Perhaps the most important aspect
of
scrum methodology is the concept
of “Done” or meeting the acceptance criteria while developing the tasks. The
product owner, who represents the
interests of the stakeholders, approves and certifies the acceptance criteria
defined in individual user stories, or the product backlog items. It is very
much important for the user stories to be accepted as “Done” because in scrum
an item can only be considered as “shippable” and “complete” when its “Done”
criteria is met. The terminology used to describe “Done” is synonymous with the
acceptance criteria in scrum methodology. The words describe the same thing.
There are times when the
acceptance criterion is not met, and the user stories are not considered as
complete. This can be the worst possible scenario as far as conducting the
daily sprint is concerned, since the basic objective of the sprint cycle is to
meet the acceptance criteria and deliver a shippable product at the end of the
iteration. Unaccepted and unfinished user stories reflect unsuccessful sprints
and improper implementation of scrum.
It is worth knowing about some
scenarios, which can result in a condition when the “Done” criterion is not
fulfilled in scrum.
1.
Lack
of a good cross -functional team
By “cross functional” we mean a
team, or a group of individuals having different areas of specializations, who
work in unison to achieve a common objective or a cause. In scrum, if the
product is technically complex, or if the functionality associated with the
product is varied and extensive, it is essential to have a cross functional
team. When individuals with different areas of specializations work together to
develop a solution, it becomes very easy to carry out the development activity,
since the technical requirements are catered to by developers who have required
levels of expertise and can provide clear and concise solutions for a given
task or a problem. Queries are resolved in a more successful manner, and in the
least amount of time.
During the sprint, when or if a team
member faces a particular problem, it is possible for other cross-functional team
members to contribute their knowledge and skills, and provide a proper solution
for the problem in hand. This makes the development work easy, fast, precise,
and effective. It is very important, and recommended, for scrum teams to be cross-functional.
Non cross-functional team members
may find it exceedingly difficult to find quick solutions when problems arise
during the sprint activity. The primary reason why this happens is because they
lack the required experience, or do not possess sufficient skill sets to offer
effective solutions, which can solve the problem currently impeding further
product development. The levels of expertise typically required may include
designing, business analysis, development, database designing, testing, and
other similar skills. It is essential for the developer to be proficient and
very good in his or her work. Failing to have such technically sound team
members in the sprint may result in substandard or defective developmental
activity. Tasks which are not technically perfect, or which have bugs in them
may not be accepted as “Done”.
2.
Unclear
or undefined acceptance criteria in the user stories and tasks
It becomes very hard and almost
impossible for the development team to successfully complete the tasks included
in the
sprint backlog if the meaning
of “Done” is not properly explained in the
user story, of if the story simply fails to include the acceptance criteria
required for its development. Typically, in such cases the team starts working
blindly, and often pursues a vision of what the actual “Done” should ideally
include in the user story. Rather than the product owner explaining the meaning
of “Done”, the team assumes what the “Done” criteria is and starts developing
the task based upon their assumptions.
This can prove to be a dangerous
habit as far as the project is concerned since the entire team starts pursuing
unclear and even undefined objectives which have no relevance whatsoever as far
as the project is concerned. The result is a lot of “wastage” suffered by the
stakeholders and the management in terms of unproductive working hours and
human resources.
3.
Using
outdated or obsolete technologies for development purposes
Technology keeps on changing
continuously. For the team members, it is essential that they remain in touch
with the latest development techniques and trends. As it quite the norm,
existing technology tends to “phase out” over time, and is replaced by emergent
technologies, which are more powerful, dynamic, and effective.
Using older technologies may lead
to incomplete development, simply because phased out technologies do not have
the potential to offer the functionality needed to develop a competitive
product. Moreover, the team may find it very hard, or impossible, to meet the
acceptance criteria, and not be able to develop the task. At times, the
definition of “Done” may not be satisfied by using out dated technologies. Using
old engineering practices can lead to undue wastage of development time, and
even lead to the development of sub standard products. It is very important to
use upcoming and newly emerging technologies to deliver quality products.
4.
An
overworked development team
The stakeholders and the
management are mainly concerned with marketing the product once its development
is completed. Their objective is to launch the product as soon as possible, and
benefit from the amount they have invested in the project. They often compel
the scrum team to take up more work, or even complete the project well before
the decided completion date.
This can make the development team
to cut corners while completing their sprint tasks. Since the team is forced to
work against time, it is going to affect the development and quality of the
finished tasks. As enough time is not available to check and verify the
acceptance criteria, the team may simply decide to carry out the development
and submit their tasks in the sprint review meeting without verifying the
acceptance or “Done” criteria. The team fails to perform properly because it is
compelled to “deliver more” and it simply lacks the time to check the
acceptance criterion.
5.
Lack
of collaboration and integration activity
The main essence of scrum is collaboration.
Team members should work in a joint manner to achieve common objectives. Scrum
methodology also advocates team members to co-operate and help each other when
problems arise and solutions are required. Moreover, collaboration is essential
when the team is undertaking the sprint. Collaborated efforts lead to a
well-organized team and improved productivity.
When the team members start
working individually and stop collaborating, it leads to a situation where in the
tasks are not properly linked up, or integrated in a proper manner, to be
effective. Generally, during the sprint, the segregated user stories are
developed in the form of tasks, and the tasks have to later integrated to
fulfill the acceptance criteria. If the team members are working individually,
the tasks cannot be integrated or linked up as specified in the acceptance criteria.
The definition of “Done” is therefore not fulfilled.
