Norms for Holding Effective and Fruitful Scrum Meetings

Many types of meetings are held while scrum is implanted in a project. Right from sprint planning meeting to the sprint review and the sprint retrospective, other non-conventional meetings can also be arranged in scrum as and when needed to fulfill specific objectives.  Following certain norms can help to effective and fruitful meetings.

·       Scheduling the meeting

The best way to schedule a meeting is to consider all the information that needs to be conveyed during the meeting, and assign a proper time and duration for it. Do not try to cram in too many topics so that enough time is not allotted for discussing each topic during the meeting. Ideally, the meeting should last for approximately 30 minutes, so work out an agenda that fits into the time schedule. If the topics to be discussed are more, hold a separate meeting to discuss them. This is very important, since the team members need time to absorb the discussion, and remain perceptive to the plan of action decided for each topic in the agenda at the end of the meeting.

The time to hold the meeting should be properly selected too. Choose the time, which is most convenient to all. Ideally, the meeting should be held around 9 AM when everyone is fresh and about to start their day, or if that is not possible, than around 3 PM when everyone has taken the lunch and people are not feeling groggy immediately after having it.

·       Members attending the meeting

Work out the list of attendees who are going to remain present for the meeting. It is mandatory for the product owner and the scrum master to attend the meeting since they play a center role in scrum implementation. Invite only those members who are associated with the topics included in the agenda, and who need to carry out some plan of action based upon the discussions carried out during the meeting. Other members, who are not concerned, or who have no connection with the agenda topics should not be invited so the meeting place is not cluttered up with too many individuals. When the members are less, it becomes possible to have one-to-one discussion, which is more meaningful and effective.

·       Creating and distributing the agenda

Make sure that a proper agenda is created that includes all-important topics. Once the agenda is prepared, send it, or distribute to the concerned individuals well in time so they have enough time to prepare for the meeting. Each attendee should prepare a list of queries or issues concerning his or her work, and present it to the audience during the meeting. If the participants are well prepared, it leads to more fruitful and productive meetings.  

·       Conducting the meeting in the proper manner

Start your meeting on time. It is advisable not to wait for participants if they do not make it on time. It is essential to convey a message that the purpose and intent of the meeting is important, and should not be trifled with. The meeting should also not be taken lightly by the attendees. Some organizations even levy a certain penalty if the participants do not show up on time. 

Another aspect is regarding the discussions to be carried out during the meeting – they should be focused and topic centric. Make sure, only those topics relevant to the agenda are discussed, and the meeting is not emphasized with other trivial or non-related discussions. Utilize the meeting time in a productive way.Read more on https://www.apsense.com/article/norms-for-holding-effective-and-fruitful-scrum-meetings.html

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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.   

                  "Please visit http://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool"  

Source:- http://scrummaster.ucoz.com/blog/how_can_a_scrum_master_be_a_good_servant_leader/2014-03-11-3