Being Agile, Doing Scrum: A Beginning…

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

Scrum Masters are accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. They do this, in part, by helping everyone understand Scrum theory both within the Scrum Team and the organization:

“The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including [c]oaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality.

The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including [l]eading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption.”

Unfortunately, recurring and repeated team and organizational education is something many Scrum Masters overlook. This post, the first in a series, attempts to address that.

Of course, for those who are not Scrum Masters there is still value. The most effective teams have a cross functional understanding of the roles of other people on the team. So if you are an engineer, a Product Owner, a designer, or anyone involved in Scrum you will benefit. And the same goes for almost anyone building or thinking about building a product. Most of all I hope it helps grow people’s understanding of Agile and Scrum, by making learning easier, and a lot more fun!

The idea behind this and future posts is to provide a short block of content that Scrum Masters can share with their teams. Posts will center on the Scrum Guide, the Agile Manifesto, and will also highlight books, videos and other educational content. With a simple cut and paste, Scrum Masters can educate their Scrum Teams, weekly or once per sprint, and also provide fun, interesting, non-Scrum facts.

Note: Some posts come with an intro to provide background and additional information/tips, followed by the ‘cut/paste’ content that can be shared with the team.

Note: There are lots of fun facts and content. Feel free to pick and choose what to include/omit.

Check back next week for another post, and more content to share!

[For an index of all Being Agile, Doing Scrum posts click here.]

Cut/Paste:

What Is The Best Format For The Daily Standup?

Let’s first discuss what the Daily Scrum (often referred to as the Daily Standup, or just Standup) isn’t; an opportunity to prove how busy Scrum Team members are.

Unfortunately that is exactly how most Daily Scrums are run, and the end result isn’t ideal.

The Scrum Guide states:

“The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal.”

The Sprint Goal “is a commitment by []Developer[s]” which “creates coherence and focus.”

Collectively this means all conversation should center on the work the team has to do to achieve that commitment.

Many teams use the Round Robin structure for their Daily Scrum. It involves Scrum Team members sharing ‘This is what I did yesterday. This is what I plan on doing today. And these are my blockers.’

As I often tell my kids “it’s not about you!” and the same is true for the Daily Scrum; again, all conversation should center on the work on the board.

Having personally managed Daily Scrums for teams with between four and twenty four (I wish that was a joke) participants I can tell you that there is a better way.

This excellent video, from the Development That Pays YouTube channel, describes the cons of Round Robin, and details why ‘Walking The Board’ is a far better option. Enjoy!

Inspirational Quote:

“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” — Peter Drucker

Fascinating Fact:

The oldest subway system in the world is London’s “Tube”. It was founded in 1863 with six stations, and today has 272 stations, serving an annual ridership of over a billion people.

Word of the Day:

Bruit — To spread a report or rumor widely.

Example: “Have you heard the bruit that the boss is visiting the office next week?”

National Day Calendar: May 19th

National Pizza Party Day
National Bike to Work Day
National Malcolm X Day
National Endangered Species Day

It is also:

National Police Week
Jewish American Heritage Month
ALS Awareness Month
Skin Cancer Awareness Month
Correct Your Posture Month
National Military Appreciation Month

Born On This Day:

Ho Chi Minh: Vietnamese revolutionary and politician, founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. (1890)
Malcolm X: American civil rights activist and leader. (1925)
Pete Townshend: English musician, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock band The Who. (1945)
André the Giant: French professional wrestler and actor. (1946)
Grace Jones: Jamaican singer, actress, and model. (1948)
Joey Ramone: American musician and lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Ramones. (1951)
Nicole Brown Simpson: American model and ex-wife of former NFL player O.J. Simpson. (1959)
Sam Smith: English singer and songwriter. (1992)

On This Day In History:

Anne Boleyn: The second wife of King Henry VIII of England, is beheaded on charges of adultery, incest, and treason. (1536)
T. E. Lawrence: Also known as Lawrence of Arabia, dies in a motorcycle accident in Dorset, England. (1935)
Marilyn Monroe: Performs a rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” for President John F. Kennedy at a birthday celebration held at Madison Square Garden. (1962)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Former American First Lady dies aged 64. (1994)
“Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace”: Is released, becoming the first installment of the prequel trilogy in the Star Wars franchise. (1999)
Prince Harry Marries Meghan Markle: In a ceremony held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. (2018)