-audience

Post from: Agile Methodology

Getting Down to Business with Games

Mike Bria recently posted a story on InfoQ discussing how a group of agilistas are arguing for the creation of a new role within agile and Scrum teams called the “agile team lead,” designed to effectively replace the ScrumMaster and Project Manager positions. For purists, it’s hard not to be skeptical, especially considering the delicate balance of authority and responsibility that marks the composition of Scrum teams. But for the sake of entertaining the idea, the following criteria summarize the group’s ideas about the duties that agile team leadership entails:

• “Continuous Leadership
  Understanding the team’s place in the organization’s goals, being a single point of leadership (for the team) and accountability (to stakeholders), building a “safe container” for the team to work within, growing trust and respect between team and stakeholders, and continuously improving team cohesion.
• “Continuous Planning
  Ensuring the team become increasing capable of meeting their own established commitments, ensuring everything remain “big and visible”, manages metrics, making “the plan the bad guy” (as opposed to the people), and ensuring the “plan changes with demand/supply”.
• “Continuous Execution
  “Monitoring/managing team velocity/throughput”, securing resources, removing and escalating blockages. Ultimately, “keeping flow, momentum and focus in the team”.
• “Continuous Risk Reduction
  Identifying risks and making their “potential impacts big and visible to the right people”, ensuring risk reduction occurs, and quantifying risk management effectiveness.
• “Continuous Improvement (Agile Coaching)
  Driving the “improvement of the overall Definition of Done”, sensing and drawing attention to performance breakdowns, facilitating team improvements in the right areas, and helping the team learn emerging practices from outside itself.”

Though several Scrum and agile practitioners have supported this idea, my favorite response belongs to CST Tobias Mayer, who states: “Creating a ‘role’ of team lead is the beginning of a slippery slope back to command and control, It is a cop-out, an excuse for not facing the real challenge of nurturing a leader-full team.”

I can’t help but agree. This role not only seems to disrupt the balance of power in Scrum and agile, but seems to be moving backwards—toward traditional management practices. I’m curious to know what you think. Would an agile team lead role solve problems at your organization or just create more? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Agile Team Lead?

A great way to improve your knowledge of Scrum is by attending one of the Scrum Alliance-sponsored Scrum Gatherings. ItÂ’s an opportunity to meet other Scrum users, attend sessions led by some of ScrumÂ’s most important thought leaders, and learn more about the tooling and training solutions that are out there.

Most recently, the Munich Gathering was held in October, drawing hundreds of Scrum practitioners from across Europe and beyond to the three-day event. From all reports IÂ’ve heard, the undisputed highlight was Jeff SutherlandÂ’s extremely animated opening keynote.

Sound like an event you’d like to attend? The next Scrum Gathering will be held in Orlando, Florida, from March 8 – 10, 2010. You can learn more or register to attend by heading here.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Next Up: Orlando Scrum Gathering 2010

One of the best ways to illustrate how agile and Scrum can transform the way an organization manages its development is through case studies. Rather than simply saying that agile methods will streamline processes, reduce cycle time, and improve product quality, a case study illustrates how agile and Scrum can achieve those things. Moreover, theyÂ’re inspirational. When you can see that someone at another organization has experienced the same challenges and worked through them to successfully implement agile, it gives you the confidence to embark on that journey yourself.

Do you have an agile or Scrum transformation story youÂ’d like to tell? If so, please post them here in the comments. To make things interesting, the person who submits the best one will receive a free iPod Nano.

Please make sure that the story you submit contains the following three sections:

• The Problem. What was going wrong at your organization that made you decide to implement agile or Scrum?
• The Application. Once your organization decided to use Scrum to surface dysfunction and transform its processes, how did you go about doing it? What were the first steps you took? Was it an organization-wide adoption or just on the team level? Did you use training or tools?
• The Solution. What was the result? Can you quantify the improvements that Scrum and agile helped realize? Have other teams at your organization begun adopting agile management techniques?

I look forward to reading your stories. Deadline for submission is Dec. 31, 2009 and please try to keep your case studies to between 500 and 750 words.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Share Your Story

Lately, “Lean”—which derives from the lean manufacturing practices popularized by Honda and Toyota in the 1980s—has been a popular topic in software development circles. Not only does much of agile development have its roots in Lean’s streamlined, waste-averse practices, but Forester just held its Business Technology Forum which focused on the new concept of “Lean IT.”

Over at ZDNet, columnist Joe McKendrick wonders aloud what this new term actually means and, more specifically, what it means for teams developing software. Citing Wikipedia’s definition of Lean IT as “vague and convoluted,” he ultimately expresses doubt that Lean IT is much more than a new name for waste-reducing activities that agile developers have been using for years. Without a doubt, McKendrick thinks there’s value in the principles being advertised as “Lean IT,” he just doubts that they’re all that different from strategies that organizations are already using. Read the entire post here.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Lean IT

Scrum company Danube Technologies has launched a new series of video blogs, in which their team of Certified Scrum Trainers tackle various topics related to Scrum. So far, DanubeÂ’s posted two. In the first, Jimi Fosdick discusses what Scrum is and, in the second, Michael James continues the conversation by explaining why teams should use it. ItÂ’s great to see meaty video content for Scrum and agile users finally popping up on the web. Danube promises more video blogs soon, so be sure to check the companyÂ’s blog for the latest posts.

Post from: Agile Methodology

Danube’s Scrum-Centric Video Blogs