This is a document I print off every time I’m training a leadership team that’s thinking about making the jump to an agile development process. You can download the pdf version here: Agile Cheat Sheet
Agile Roles
Clear definitions of roles are crucial in order to maintain project integrity. A typical Agile team is broken down as follows:
Scrum Master: Facilitates communication and meetings. Eliminates roadblocks that are preventing the team from moving forward.
Product Owner: Manages the backlog and defines what “done” looks like. Has a solid understanding of the purpose of the product and its context.
Developer: Autonomously works through the backlog and brings blockers to Scrum Master’s attention.
Sprints
Each project is broken down into several sprints. A sprint is a unit of time (usually 2 weeks) where the team commits to completing a set of tasks from the backlog. Sprints are repeated until the project is finished.
The Backlog
The backlog is a list of individual tasks sorted by priority. The Product Owner prioritises the backlog and re-evaluates it before every sprint.
- Try not to edit the backlog too much between sprints; it’s disruptive.
- It’s okay to close out unfinished items if the backlog is too big. Just mark it as “out of scope” in the issue tracker to use for research later.
Scrum Ceremonies
Backlog Grooming: Organise the backlog such that highest priority items are up top and will get worked on first. This makes sprint planning way easier.
Sprint Planning: Assess the team’s capacity for the sprint and clearly communicate definition of done.
Standups: Regular 10-15 minute sessions to bring up any immediate roadblocks.
Sprint Review/Demo: Demo and/or feedback on what is finished.
Retrospective: Assessment of the effectiveness of finished product.
Comments are closed.