"apprehension - the way to the truth"

"apprehension - the way to the truth" - I am not sure who has told that.

Doubt everything untill you will get the truth.

Why is Stand-Up so important? Why should I log working time? Why should I log working time? - if you do not have answers on all these questions, probably you are wasting your time doing it??? - BTW, the answer "Because SCRUM books are telling us that we should do it" - is wrong :) You should answer on the question - why Jeff Sutherland is suggesting you doing that? Which benefits will you get?

Ping your team

Sometimes it is very reasonable to PING your team and get PONG.

The thing is - it is quite helpful sometime ask your team to answer on some questions concerning current Project to make sure that team do understand everything same way. Another way it will be very hard for team members to reach goals of the Sprint.

For example - in one of my Projects we are working on Usability of the system. What is usability? is it measurable? is it using of Ajax?

I have asked team members to write to me e-mail - what do you mean, whan you are talking about Usability? - i have got 9 answers, they were really about something similar - but some people include in Usability - security, some of them - design. So - there were no same understanding concerning what are we going to have at the and of the Sprint.

When Sprint Goal is to improve usability - what exactly should be done? How would we understand that we have completed Sprint? How could we measure it?

As PM it is quite helpful to make sure that your team is talking on the same language, i am not talking about english or russian, i am talking about terms, which you are using in your Project.

If you just started working based on SCRUM - Stand-Up for PM

Here are some points which could be useful for PM who just started using SCRUM and who is going to drive Stand-Up -

1. To not tal everything for all - give your team ability to speak, do not try to answer on all questions yourself, try to listen what your team is talking
2. You should be 200% sure in all your words
3. You should be 200% sincere in all your words - team will feel, if you are not sincere
4. Do not impose your processes. There is only one way to work based on processes - your team should accept it. Team should belive that it will really help them to meet Project Goal and to work better.
5. Do not forget - INSPECT AND ADAPT
6. Stand-up for stand-up is wasting of time. You and your team should understand why they are spending 1 minutes of their time standing and speaking. It is quite helpful to define goal of the Stand-up in the Morning, what are you going to reach during Stand-Up. Try to meet this Goal during Stand-Up and after it - answer your self - have you done it?
7. If you have some rules (no chairs, no cell phones, no computers) for stand-up - they should work for everyone and every stand-up. No exceptions (cell phone - only for something really urgent)

Stand-Up Scenario (just my vision)

Here is one of the visions, how could it looks like. StandUp could be different, depends on the team, etc. This is only one of possible formats.


StandUp is +- 15 min meeting, which is going at the beginning of the business day (could be at the end, but 99% - at the beginning :)).

Participants
Required Participants - Development Team

Invariants

-No Cell Phones
-No Computers
-No chairs
-Only one talk same time, other listen
-Only Required Participants are able to talk on the Meeting. All other can only listen.

Rules

Each member of the Development Team (or one from pair) should answer on several questions -

1. What have I done since last StandUp?
2. For which tasks we are out of Estimation?
3. What could be tested by the Test Team? - This one is new question and should give for Test team clearer vision on completed tasks.
4. Which blocks do I have? - Only small items should be solved during meeting. All other should be written down and discussed right after meeting.
5. What I am planning to do till the next StandUp?

There are several additional things which should be done by the team during the StandUp -

1. During answering on the question 1 team member should check that all closed tasks are marked on the Lists on the Wall and if not - update it
2. During answering on the question 5 team member should check that new tasks are marked on the Lists on the Wall and if not - update it

Scenario

Entrance –
Responsible – PM
Speech – Till the initially planned end date of the Sprint we have “…” days (planned date is “…”). We are out/over the Scope for “…” days, including development – “…” days, testing – “…” days. For now, based on our current Progress, end date of the Sprint is “…”. To be on track development team should make “…” hours per day, testing – “…” hours. Today are absent - “…” (if any)

Quality –
Responsible – Test Lead
Speech – For now we have “…” open Bugs. “…” of them requires immediate fixing, here they are on Emergency List.

Development Status –
Responsible – each developer or representative of the pair
Speech –

1. We have done these tasks
2. We are out of estimation for “…” hours because of “…” (if we are)
3. “…” items are ready for testing
4. We have problems with “…”
5. Today we are going to make “…” and take bug “…” from the emergency list
   

Testing Status
Responsible – each tester or representative of the pair
Speech –

1. We have tested these functionality
2. We have found several Bugs concerning “…”
3. We have such problems during testing – “…”
4. Today we are going to test – “…”

Exit
Responsible – PM
Speech –

1. Does anyone have anything to discuss concerning the Project – process questions, ideas, etc.? – check Idea wall
2. Summary – at the end of the day we are planning to have “…” developed and fixed and “…” tested. Thank you and good luck!!!

Stand-up is not a report to PM

It is very critical to make your team understand that Stand-Up is not report concerning work done to PM. PM is not the main nperson on this meeting at all. Team is main person.
Stand-up should not be formal meeting each morning. Igf team does not understand the neccesity of it - it will not have any value.

Stand-Up is meeting of the Team but not for PM. On this meeting team should update each team member concerning where is the Project now, are we going to meet goal of the Sprint in planned date, or we are out of estimation, which Problems do we have and how to solve them, which emergency bugs do we have.

Developer should not come to work only to develop. Developer should come to work to make Project better, to help team to meet Sprint goal, but not to write 5 UT and fix 3 bugs - it is not the goal, it could be means to meet goal.

Development for development is not the goal.

Development to make Project better, to drive Project to the main GOAL - is good Goal, and is good reason to go to work. If you do not have similar goal - probably you are wasting your time sitting in the Office? Probably it is time to change situation?

Solve Problems trought Risks

I have just read "Deadline" book. I don't know why, but only now I have opened it and find out that it is good time.

Solve Problems trought Risks - if you do not want to be face to face with Problems in the Project, try to predict them, use Risk management Process.

Step 1. Each monday try to get information which Risks do you have for now in the Project -
Sample -
1. Developer A dont like Tester B, it could cause bad productivity in the Team.
2. Qality of automation tests could be low because we do not have expertise in it.


Step 2. Try to measure impact
1. If developer A will avoid bugs from Tester B we could have at the end of the Sprint 72 bugs in the Application
2. If quality of the AT will be LOW we will spend additional 30 hours in fixing of bugs from Customer.

Step 3. Write mitigation strategy
Sample -
1. Find out real problem between A and B and solve it.
2. Find in company Automation Tests GURU and share this contact with your Test Team. Find good trainings concerning AT


Step 4. At the end of the week try to analyse what have you done concerning these risks, how it helps you this week, etc.


All these steps could be done not only once a week, but every day, or any day, when you think it is reasonable.