Reasons for Carrying Out the Product Backlog Grooming Activity

What is product backlog grooming?

The main objective of the backlog grooming session is to improve the product backlog and rearrange the user stories or the product backlog items in accordance to the new priorities determined by the stakeholders or the team members. Grooming sessions can also be held to verify the product backlog items whether they have the information necessary to develop the user stories in a more efficient manner. The scrum guide does not try to define what a backlog grooming session actually is because the “grooming” activity may vary from project to project. It is difficult to standardize the process so that it can suit all types of projects. The grooming session are generally held to:

·       Write or rewrite the product backlog items or user stories if they are not properly stated or described

·       Reschedule or reprioritize the product backlog items based upon the recent updates provided by the stakeholders

·       Segregate epics or large user stories into smaller and more manageable ones

·       Re-estimate the story points linked with the user stories

·       Update or add new acceptance criteria to the user stories

·       Analyze the product backlog for planning purposes

Different reasons why the product backlog is refined

The product backlog can be rescheduled or refined for a number of reasons depending upon the changes occurring in the market conditions or new features demanded by the end users. At times, it becomes necessary to weed out less important tasks and replace them with effective ones. The product owner may decide to reprioritize the backlog if he or she feels some of the user stories need to be developed on a priority basis. Usually, the product backlog grooming activity or product refinement is carried out because of three main reasons:

1.    Refinement carried out by the stakeholders

As the market conditions keep on changing over time and new competitive products are launched, it becomes necessary for the stakeholders to do away with some of the functionalities in the product which have become obsolete and are no longer needed. It is meaningless to spend time and efforts over features which are not likely to score for the product in the market, and which no longer have a selling value. The investors and stakeholders remain in touch with the ongoing market trends, what the end users require, and how the selling value of the product can be increased by introducing new set of features and functionalities while the product is being developed. The stakeholders may decide to “overhaul” the project by removing some of the features and functionalities, and replace them with new ones, which have added market and selling values.

2.    Informal product backlog grooming

One of the important objectives of carrying out the product grooming activity is that the team members too attend the grooming sessions, and it offers an opportunity for the product owner to explain the user stories to the development team. The product owner takes the opportunity to describe and explain the new set of product backlog items to the team members and answer questions regarding the business values of the user stories. It is a great way of understanding what the product eventually focuses to do when it is launched in the market and how it is supposed to behave when fully developed. Generally, the grooming sessions are succeeded by the sprint planning meetings, and the team is able to prepare in advance for the planning meetings in a more meaningful manner. Since the team members become more familiar with the exact functionality associated with the user stories, it becomes easy for them to segregate the user stories into development tasks during the second half of the sprint planning meeting.

3.    Periodic refinement carried out by the team members

It is important to carry out “routine maintenance work” and keep the product backlog “in shape” so it becomes easy to plan the sprints. As the sprints progress and development is carried out during the sprinting sessions, some of the tasks are completed and new functionality is developed. At time, the functionality developed can be shared with other resources to be developed, and it is important to identify such resources so duplicate or repetitive development activity can be avoided and time can be saved. The grooming session help to weed out the repetitive tasks and get the backlog back into “shape”. It also provides an opportunity to the team members to ask for clarifications and demand explanations for the stories they find it difficult to understand to the product owner.  

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Source:- http://www.apsense.com/article/reasons-for-carrying-out-the-product-backlog-grooming-activity.html

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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Source:- http://www.apsense.com/article/the-product-backlog-in-a-nutshell-for-scrum-beginners.html

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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Source:- http://www.apsense.com/article/the-dos-and-donts-of-servant-leader-role-for-scrum-masters.html

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

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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Source:- 

Conducting The Daily Scrum Meeting Or The “Daily Stand Up”

The daily scrum or standup meeting

One of the primary responsibilities of the scrum master is to hold the daily scrum meeting, or the “daily stand up”, as it is commonly referred to by scrum professionals. The person is required to get the product owner and the team members together for the meeting. The objective is to avail information pertaining to three important aspects of the daily scrum ^Figure 

1.     Which tasks have been completed in the sprint carried out the day before, or yesterday?

2.     What tasks are to be taken up for development for the particular day, or today?

3.     Did any team member face any hurdles or impediments during the sprint? If so, what were they?

Duration of the daily standup

The daily scrum meeting is time boxed to last for a maximum of 15 minutes, and should not extend this period.

Purpose of the daily scrum

The main purpose of the standup is not to resolve issues or provide solutions to problems. The aim is to apprise the team members regarding the current status of the project, and ensure they collaborate and contribute jointly as a team during the development activity ^{Figure 2}. If any team member faces a problem, and it is mentioned during the daily standup, it is the scrum master’s responsibility to ensure that the issue is resolved at the earliest. The solutions to such problems are provided by the scrum master and the product owner.

Holding stand-ups for non-collocated or distributed teams

One of the major concerns, and also a probable problem at times, for the scrum master is to hold the daily standup when teams are not located in the same office or geographical area. Many companies now use and implement scrum methodology, and in certain cases, the entire development team may not be located in the same place. With off-shoring activities becoming popular by the day, soon it would be common scenario to hold meetings with team members residing in different states and even different countries. Scrum advocates that the daily scrum should include all the team members. In fact, the term “scrum” is akin to the scrum huddle often practiced in rugby, or “rugger”. With large distances separating the team members, it may not be possible to hold a daily scrum in which all team members can be physically present.

A possible way out is to use electronic media and facilities to decrease the geographical distances.Team members can use Skype and videoconferencing tools to participate online in the meeting. The scrum master has to instruct every remotely located team member to log on at a particular time when the daily scrum is to be held, and explain that the members should make sure the hardware and software tools are properly functional at the time of the meeting. 

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Source:- http://mrugeshpanchal.hubpages.com/hub/Conducting-The-Daily-Scrum-Meeting-Or-The-Daily-Stand-Up

All about Sprints and Sprint Meetings – In a Nutshell

Overview

The sprint is the main point of activity for any scrum project. During a sprint, the development team delivers a certain portion, or a “slice” of the actual development activity to be carried out as defined in the product backlog. During a sprint, the development activity can include a host of other things in addition to the actual development work. This can include the documentation, user manual creation, testing and debugging functionality, or even checking cross platform compatibility. Each activity during the sprint can be understood as a task. When user stories are transferred to a sprint backlog by the product owner, the development team further segregates each user story into its individual tasks i.e. each story is broken down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable and develop able. Each user story is assigned a story point which determines its potential value. The story points help to generate an estimate as to how many user stories can be included in the sprint backlog based upon the team’s ability to carry out the development.

The entire development is carried out in the form of sprints. Usually, a sprint lasts for two weeks, however, technically they can extend up to three to four weeks depending upon how scum is being implemented by the product owner and the scrum master. Sprints are also known as “iterations” in more simple terms. Sprints are supervised by scrum masters. As per the scrum guide, a scrum master should be a passive participant during the sprint. His or her job is to ensure that the team members properly follow scrum rules when the sprint is underway. At the end of the sprint, user stories are developed into shippable products, each with its own functionality and importance. 

 

Sprint planning meeting

A sprint planning meeting is held before the sprint commences. It is attended by the product owner, the team members, and the scrum master. During the sprint planning meeting, the product owner transfers some of the user stories from the product backlog into the sprint backlog for development purposes. The meeting is actually held in two parts:

·       First half of the meeting

During the first half of the meeting, the product owner explains about the user stories which have been included in the sprint backlog. He or she explains about the acceptance levels and the importance of the user stories to the stakeholders. Team members are free to ask questions to the product owner if they require explanations regarding some of the user stories.

·       The second half of the meeting

During second half of the sprint planning meeting, the team members breakdown the user stories in the sprint backlog into smaller, and more manageable tasks, which are taken up for development purposes. Generally, the team members decide unanimously how to distribute the tasks and user stories among themselves. Team members take up work as per their skill sets and development expertise.

Sprint retrospectives

A sprint retrospective meeting is held after the sprint is over. The main purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the sprint which has just completed, and what lessons should be learnt from it. A lot of discussion occurs during the meeting, and both the product owner and the scrum master try to envision what could possible go wrong in the future sprints. They contribute their expertise as well as their experience, and try to identify impediments, and seek solutions for potential problems which may occur in the near future.  

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Source:- http://storify.com/quickscrum/all-about-sprints-and-sprint-meetings-in-a-nutshel

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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Source:- http://storify.com/quickscrum/how-can-scrum-masters-deliver-successful-scrum-pro

Discover What Is Scrum Methodology and How It Works

At times, projects can be very big. You need a lot of patience while dealing with extremely big projects or highly complex ones. Even experienced project managers tend to get discouraged and start losing hope when the project keeps on extending beyond the deadline, or when things start going wrong with the project. Usually, the management and stakeholders tend to exert undue pressure to the project manager and the development team to perform, and deliver the project, well within the time frame. Projects have a certain financial liability associated with them,   so the sooner the project is completed, the quicker the returns are availed from it. During times when things do not go as per plans, managers start losing hope, and at times wonder if there is a better way of doing things and completing the projects in time so they don’t cost anything extra to the management in terms of increased overheads or reduced returns over investment. This is where scrum comes in – it offers an opportunity to develop your project in a manner such that the stakeholders remain in touch with what is happening to their project, what is proceeding as per plans, and what needs to be removed or done away with so the project can get completed in time and they can start benefiting from the investment they have carried out in the project.

What does scrum methodology offer?

Scrum framework was originally envisioned and developed to be flexible in nature and possess the capability to adapt itself to the changing development requirements. If during the course of the development, if the stakeholders change their minds regarding the project, or desire to change their project related requirements, the situation can be handled in a more beneficial and cost effective way using scrum methodology. Scrum is synonymous with Agile. Scrum, or Agile framework offers an opportunity to make amendments in the project definition while the project is underway. This is a unique feature, since most development methodologies such as the waterfall, which supports a linear structure for development, have no answer or solutions which can effectively cater to changing project requirements. Moreover, a project can be modified to include additional or new functionality when it is underway. If the client decides that a project should offer some features which have not been thought of before, or thought about during the project planning stage, scrum can incorporate these requirements within the development plan. On the other hand, if the project owner feels that some of the features offered by the product may fail to score in the market when the product is launched, those specific features can be easily removed and replace by new ones. Scrum focuses upon development at a micro level. The development activity is implemented and controlled at a very low level, where it is possible to interact with the basic components which constitute to form the project as a whole. It is always much easier to deal with smaller things and change them when they are small in size, rather than wait for them to attain a big size when managing them becomes very complex, and impossible.        

How does scrum work?

It would take a very long time to discuss in depth exactly how scrum operates and what its technicalities are. However, its main features and the method of working can be summarized as:

·       Unlike traditional waterfall methods, scrum does not start with the entire development activity at a go. Rather it breaks up the entire project into smaller functional parts known as user stories, and creates a product backlog which is a kind of master list which includes everything needed to develop the project in totality. Product backlogs contain user stories.

·       Once the product backlog is created by the product owner, a person who represents the interests of the investors or stakeholders, a portion of the backlog is extracted and transferred to a temporary development list known as a sprint backlog. This list contains all the tasks which are to be developed by the team members.

·       Once the sprint backlog is created, the team members distribute the list items or user stories among the developers based upon their levels of expertise. Thereafter the actual development starts. Development is carried out in short bursts known as “sprints”. Each sprint can last from one week up to a month. 

·       At the end of the sprint, a meeting is held to evaluate the outcome of the sprint. Completed items are accepted as “Done” while unfinished ones may be transferred back to the product backlog.

·       The entire process keeps on repeating until all the user stories in the backlog are “Done” and there are no further requirements to be developed.  

Source:- http://storify.com/quickscrum/discover-what-is-scrum-methodology-and-how-it-work

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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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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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Source:- http://storify.com/quickscrum/what-should-the-perfect-and-ideal-daily-stand-up-s