Certified Scrum Master Notes

Scrum and Motivation

2008-04-07T21:02:00.004+04:00

It is very important in SCRUM to have motivated team. As far as we know SCRUM rule is "inspect and adopt". No one is telling developers what to do. They have sprint goal, they have list of functionality which should work after Sprint - they are doing whatever they thing is helpful to meet this goal. BUT, it works only if your developers really motivated to meet this goal. I am not talking not about lazy developers, no. But for some type of developers this goal is not so clear. I mean - they are doing theirs job, they are developing, they are finding new features in Java or somewhere else, so they are developing and developing, but they are not concentrated in meeting Project Goal. They are concentrated in development.

And they are good developers. they know a lot of technical things, etc. BUT it is not enough in SCRUM. Each team member should be concentrated in meeting Sprint goal, on adding new value to the Project. They should develop not for development, bu to add new value to the Project, which helps theirs team to meet Sprint Goal, to make Customer happy and to make Customer Business successful.

SO, good Project Manager should manage her/his team so it will be motivated to make this Project successful and to meet Sprint Goal, but not just develop day by day.

"apprehension - the way to the truth"

2008-03-27T15:18:00.003+03:00

"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

2008-03-26T11:56:00.002+03:00

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

2008-03-26T10:45:00.002+03:00

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

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
You should be 200% sure in all your words
You should be 200% sincere in all your words - team will feel, if you are not sincere
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.
Do not forget - INSPECT AND ADAPT
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?
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)

2008-03-25T15:52:00.002+03:00

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 -

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

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
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 –

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

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

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

Exit
Responsible – PM
Speech –

Does anyone have anything to discuss concerning the Project – process questions, ideas, etc.? – check Idea wall
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

2008-03-25T15:42:00.002+03:00

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

2008-03-25T12:52:00.002+03:00

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.

SCRUM + Motivation

2007-06-13T23:40:00.001+04:00

One of the main ideas of SCRUM is Self-Organized Team. Sounds really great! You don't need any Team Lead, who will manage tasks for developers and testers - team estimate, commit, implement. But, if you are trying to setup SCRUM in your company you should understand - SCRUM without Motivation is not working at all.

If your team is not motivated you will get nothing at the end of the Sprint. Even if they will work very hard whole month. What is the reason - team is not motivated, and is not interested in success of the Project, they are not going to meet a goal of the Sprint, they are just working. So, first of all - check if everything is O in your team with motivation. Team should be really concentrated to meet the Goal.

Let's imagine that you are not managing tasks for team members anymore, and every person is able to start working on any task she/he likes. If your team is not concentrated - each developer and tester will try to take more interesting and probably easy tasks. What will you get in one week - a lot of closed, small, and not related to each other tasks. In terms of system - nothing. What will you send to your testers - nothing, what will you deliver to your customers for review - also nothing.

If team is motivated, they will check every time - which tasks is most important for today, "what should I do to help team to meet the goal of the Sprint".

Scrum is working only for very good motivated teams.

ScrumAlliance.org

2007-05-30T01:12:00.000+04:00

Great!!!

I was registered on scrumalliance.org. Find my Profile - http://www.scrumalliance.org/profiles/2092-vladimir-litoshenko

Visit www.scrumalliance.org for more information about SCRUM and certification.

Marketing job

2007-03-13T23:20:00.000+03:00

I was in St.Pete Russia in Metro. There were two guys who were selling some stuff in the train and on each station they were going to another car. One of these guys was selling maps and pensils. Good and usefull maps and not bad pensils. So there were potential buyers in the train, but when he was describing his article of trade noone will be able to hear him and everything what he was talking about was boring and not interesting at all. There were no smile on his face. So, he hasn't sold anything.
Second guy was selling real stuff - something like balloons with a sound. He was talking loud enough so everyone will be able to hear him. He has shown how this balloon works - he has inflated one of them and let them off - balloon was flighing with a funny sound throw whole car. Everyone seen that, and he has sold 5 or 10 such balloons in 2 minutes.

So - good marketing and presentation are working really well