Working process
The Scrum framework is designed to be straightforward, with clear rules, artifacts, events, and roles that are easy to comprehend. Its semi-prescriptive nature aims to eliminate ambiguities in the development process while allowing organizations to customize and adapt it to their specific needs and preferences. This flexibility empowers companies to incorporate their unique approaches and methodologies while still adhering to the fundamental principles of Scrum. By providing a solid foundation and structure, the Scrum framework promotes efficiency, collaboration, and transparency in software development projects.
Product Backlog Creation
During this step, the process involves breaking down the larger items and capturing their functional details as epics and user stories. User stories are derived from the larger items and are made more granular, allowing them to be included in the product backlog. Epics, on the other hand, can also be added to the product backlog but cannot be directly included in the sprint backlog unless they are converted into user stories.
For example, a typical user story could be: "As an admin, I want to have the ability to add, modify, and delete tasks for users on the website."
When creating user stories, it is important to include the following required fields:
User Stories Significance: This field describes the importance or relevance of the user story in the context of the project. It helps prioritize user stories and allocate resources accordingly.
Initial Estimate: During the meeting or planning session, an initial estimate is made for each user story. This estimate represents the effort or complexity associated with implementing the user story.
To demonstrate how user stories can be transformed into tasks, a demo or example can be provided. This demo showcases the process of breaking down user stories into smaller, actionable tasks. It serves as a guide for the development team to understand the steps involved in implementing the user story and assists in task allocation and tracking progress during sprint planning and execution.
Sprint planning and creating backlog
The duration of a sprint is a critical factor in ensuring that user stories are broken down into manageable tasks. Typically, an average sprint lasts around 2 weeks. Choosing a shorter sprint duration offers the advantage of receiving more frequent customer feedback and addressing any errors or bugs earlier in the development process. On the other hand, a longer sprint duration allows developers to work more thoroughly and in-depth.
The next stage in the process involves creating the sprint backlog. In this step, the Scrum team selects the most important user stories and breaks them down into smaller tasks. They plan how to complete these tasks and prioritize them based on their importance and dependencies. This ensures a focused and organized approach to completing the work within the sprint.
It's worth noting that while the information about StarAgile's CSM certification online training may be relevant to professionals seeking to become certified Scrum Masters, it doesn't directly relate to the topic of sprint backlog creation and the Scrum framework.
Working on sprint
After the user stories have been converted into tasks, the work begins in the sprint backlog. This is where the actual development of the software application, such as website development, takes place.
To facilitate the management of tasks, a task board or Kanban board is created. The task board consists of cards that provide details about each task, including the assignee, work details, due date or time duration, and other relevant information. The board is divided into columns such as "Product backlog" or "User stories," "To Do," "Work In Progress," "Testing," and "Work Done."
The cards on the board can be moved from left to right based on their progress and completion. This visual representation helps in tracking the status of tasks and ensures a clear understanding of the workflow. It's important to note that the Scrum Master certification training at StarAgile institute provides a thorough explanation of the task board and its implementation.
While a physical chart can be used for the task board, digital tools such as Jira, Trello, Kanbanize, Monday, and others can also be utilized to create a digital chart on a computer.
In this step, regular Scrum meetings play a crucial role in tracking progress and providing updates on task assignments. The output of these meetings is the burndown chart, which shows the number of completed tasks and highlights any issues or problems encountered in completing the tasks listed in the "Work In Progress" column.
Testing and Product Demonstration
The completion of tasks involves the realization of a fully functioning product, which undergoes comprehensive life cycle testing. While minimizing testing costs can be achieved by incorporating quality assurance practices or reducing the number of user stories, the former is considered the most optimal solution.
At the end of each sprint, it is important to demonstrate the completed work to the customer for their acceptance and feedback. This provides an opportunity for the customer to assess the overall solution and share their perspective on its effectiveness and alignment with their requirements.
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