Showing posts with label Scrum Methodology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scrum Methodology. Show all posts

Friday 14 March 2014

Explanation Of Scrum Burndown Charts – The Plotting, Requirement, And Purpose Of Burndown Charts

What is a burn down chart?


A burn down chart is an important tool in scrum. It provides a visual representation about the progress achieved in a sprint while it is underway. They are very common and extensively used by scrum masters while scrum is being implemented in a project. The quantity, or the amount of work remaining, in the form of pending tasks, is typically exhibited in a burn down chart. The chart is simple and easy to understand, even by people who are not familiar with scrum methodology. Burn down charts are very useful for estimation purposes, and are essential for determining the sprint velocity – the rate at which work in the form of user stories is being completed by the development team – and planning the sprint release.  

Plotting the burn down chart
A burn down chart can be plotted by including the work remaining in the form of story points along the vertical Y-axis and the working days along the horizontal X-axis. The pending work is typically represented in story points – a unit of measurement to calculate the importance and priority of user stories in the sprint backlog – instead of user stories. The reason is user stories are broken down into tasks during the second half of the sprint planning meeting by the development team. It becomes difficult to read and understand the chart if tasks are represented along the Y-axis. User stories are descriptive in nature, and do not have a number or a value associated with them, so it becomes difficult to estimate them. Therefore, the story points, which are numeric values associated with each user story, are used for plotting purposes. Know more on http://ezinearticles.com/?Explanation-Of-Scrum-Burndown-Charts---The-Plotting,-Requirement,-And-Purpose-Of-Burndown-Charts&id=8371905 

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Tuesday 11 March 2014

The Product Backlog in A Nutshell: For Scrum Beginners

The Product Backlog

In scrum, the product backlog consists of all the user stories, or the set of requirements which are essentially required to manufacture the product in totality. By totality, we mean a product which possesses all the attributes as requested by the end users so that they can use it in an effective and meaningful manner to carry out their tasks or activities. In reality, the user stories are the same as product backlog items. While the product backlog item or the “PBI” is the actual terminology recommended and used by scrum, in simple language it is often referred to as a “user story” by the team members. In practice, the product to be developed is actually owned by the stakeholders or the investors who have put in money into the project. Since their role is to “own” and “decide” about what kinds of features and functionalists should be incorporated into the product, it is not practical for all the stakeholders to carry out the development process by addressing the team members on an individual basis. It is not practical to do so. Therefore, they appoint a person who acts in the capacity of a “product owner” and who represents their interests while the product is being developed and scrum methodology is being implemented in the project. 

Product backlog

At the onset when a scrum project is planned, the product owner first of all clearly understands about the features and functionality to be provided in the product. Subsequently, he or she breaks up the entire product into its constituent parts, which can be later “assembled” to “remake” the product when all the constituent parts are developed individually. The parts actually form the PBIs in the product backlog. While the product backlog is being constructed or compiled, it is necessary to determine how important the user stories are as far as the final product is concerned. While some of the functionality associated with a particular user story may be very important, quite a few of them may not be so important from the end user or the market point of view. It becomes necessary to prioritize the user stories depending upon what kinds of functionality and features they possess. The activity of prioritizing the user stories or the PBIs is done by the product owner.       

Moreover, the product backlog contains the explanation and description of the functionality linked up with each user story. It is specifically explained in what manner the user stories are to be developed by the development team members during the sprint activity. Many times, the user story can also contain the functional and non-functional aspects needed to understand the requirement in a proper manner. The product backlog is very critical, and forms the “heart” of all scrum related activities. It should be carefully prepared by the product owner. 

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Monday 10 March 2014

The Dos and Don’ts of Servant Leader Role for Scrum Masters

What is understood by the term “servant leader”?
Several experts have tried to define the role of a servant leader, as to what it should ideally include, and what scrum masters should do to be considered as good servant leaders. To summarize what the authors have to say about the role, individuals desiring to function as good servant leaders should be compassionate, exhibit humane characteristics, act as a facilitator, and be a mentor for individual team members. Rather than discussing in details about each characteristic, the role can be briefly understood by going through the Dos and Don’ts associated with the servant leader role.

What the scrum master should ideally do to become a good servant leader
·       Protect the team and its members from distractions and diversions
·       Facilitate the planning activities and sessions
·       Encourage team members to participate in sprint reviews and retrospectives  
·       Implement scrum methodology and coach scrum to team members
·       Help the team to collaborate
·       Publicly represent and protect the team’s position
·       Anticipate issues and problems likely to occur during the sprint activity
·       Discover ways and means to remove the impediments faced by the development team
·       Ensure daily scrum meetings are properly conducted as per scrum principles and rules
·       Support and encourage transparency while implementing the project
·       Properly understand and present the team’s progress to the investors and stakeholders
·       When necessary, arbitrate on behalf of the team members

What should be avoided or prevented
·         Provide instructions directly or indirectly to the development team.
-        The scrum master should act as a facilitator and help the team members to find solutions on their own through guidance, advice, and suggestions.
·       Manage the daily scrum meeting
-        Rather than directing the team and providing development related solutions, the person should supervise scrum and ensure the team members follow it properly.
·       Estimate the work taken up by the team
-        If the team is coming up with an estimate, the scrum master should not interfere by suggesting or advising as to what the estimate should ideally include. If required, the person can arbitrate on behalf of the team.
·       Remain uninvolved or be unconcerned about where the team is heading

-        Always try to maintain a holistic attitude about how the project is proceeding, and how the project can be affected by the work carried out by the development team. One should be clear about the project goals and how the team is currently achieving them.

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How Can A Scrum Master Be A Good Servant Leader?

What is understood by the servant leader role?
There are several interpretations of the servant leader role, and many experts have contributed their versions as to what the exact definition should include. However, to summarize all those definitions, the role can be best defined as a virtue, or a trait, which can put the priorities of others first, and maintain a humane attitude towards them. While a debate can extend indefinitely as to how the word “humane” should be understood, a person acting in the capacity of a scrum master might exhibit certain characteristics common to the role to be considered as an ideal servant leader.  

Listening
A good listener can grasp the finer points of a discussion and make informed decisions. It is very important to be sensitive to the team’s needs and the problems faced by them. The scrum master should listen carefully to what the team members have to say during the daily scrum meeting. He or she should make efforts to pick up clues and pointers pertaining to self-organization and try to encourage the team members to accept them. People have different types of natures, and while some are extroverts with an ability to express their views and opinions easily and loudly, many developers are of introvert types and may find it difficult to vocally express their ideas. The scrum master should be on the lookout as to what these types of individuals want to say, and help them to open up and express their views and opinions without any inhibitions. It is also equally important to detect any impediments faced by the team members, and advise them how to go about them.

Awareness

The awareness concerning a particular situation ought to be gained keeping in mind a holistic view to avail a better understanding regarding the ethics and moral values. It is very important for the scrum master to understand and look at situations from a much higher level than the rest of the team to gain a complete picture associated with a particular scenario. The person should ideally think above the role of a developer, and try to act more as a facilitator than anything else. It is important to remain detached with the team, yet remain close to it. The scrum master should maintain a proper balance between the two different parts of the same role. It becomes easy to implement scrum in a systematic manner if you remain detached, since it helps you to observe the workings as a third person. Scrum does not support active participation of the scrum master in leading the team directly by providing instructions to them. At the same time, the servant leader role supports compassion and closeness, which is only possible if you involve yourself on a personal basis with the team member. Therefore, it is important to be aware about both these antithetical requirements of the role, and carry it out by balancing both the aspects.   

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Friday 7 March 2014

How Can A Scrum Master Successfully Carry Out The Servant Leader Role While Implementing Scrum Methodology?

What does the term servant leader actually mean?
Many scrum reference books and articles explicitly state and describe the role of the scrum master as a servant leader. While most of the definitions try to state the same meaning, they can often lead to confusion as to which definition is perfect and should be followed. The importance of a definition comes into the picture once its meaning is properly understood. So, rather than concentrating upon the definition, it would make more sense to understand what the concept really means. In a nutshell, the role of being a servant leader would actually refer to maintaining a positive and humane attitude towards the team members, being sensitive towards their difficulties and problems, and putting in efforts to act as a facilitator so that goals can be achieved in a collaborative manner, with each team member contributing towards the fulfillment of the project in a proactive way. It is important for a scrum master to possess certain characteristics to be a successful “servant leader”.

1.    Listening
An individual who is a good listener can also make informed decisions and successfully solve problems. It is important for the scrum master to listen attentively, with an open mind. The person should try to pick up pointers during the daily scrum meetings as to what the team members are really trying to say, and what kinds of problems they are really facing. Some individuals are extroverts and find it easy to speak about their problems in a crowd, and demand solutions from others.  Introvert individuals may find this very difficult to do, and so it would be up to the scrum master to encourage such individuals to open up and be vocal about their problems. Moreover, the person should also try to encourage self-organization and self-learning amongst team members. If the team is facing impediments, it becomes necessary to engage with the issue in a proactive manner and start finding solutions, rather than wait for the team to approach the scrum master with the particular issue. To be a good servant leader, the scrum master should also be a good listener.


2.    Awareness
While leading teams, it becomes imperative to develop a holistic view and look at things from a general point of view, rather than be concerned about the micro level issues when a particular issue or problem arises. It is important to look at problems from a higher level and get an overall picture of where the issue is actually heading to before arriving at a consensus with the team members. It is also required to look beyond the role and scope as a programmer or a developer and grasp the problem at its root level before striving to provide solutions. Scrum methodology advocates that the scrum master should not get directly involved with the development work and start directing the team members. At the same time, the servant leader role indicates that the scrum master should act more as a facilitator and help the team members to resolve their problems by providing guidance and advice, even on an individual basis if required. Therefore, it becomes necessary to strike a correct balance between the two aspects of the role.

3.    Persuasion

Traditional project managers can be autocratic while delegating their authority. Scrum is in antithesis of autocracy – it supports teamwork and collaboration. The team works as a whole and delivers results. Moreover, the scrum guide indicates a specific role for the scrum master. He or she should primarily supervise, and ensure that scrum is properly implemented, and followed by the team members. Rather than issuing commands and orders, the servant leader role encourages persuasion – discuss and talk with the team members, and encourage them to do things rather than demand action and activities from them. 

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Monday 3 March 2014

How Can Scrum Masters Deliver Successful Scrum Projects? Which Characteristics Make A “Good” Scrum Master?

When any organization plans to implement scrum methodology, it first decides about two individuals who play a crucial part in scrum implementation – the product owner and the scrum master. While the role of the product owner is more or less adjudged by the principles and guidelines specified in the scrum guide, it is the scrum master’s role which needs to be decided upon, as to which person can best satisfy the requirements of a scrum master. Generally, people taking up the role of a scrum master belong to a managerial class. It is generally believed that managerial personnel have the experience required to handle teams successfully and come up with positive results. However, this is not always the case, and non-managerial individuals can also take up the responsibilities if they are properly trained for it, and have the potential to deliver positive results. Ideally, the main question asked by the management and the stakeholders should be “Which person can best act as a scrum master and deliver results while supporting the inherent principles of scrum?” rather than ”Which scrum master can function as an ideal manager and deliver the results out of scrum implementation?” It is a fact most scrum master struggle while handling their teams when they start with their careers. Being a scrum master is not an easy task. It is important for a scrum master to follow some principles other than those laid down by scrum to win people and successfully deliver the project. Scrum is all about sharing and collaboration. It is important to know what the scrum master can do to be effective.

1.    Work on a single project
There is a Russian proverb which says if you chase two rabbits simultaneously, you will succeed in catching neither of them. If you are required to handle two projects simultaneously, and if you are putting in one hundred percent towards your work, in reality you are contributing only fifty percent to each project. It means you are not doing hundred percent justice to your projects. This is an important point which every scrum master should know and follow. Working on a single project would mean that you remain dedicated to only one project, and you can put in cent percent of your efforts in the project. One of the reasons why scrum master handle multiple projects is they fear if one of the project fails to deliver or work out, they can still successfully complete the other one, and somewhat save their reputation as successful scrum masters. Successful scrum master get invited to handle new projects, not failed ones. It is important to have confidence in one’s ability to succeed, and put in everything to make the project a distinct success.

2.    Focus upon improving the team effectiveness
Scrum is about teamwork. Scrum framework promotes overall participation and contribution of all team members rather than individual contributions from team members. When scrum is implemented, it creates transparency. Members are supposed to act together as a team and deliver the results out of collaborative efforts. This is what scrum advocates. For a successful implementation of scrum, it is very important for team members to collaborate and share their findings with others. When people start focusing upon individual efforts and contributions, the “we” attitude is replaced by “I” attitude, and the person stops communicating his or her findings to others, and desires to take the credit for the development carried out. This is where scum would fail. Scrum does not require contribution from one particular “individual”, rather it desires an overall output from the entire team. Scrum masters should ensure the team members ought to collaborate and contribute in a collective manner, and should focus upon improving the team effectiveness to function as a whole unit.  

3.    Facilitate rather than manage
Traditional managers and scrum master who believe in delegating their authority to a great extent may find it difficult to mould their thoughts and behavior to suit the role of an ideal scrum master. Scrum is based upon the principles of self-organization and team collaboration. One of the best ways to achieve this is to “facilitate” rather than “manage” the teams in what they do.  A few pointers my help you decide what to do and what to avoid:

What should be avoided:
-        Avoid taking decisions on behalf of the team members
-        Avoid assigning work directly to the team members
-        Avoid tracking individual team member’s performance
-        Avoid taking credit for the work done by the team
-        Avoid engaging the team during status meetings

What should be done:
-        Aid in removing the impediments
-        Set up special one-on-one mentoring sessions for each team member
-        Provide suggestions and inputs regarding how to improve upon the features
-        Participate in a collective manner while hiring additional or new team members

-        Help each team member to plan about career development activities

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Wednesday 26 February 2014

3 Serious Pitfalls Which Every Scrum Master Should Avoid – Implement Scrum Successfully

The scrum master holds a very high position and an important one too, while executing projects using scrum methodology. The main role of the scrum master is to ensure that the development team effectively employs scrum during the sprint activity. If scrum is properly implemented, each member of the team remains busy with the tasks allotted, or taken up, by him or her. It is not required for the member to seek guidance from the scrum master as to what should be done next, or what task need to be carried out. The main objective of the sprint planning meetingheld before the commencement of the sprint is to ensure that proper and enough tasks are taken up by each team member. However, at times due to various reasons, which ought to be avoided at all costs, the scrum master knowingly or unknowingly transgresses his or her responsibilities, and extends the primary role of the scrum master. This can lead to undesirable results and ineffectual implementation of scrum methodology. It can also lead to increased development costs and bloated overheads – something every business owner tries to avoid at all costs. So how does a scrum master know that he or she is making a mistake? How does the person find out whether he or she is transgressing the responsibilities associated with being a scrum master?     

The three main mistakes of a scrum master
It is not an easy task to become a scrum master. If the person is new at the job, or lacks enough knowledge or experience as a scrum master, it can be very easy to fall back upon doing what project managers know best – behave and function as traditional managers. It can be very easy to fall into this trap, and many scrum masters often fail to avoid this pitfall during the early stages of their career. A scrum master is not supposed to behave as a typical project manager. Scrum methodology does not support or subscribe to it. Certain indications can help you identify and avoid the pitfalls:    
 
1.    Start assigning tasks to team members
During the sprint process, if scrum is implemented properly, each team member has enough tasks on hand to last the entire sprint duration. The very purpose of holding a sprint planning meeting before starting with the sprint is to ensure that proper and enough tasks are taken up by each team member, and each task is allotted a predetermined time during which it is to be completed. So when scrum methodology is enforced in a proper manner, team members generally do not run out of tasks, and are not required to ask for new tasks when the sprint is currently underway.

Pitfall
As a scrum master, if any team member runs out of tasks and approaches you for new tasks before the current sprint is over, you might be inclined to allocate new tasks to the person. This is a pitfall, and should be avoided. It means that the sprint planning meeting was not done in the correct manner.Read more on http://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/01/29/3-Serious-Pitfalls-Which-Every-Scrum-Master-Should-Avoid-%E2%80%93-Implement-Scrum-Successfully.aspx

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Tuesday 25 February 2014

What Should the Perfect And Ideal Daily Stand-Up Scrum Meeting Consist Of As Per the Official Scrum Guide?

The daily stand-up scrum meetings play a vital role in ascertaining that the development activity is carried out in a sustained manner. The meetings are usually time boxed to 5–15 minutes and are held standing up to remind people to keep the meeting short and to-the-point. Stand-up scrum meetings also help to find potential pitfalls experienced during ongoing sprints. It is important to know how the daily meetings are carried out, and what they should ideally consist of. On the basis of official scrum guide specified by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, the originators of scrum methodology, the article tries to explain in details about the daily scrum meetings.

·       Who should attend the meeting?
Everyone associated with the scrum project should attend the meeting. It is important for the scrum master and the team members to remain present, while the product owner and stakeholders too can remain present if they desire to do so.

·       What should be discussed during the meeting?
It is very important to remain focused and only discus about those topics which are directly related and associated with the sprint activity. The attendees should try not to wander off the main topic and discus about other trivia which are not pertaining to the scrum activity. In fact, the guide is specific about discussing topics which are directly connected to the sprint to be carried out during the particular day, even other topics dealing with the project, or project related issues should be avoided during the stand-up meetings. There are special provisions like the sprint retrospective meeting to discuss about such issues.The main topics to be included during the meeting should consist of:
-        What tasks were accomplished during the sprint carried out the day before?
-        Which tasks are to be developed today?
-        Did the particular team member face any problems or impediments during the sprint implementation? If so, what were they?
  
·       In what order should the discussions be carried out?
There is a lot of flexibility while deciding about the order in which the discussions can be carried out during the meeting. Team members can take turns in discussing about what they have achieved, and what they plan to do on the particular day. Alternatively, the scrum master may decide who should speak first and which team member should follow the discussion. A popular method is to take up discussions regarding important tasks first, followed by the order of priority. The order of discussion can vary from project to project, and from need to need. 

·       Where and when should the meetings be held?
The stand up meetings should be ideally held at the place of work, and in front of the task board. While they can be conducted almost everywhere, including conference rooms, holding the meetings in the actual place of work can help the team members to remain more focused and target oriented. The meetings should be held before the daily sprint is initiated.

·       How to sustain the energy levels during the meetings?

The stand up meetings are also commonly referred to as “huddles” by many people, simply because each team member stands very close to the next one during the meeting. The scene is much similar to the scrum used in rugby. The proximity often encourages the team members to become proactively involved in the discussion. The energy levels start rising up as each team member briefly, and professionally, discusses and outlines his or her activity for that particular day. The meeting is to be held in such a manner that the “atmosphere” becomes charged up with anticipation, and each member focuses upon the goals he or she plans to achieve during the sprint carried out that day.

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Friday 21 February 2014

Is It Possible To Use Scrum For Developing Non IT Based Projects? If So, How?

Scrum for non-IT based projects?

Whenever people talk about scrum, they mean a methodology which is capable of adapting to changing development environments, and time bound delivery. Since a very long time, for as long as a decade, scrum has been synonymous with IT development. People tend to think about IT projects when ever scrum is mentioned. The old school of thought often failed to think about scrum as capable of dealing with projects other than IT development. The promoters of scrum rarely though about using scrum for production based or manufacturing related processes. This attitude created many hurdles in making scrum methodology popular in the initial years. Even now, scrum is more popularly associated with IT related development projects. Over the years, the question which has always kept on popping up is “Can scrum be used for projects other than IT?” It is a good question to answer, because a lot of confusion has been prevailing regarding scrum, and how it can be implemented for projects other than those which are information technology based.

Scrum framework versus waterfall methodology 

Whatever the product or manufacturing process may be, business owners and companies are always pressed to bring in products which are efficient, easy to produce, and which consume very little manufacturing time. One of the biggest concerns for the development team is catering to the changing market conditions and trends. More than often, the primary objectives and functionalists associated with a particular product to be manufactured may lose its importance and market value. This may happen if a newer version or product is launched which offers a better pricing and added feature, which is not present in the product being developed. Traditional waterfall methods fail miserably when the product definition is changed overnight. This is where scrum can score, since the framework is specially developed to incorporate changing development related conditions. Theoretically speaking, regardless of the type of development, scrum can be successfully implemented to produce any type of product or goods. It can be successfully implanted in various fields dealing with market segments such as government and education, including a wide range of industries encompassing automotive design, venture capitalism, and retail.   

Co-relating scrum with traditional development processes – Is scrum feasible?


Implementation of scrum requires a lot of imagination. Even though scrum methodology rules are simple and straightforward, they have to be implemented properly to be effective. No two development projects are alike. What works well in a particular project may not prove to be quite effective in another. This is where the imagination comes in. Scrum projects have to be molded in accordance to the project’s particular requirements. While project managers have been making minor changes to mould IT based projects to suit scrum, it should not prove to be very difficult to implement scrum in non-IT based projects. The basic rules of scrum remain the same, irrespective of what product is to be developed or manufactured. For non-IT projects, the product assembly list might be substituted with a product backlog while the actual assembly process could be carried out in the form of sprints. Instead of a supervisor or a production manger supervising the assembly process, the scrum master might overlook the implementation of scrum. The implementation can be carried out using a single sprint, or if required, multiple teams could carry out individual sprints to suit the manufacturing process. Implementing scrum for non-IT projects may not prove to be so difficult if you have the inclination and the foresight to correlate traditional manufacturing process with scrum methodology.     


Wednesday 12 February 2014

Scrum Methodology Made Easy – Easily Understand The Basics

Scrum can be understood in simple terms as a loose set of rules or guidelines used to control or govern the process of development of a particular product. The method can be used to develop the product right from its inception up to its finished state of completion. The objective of the scrum methodology is to overcome the shortcomings offered by traditional development methods. Generally, what does scrum help to overcome?

Chaos and problems occurring due to varying or changing development environment
A major problem occurring during the development process is responding to the changes occurring in the product development cycle or requirements put forward by the clients. In case of traditional linear product development methodologies, it is not possible to make any changes in the development cycle once it is decided and put into practice. The entire development stage has to be carried out again after incorporating the new changes in the product design or client oriented requirements. That is not the case with scrum development. Changes can be immediately reflected in the development cycle. Moreover, the changes can be incorporated in live working environments “on the go”.

Responding late to product development impediments
It is very important to respond quickly to, and cater in time to the impediments occurring during the development activity. If large extent of time is required to be spent while responding to the solutions required to remove the problems, the development loses its meaning if it is going to exceed the predetermined product development time. With scrum it is very easy to respond to changes. Any problem occurring, or faced by the development team is dealt within the sprint time.  The daily scrum meetings are basically designed and conducted for this very purpose. This facility is not supported in traditional methodologies.

Uncontrolled development process

In traditional development methodologies such as Waterfall, it is not possible to evaluate the development status on a frequent basis. Generally the project manager is made aware about the development status after a particular stage is completed, and by then it is too late to rectify and errors occurring or unknowingly carried out by the development team. With scrum, the difficulty is overcome due to sprint planning meetings. At the end of each sprint, generally lasting up to two weeks, the status of development is identified, known, ascertained, discussed, analyzed, and rectified for any erroneous process occurring during the sprint. This ensures that the errors are not carried forwarded, but rather checked in time, and catered to.  

Monday 27 January 2014

An Overview Regarding Scrum Methodology

An introduction to Scrum methodology

For majority of the software developers, Agile methodology does not require any prior introduction. It is widely known that Agile is a comparatively new addition in the field of project management, and was primarily developed to overcome the drawbacks offered by traditional developmental methodologies such as the Waterfall method, which included a linear approach while executing projects. Typically, traditional methods support a top-to-bottom approach of segregating the entire project into main development activities, and tackling them one after another in a sequential method. The Scrum methodology offers a more flexible and dynamic approach of splitting up the entire project into individually executable project parts known as “Sprints”. Each sprint is processed or developed by many team members, who put in efforts to develop an entirely finished and shippable product at the end of the particular sprint. The main advantage of the Scrum methodology is that it increases the interaction between the “Product owner” and the team members. Increased client participation (or the Product Owner) leads to enhanced development experience, an advantage that is uniquely offered by Scrum and not other development methodologies. Another advantage offered by Scrum is the highly reduced turnaround time. Each sprint may typically last from one to four weeks, at the end of which a shippable product is delivered. The client is made aware about the development carried out at the end of the sprint by the team members. In many cases, the client can assume the role of the product owner and brief the scrum master regarding the development required. Typically, the sprints are numbered from zero, and proceed as “Sprint 1”, “Sprint 2”, etc. The client can determine the cost effectiveness of each sprint.Know more on http://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/01/23/An-Overview-Regarding-Scrum-Methodology.aspx 




The Origin And Key Principles Of Scrum

Origin of scrum

The terminology "Scrum" was initially introduced by Takeuchi and Nonaka in 1986, in a study paper published in the Harvard Business Review. The paper explained that projects should ideally use small, cross functional teams having complete autonomy in whatever they do, and the teams were supposed to deliver a completely finished and shippable product at the end of the development cycle. In case the product cannot be completed at the end of the development cycle, it could be further extended in the form of another “sprint”. Each development cycle is known as a “sprint”, and typically lasts for two weeks to four weeks. This particular development methodology leads to highly reduced turnaround times, and increased productivity. The main advantage of the methodology is that it delivers a completely shippable product at the end of the development cycle, and the development activity takes very little time. This can lead to increased ROI and reduced overheads since redundant requirements or development activities can be curtailed well in time, and replaced by newer and far more important ones in their place. The word “Scrum” is actually derived from the scrum used in rugby football in which the game is restarted again with new or fresh objectives after it undergoes a minor infraction. The game is “reset” to run again with more effective and meaningful objectives after it experiences a setback. That is exactly what happens while using Scrum methodology. Development is carried out in short sprints, at the end of which the results are evaluated, and if required the sprint is extended with the same or newer aims and objectives.Know more on http://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/01/23/The-Origin-And-Key-Principles-Of-Scrum.aspx     

Friday 20 September 2013

Three important part of Scrum Project Management

In the Free Scrum Tool, These three are very important part
·         The Product Owner
·         The Team
·         The Scrum Master



1. The Product Owner: - In the Scrum Methodology, The Product owner is part of Scrum Process. The Product Owner watches the development in the view of customers. The Product owner is input to successfully starting any development. The Product owner does this in piece through Scrum Backlog Tool. At least one person is allocating the role of Product owner in every project.

2. The Team: - The size of the project, of course, is handling by team. Team are group of women and men who do work mutually to finish the final product. In Agile Methodologies, there are four to nine persons in any team. Team are typically not assigned to one task only.
Team must perfectly have abilities of cross functional, so that work is actually combined. In the team no one is boss. All members acknowledge their own strength and weakness and
Work collectively as a solid whole.

3. The Scrum Master: - The Scrum master is not boss of team. The Scrum Master arranges the method for how information is exchanged. A Scrum master is the direct for a Scrum Project Management group that uses Open Source Scrum tool, a rugby similarity for an improvement methodology that allows a team to self organize and make changes.

In the Scrum Planning Tools, People work together to achieve common goal. In the scrum when one member falter than rest member follow.


                                   Created By:- www.quickscrum.com

Thursday 12 September 2013

What are Differences and Similarities between Kanban and Scrum?

 There are some Similarities between Kanban and Scrum


1.  Prioritization of the Goal: - In both methods Kanban and Scrum Process  achieving goal is main Purpose of method .Both method give main Priority to make final product.


2. Fast and Pure Development:- The Main purpose of   both method Kanban and Scrum Methodology is make quick and pure development .Pure development means at deployment time no one change will come from client side.

 3.Transparency Between all team members:- Transparency means no one thing is hidden between all team members regarding development. All matter is display into Open Source Scrum tool like quickscrum.com.

Open Source Agile tool


There are some Differences between Kanban and Scrum


1. Kanban based on Process of Development as an ongoing flow while Scrum is based on iteration.
2. In Scrum Team give commitment to how many work completed in this Sprint is called Scrum Sprint, in kanban not any commitment.
3.  Scrum decide estimation time, Kanban not decide any estimate time.
4.  Scrum required cross functionality of team, Kanban required time to market.