Being Agile, Doing Scrum: How Much Do You Know About Scrum?
This is another in a series of posts aimed at helping Scrum Masters coach “team members in self-management and cross-functionality []including [l]eading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption.”
With a simple cut and paste, Scrum Masters can share this post weekly or once per sprint, concurrently adding some frivolity with several fun facts and content.
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.]
Background:
Today’s post is really short but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Many people believe they understand Scrum, so we are going to put their level of understanding to the test, literally.
We have a short ten question quiz this week. Your team might not want to share their scores, but you should discuss the answers publicly to ensure your Scrum Team understands the right answers to all of the questions.
Cut/Paste:
Do you think you understand Scrum? Let’s see!
Today we have a short quiz — ten questions about Scrum that will show us just how much you know (or don’t know). Answers are at the bootom. Good luck!
- Which is the ideal meeting to adapt the Definition of Done?
1. Sprint Planning
2. Daily Scrum
3. Sprint Review
4. Sprint Retrospective
2. The Definition of Done should change through out the Sprint
1. True
2. False
3. What is the most important characteristics of a DONE increment
1. Potential Release
2. Prioritized
3. Usable
4. Released
4. What are the three pillars of an empirical process control?
1. Feedback, Courage, Simplicity
2. Openness, Respect, Commitment
3. Transparency, Inspection, Adaptation
4. Openness, Commitment, Courage
5. For what type of work Scrum is MOST suitable?
1. Simple
2. Complex
3. Complicated
4. Chaos
6. A project that has a firm delivery date as a constraint could be delivered using a
1. Timebox
2. Decomposition
3. User story
4. Product Backlog
7. Scrum does not focus on _________________
1. Delivering Value to Customer
2. Simplicity — Maximizing the amount of work not done
3. Detailed upfront planning
4. Self-Managing Scrum Teams
8. Scrum is based on ______________________
1. Lean and Six Sigma
2. Project Management and Lean
3. Defined process control and Empirical process control
4. Empiricism and Lean
9. A developer is working on a user story and working towards achievement of the Sprint Goal. They move to the next one only when the first one is complete. Which Scrum Value is demonstrated the MOST in this case?
1. Openness
2. Focus
3. Respect
4. Courage
Which of the following is a valid set of Scrum Values
1. Focus, Openness, Respect, Commitment, Courage
2. Focus, Trust, Respect, Commitment, Courage
3. Focus, Openness, Kindness, Commitment, Courage
4. Focus, Openness, Respect, Commitment, Trust
Answers: 4, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3, 4, 4, 1
Inspirational Quote:
“Learning never exhausts the mind.” — Leonardo Da Vinci
Fascinating Facts:
Earth days are getting longer, and scientists aren’t sure why!
Before you break out the sunscreen and prepare for some extra time on the beach, keep in mind that the rate of Earth’s rotation is always changing due to a variety of geological factors, including tidal activity, climate change, and the planet’s imperfect spherical shape. These changes are typically measured in terms of micro- or milliseconds, which are hard enough to notice even when we’re not immersed in our screens. In general, days have been getting longer over a period of billions of years, largely because the gravitational forces interacting between Earth and the moon have slowed the former’s rotation (and pushed the latter farther away). After the peak of the last ice age, some 20,000 years ago, the diminishing polar ice sheets resulted in Earth’s mantle shifting closer to the poles, helping to speed up the planet’s rotation. Now, even though some of the shortest days on record have recently been logged, scientists have noted that the long-term forecast has again, mysteriously, been trending toward lengthier days.
What are some of the factors that could be causing this rotational slowdown? It might be the strong winds generated by El Niño. It could have something to do with the changing spin of the still-little-understood Earth’s core. Or it may be part of a larger geological cycle that will correct itself sometime in the future. The experts are stumped for now, but it shouldn’t stop us from eking out those few extra nanoseconds on the beach.
Word of the Day:
Guerdon — Give a reward to someone.
Example: “As a guerdon for his community service, Embry received a small scholarship.”
National Day Calendar: September 8th
International Literacy Day
National 401(k) Day
National Ampersand Day
National David Day
National Dog Walker Appreciation Day
Stand Up To Cancer Day
Star Trek Day
World Literacy Day
World Physical Therapy Day
Born On This Day:
Richard the Lionheart: King of England (1189–99) known as Richard the Lion Hearted, born in Oxford, England. (1157)
Charles J. Guiteau: American assassin of US President James A. Garfield, born in Freeport, Illinois. (1841)
Peter Sellers: English actor and comedian (The Goon Show, Bobo, Pink Panther), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire. (1925)
Patsy Cline: American country singer (“Crazy”; “I Fall To Pieces”; “Walkin’ After Midnight”), born in Winchester, Virginia. (1963)
Bernie Sanders (81 years old): American politician (Rep-(Independent)-Vermont 1991–2007, Senator-(I)-Vermont 2007-), born in Brooklyn, New York. (1941)
Martin Freeman (51 years old): English actor (The Hobbit, Sherlock, The Office), born in Aldershot, Hampshire. (1971)
P!nk (43 years old): American singer (“Get the Party Started”; “Try”; “Just Give Me A Reason”), born in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. (1979)
On This Day In History:
The Statue of David: Michelangelo’s statue of David is unveiled in Florence. (1504)
Historic Expedition: Spanish navigator Juan de Elcano returns to Spain, completing 1st circumnavigation of the globe (expedition began under Ferdinand Magellan). (1522)
French Revolution: Battle of Bassano: Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army defeat Austrian force during French Revolutionary Wars. (1796)
Event of Interest: Abraham Lincoln supposedly says in a speech “You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.” (1858)
Siege of Leningrad: Siege of Leningrad by German, Finnish, and eventually Spanish troops begins; battle lasted over 28 months, as Russia repels the invasion; well over a million lives. (1941)
Historic Publication: Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea” published. (1952)
Psycho: Nationwide release (US) of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. (1960)
Hey, Hey — We’re The Monkees: Small ads in Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter attract 437 young men interested in forming the world’s first manufactured boy band, “The Monkees” — 3 are chosen with British actor-singer Davy Jones already having been cast. (1965)
Star Trek: “Star Trek” premieres on NBC-TV starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. (1966)
Baseball Record: Hank Aaron sets record of most HRs in 1 league (709). (1973)
US President Gerald Ford: Pardons former President Richard Nixon of all federal crimes. (1974)
“The Oprah Winfrey Show”: is first broadcast nationally. (1986)
Film & TV History: Comedian Stephen Colbert debuts as the new host of CBS’s “The Late Show.” (2015)
Baseball Hall of Fame: Derek Jeter, Ted Simmons, Larry Walker, and Marvin Miller are inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY; elected in 2020, ceremony was postponed due to pandemic. (2021)
Queen Elizabeth II: Dies at Balmoral Castle after ruling for 70 years, as the UK’s longest-serving monarch. Her eldest son inherits the throne as King Charles III. (2022)