The company, The Web Innovators Ltd., has recently decided to transfer all its projects to the Scrum methodology. Your department has been assigned to develop a new feature on the company’s website. You have been appointed as the Scrum Master for this project.
Your team includes six developers, two designer, a tester, and an individual responsible for documentation.
Create a detailed plan for how you will implement the Scrum framework in your project.
To implement the Scrum framework the following steps can be taken:
Project Vision and Product Backlog creation: Firstly, the Product Owner (PO) will create the project vision and a rough draft of the Product Backlog. The Product Backlog is a prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes for the product. It should be created using a tool that is accessible by all team members, such as JIRA or Trello.
Sprint Planning Meeting: This is the first meeting in the Scrum cycle. The entire Scrum team will participate in this meeting. During the meeting, the PO will present the highest-priority items from the Product Backlog and the team will decide how many of these items they can complete during the upcoming Sprint (usually 2 weeks). The team will then create the Sprint Backlog, which is a list of tasks they commit to completing during the Sprint.
Daily Standup: This is a daily 15-minute meeting for the Scrum team to update each other on their progress and discuss any blockers. Each team member will answer three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any impediments in my way? As the Scrum Master, you will facilitate this meeting and work to remove any impediments that the team identifies.
Sprint Execution: The team will work on the tasks in the Sprint Backlog. The progress can be tracked using a Burndown Chart, which is a graphical representation of work left to do versus time. The Burndown Chart should be updated daily after the Daily Standup.
Sprint Review: At the end of the Sprint, the Scrum team and the stakeholders will hold a Sprint Review meeting. During this meeting, the team will demo the completed work to the stakeholders, and the PO will update the Product Backlog to reflect any changes that are needed based on the feedback received.
Sprint Retrospective: This is the final meeting of the Sprint. During this meeting, the Scrum team will discuss what went well, what didn’t, and how they can improve in the next Sprint. It is important to create a safe and open environment during this meeting so that the team can be honest about the challenges they faced.
Start Next Sprint: The cycle will repeat starting from the Sprint Planning Meeting for the next Sprint.
Throughout the Sprint, you as the Scrum Master, will be responsible for ensuring that the Scrum process is followed, facilitating the Scrum meetings, removing impediments for the team, and protecting the team from external interruptions.
Remember, the key to a successful Scrum implementation is to inspect and adapt. Regularly review how the process is working for your team and make any necessary adjustments.
Create a communication plan for your team and the stakeholders.
Creating a communication plan for a project involves detailing how communication will be managed, including who needs to be kept informed, when and how they will be informed, and who is responsible for distributing the information. Since the project is being managed using the Scrum methodology, many of the communication needs will be addressed by the ceremonies and artifacts that are part of the Scrum framework.
Daily standup: This is a daily meeting where all the team members (developers, designers, tester, and documentation personnel) share updates on what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any blockers they are facing. This meeting is crucial for team communication and for identifying and addressing issues early. As the Scrum Master, you will facilitate this meeting to ensure it is effective and that everyone has a chance to speak.
Sprint Planning meeting: At the beginning of each sprint, the whole team will participate in a sprint planning meeting to decide on the scope of work for the next sprint. This is an opportunity for team members to discuss and understand the work that needs to be done, and to commit to a set of work for the sprint.
Sprint Review meeting: At the end of each sprint, the team will demonstrate the work completed during the sprint to the Product Owner and any other stakeholders. This is an opportunity for stakeholders to see the progress being made and to provide feedback.
Sprint Retrospective: After the sprint review, the team will hold a retrospective to discuss what went well during the sprint, what could be improved, and how to implement any necessary changes in the next sprint.
Product Backlog: This is a prioritized list of features and enhancements that are planned for the product. The Product Owner is responsible for managing the product backlog and for prioritizing the work. This backlog should be accessible to all team members and stakeholders so they can see the planned work and its priority.
Sprint Backlog: This is a list of tasks that the team has committed to completing during the current sprint. It is created during the sprint planning meeting and is updated daily during the daily standup meetings.
Communication tools: Use online communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or a similar platform for ongoing communication throughout the day. This can be used for quick questions, sharing documents, or any other communication that does not require a meeting. Make sure to have separate channels for different topics (e.g., a channel for general discussions, a channel for technical questions, etc.) to keep the communication organized.
Documentation: Ensure all relevant documentation (technical design, user guides, etc.) is kept up to date and is accessible to all team members and relevant stakeholders. A dedicated person is responsible for documentation, but all team members should contribute as necessary.
External stakeholders: Communication with external stakeholders (e.g., other departments, external partners) should be managed carefully to ensure they are kept informed without being overwhelmed with too much detail. The Product Owner is typically responsible for managing communication with external stakeholders, but as the Scrum Master, you may also need to communicate with them, particularly regarding project risks and issues. Regular status updates via email or a project management tool, and periodic meetings (e.g., bi-weekly or monthly) can be helpful for keeping external stakeholders informed.
Conflict resolution: As the Scrum Master, you are responsible for helping the team to resolve conflicts. This may involve facilitating discussions between team members, helping to clarify misunderstandings, or finding compromises that allow the team to move forward.
Feedback Loop: Ensure there is a feedback loop at every stage of the project. The team should be comfortable providing feedback to each other, to the Scrum Master, and to the Product Owner. Similarly, the Scrum Master and Product Owner should provide feedback to the team.
By following the Scrum methodology and implementing the communication strategies outlined above, you can ensure that everyone is updated and has the information they need, and that communication between team members and with external stakeholders is managed effectively.
How will you handle any deviations in the project?
Deviations in the project can occur for a variety of reasons such as changes in requirements, unforeseen challenges, or team members not being able to complete their tasks on time. As a Scrum Master, your role is to facilitate the Scrum process, remove impediments, and help the team to self-organize and make changes quickly. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to handle deviations:
- Identify the deviation: The first step is to identify the deviation as early as possible. This can be done during the daily stand-ups when team members provide updates on their progress, or during the sprint reviews when the completed work is demonstrated to the Product Owner and stakeholders.
- Analyze the deviation: Once a deviation is identified, it is important to analyze the reason behind it. This involves discussing with the team members involved, understanding the challenges they are facing, and identifying the root cause of the deviation.
- Adapt and take corrective action: Based on the analysis, take corrective action to get back on track. This could involve revising the sprint backlog, reallocating resources, or modifying the approach to completing the task. It’s important to involve the team in this decision-making process to ensure everyone is aligned and committed to the new plan.
- Communicate: Keep all stakeholders informed about the deviation and the corrective actions taken. This includes the Product Owner, who may need to adjust the Product Backlog or revise the expectations with the stakeholders.
- Review and learn: After the deviation has been addressed, it is important to review the incident to learn from it and prevent similar deviations in the future. This can be done during the Sprint Retrospective meeting, where the team discusses what went well, what didn’t go well, and what can be improved for the next sprint.
Scrum is all about inspecting and adapting. Deviations are bound to occur, but it’s important to address them quickly and learn from them to improve the process for the future.
This fictitious case is presented as a framework to explore the topic of the agile framework, Scrum.
