What is the Sprint in Scrum
The sprint is a period of time that the Scrum Team creates a valuable part of the Product that is ready to be shown to the customer. Each Sprint is a mini-project, which consists of a goal, a plan to achieve it, workflow and the final Product. If you compare the Product development with the shooting of the series, the shooting of one episode is the Sprint.
The development with the help of Sprints:
- makes the Product and business flexible. You can change the Product in each cycle and adjust it at any time to the wishes of customers and market conditions.
- keeps the mindset of the Team. All employees understand what stage the Team is at and what will happen next. All necessary things are prescribed and limited in time. There is no confusion, but a reasonable organization of the workflow process.
- accelerates the achievement of the desired result. In addition to the Team, people who make decisions on the product participate in the Sprint. The team does not need to wait until their actions will be agreed with the management.
The Scrum Guide says that the Sprint could not be shorter than one week and longer than one month. This restriction specifies a time frame that is sufficient to create the finished Product and that is rather safe for the company if the Product will be unclaimed and irrelevant. According to the experience of our coaches, the optimal Sprint length is 1–2 weeks.
Each Sprint consists of five consecutive events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, development, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective. All five events are mandatory for execution and time-limited.
Sprint Planning
Sprint planning is a meeting where the Scrum Team defines the Sprint Goal and discusses specific steps to achieve it.
How long: up to 8 hours if the Sprint lasts for 1 month.
Who takes part: the Product Owner, the Scrum-master, the Development Team.
Why is necessary: specifies what goals will be achieved during the Sprint.
Result: The Team has formulated the Goal of the Sprint, composed the Sprint Backlog, discussed and taken to work a few items from the Product Backlog.
Somewhere in Bollywood they shoot the series on Scrum. Before shooting the next episode, the Director and film crew discuss the upcoming work. The Director wants to make a scene in Empire State Building with mass dance flashmob. The Team estimates the time to prepare decorations and train the crowd and says they did not have enough time. As a result, the flashmob is refused. The main character will dance alone in the lobby of the hotel, which is very similar to Empire State Building. The team wrote down what needed to be done.
Daily Scrum
Daily Scrum is a 15-minute meeting where the Development Team assesses how the work is progressing and synchronizes plans for the next 24 hours.
How long: 15 minutes.
Who takes part: The Development Team. The Scrum-master may present but does not interfere in the discussion.
Why is necessary: sync, assess the progress, identify the problems.
Result: Each Team member understands how the Team moves towards the Sprint Goal and what contribution he will do today to the achievement of a common goal.
At sunrise, the crew discusses the upcoming day. Mike agreed to shoot in the hotel, Peter-about transport. Costume designer Jannifer reported that there is no dance suit for the main character. They talked about the plan for today: to find where to rent a suit, to prepare the shooting area, to cast actors for occasional roles.
Development
The development is called the Development Team workflow process during one Sprint.
How long: from 5 till 20 days, depends on the Sprint length.
Who takes part: the Product Owner, the Scrum-master, the Development Team.
Why is necessary: During development the Team creates or improves the Product.
Result: Product increment-a new part of the Product, ready to be shown and valuable for the customer.
It takes a week to shoot one episode. During it the crew changes locations, practices in dances, modifies the scenario, shoots, views ready content and edits together. On Monday, a new episode is ready.
Sprint Review
This is unofficial meeting where the Product Increment is shown to Stakeholders. All can touch and check it, discuss what is missing, what to change or add.
How long: up to 8 hours if the Sprint lasts for 1 month.
Who takes part: the Product Owner, the Scrum-master, the Development Team, stakeholders, customers, company’s other teams members.
Why is necessary: to collect feedback, demonstrate Product improvements, receive comments, determine the future direction of work.
Result: The Product Owner has updated the Product Backlog, got feedback, the Team finished the job and ready to work on.
Before going on TV the Team shows a new episode in the Studio. Team members invite their families, sponsor of the series also arrives. After watching all discuss the new episode and misadventures of the main character drinking a cup of tea with sweets.
Sprint Retrospective
Meeting of the Scrum-master and the Development Team, where they discuss the work of the Team. What problems in relationships, tools and processes the Team faced and how they can be fixed.
How long: up to 3 hours if the Sprint lasts for 1 month.
Who takes part: the Scrum-master, the Development Team.
Why is necessary: to constantly improve the workflow process of the Team.
Result: The Team discussed what prevented their work, made a plan how to fix the problems.
After watching and discussing the episode, the film crew gathered on the terrace to discuss how the week has passed by and to resolve the impending conflict between actors and costume designers. Actors do not like to wear the old costumes and costume designers say they have no time to sew a new ones. Decided not to sew the costumes by themselves, but to rent. Discuss the results of this decision on next Retrospective.
The consistent pass of all five Sprint events allows you to work effectively and constantly improve the Product and workflow process, depending on the customer desires and the development of technology.
It is useful to keep the Sprint duration unchanged throughout the development process so that participants can work at the certain speed. The new sprint starts immediately after the previous one comes to an end.
In extraordinary circumstances, the Product Owner can cancel the Sprint. For example, if the idea was implemented by another company or management resold the company to someone who does not want to work on Scrum. Cancellation is an unpleasant event that hurts the whole Team and negates a lot of work. Try to use it as the last resort only!
Prompts
Remember
- The sprint is a period of time that the Scrum Team creates a valuable part of the Product that is ready to be shown to the customer.
- Each Sprint consists of five consecutive events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, development, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective.
Original text:
http://www.agilebasics.ru/sprint/
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