Seven out of ten companies have implemented an agile approach in some form or the other. Agile adoption has benefited 98% of all companies, with 80% CMOs noticing an increase in productivity.
Moving from a waterfall to an agile scrum environment is a big move, but it is worth the transition. Most organizations that have adopted the scrum methodology are similarly known for their open communication, efficiency, and collaboration.
Software development is a volatile process with rapidly changing needs. In an agile environment, software development happens in sprints. Doing this effectively (and accurately) helps scrum teams ship better software with fewer hassles and headaches.
Sprints are short, time-boxed periods where scrum teams operate to complete a defined amount of work. A sprint is divided into 5 scrum ceremonies or scrum events for evaluating, inspecting, and adapting the product.
What are scrum ceremonies?
A scrum ceremony can also be described as a scrum meeting; however, they differ from regular meetings. A scrum meeting has clearly defined participants, objectives, and timeframes.
5 scrum ceremonies make up a sprint. These include:
Sprint Planning
The sprint planning event is the starting point of every sprint. This is where developers and the product owner discuss which product backlog items will be included in the sprint. Sprint planning is perhaps the only ceremony in scrum that does not have a defined frequency or a defined time-box. The duration may vary depending on the complexity of the product backlog.
During this stage, the scrum team of the developers, product owner, and scrum master commit to the tasks that they will accomplish in the upcoming sprint. They move one item at a time from the product backlog to the to-do list of the sprint. Product backlog refers to everything that needs to be developed for the project or product. It may include bug fixes, new features, or anything that could benefit the end user.
It is important to keep the product backlog updated – it should also be refined according to stakeholder feedback. Ideas discussed in sprint review meetings and current and emerging market opportunities should also be considered while updating the product backlog.
Daily Scrum
Daily scrum refers to short, 15-minute, meetings that happen daily. Team members share progress and synchronise their work. It brings the entire team together every day, allowing them to discuss how things are working.
The daily scrum is important because it helps minimize distractions for team members throughout the day. The product owner may also attend the daily scrums to see how things are going and to offer any clarification or guidance needed. However, the essence of these meetings is to help solution developers and not for the product owner to assign more work for them.
There are three important questions that must be asked in every daily scrum:
- What tasks have you completed since the last meeting?
- What tasks will you complete before the next meeting?
- What problems are you facing in completing your tasks?
The idea behind daily scrum meetings is to plan for the next 24 hours and to keep the team on track and committed to their work till the end of the sprint.
Sprint Review
The primary purpose of sprint reviews is to inspect the outcome and determine future adaptations of the sprint. During these reviews, the scrum team shows what they have accomplished in the sprint and receives feedback from key stakeholders. It helps the team determine if they have managed to achieve the goal set in sprint planning and discuss how they can improve the product in the upcoming sprints. Usually, scrum teams have a working piece of software or product ready by the review stage, which is why Scrum Reviews are also sometimes called Scrum Demos.
Demonstrating the functionalities of the product based on the tasks assigned in the sprint helps them gather feedback, which can be used to improve the product even more. These reviews ensure that feedback is received early and often, instead of late. When feedback is received late, it often becomes difficult to pivot, and making changes means that a lot of time and resources are wasted. The feedback from Sprint Reviews become the basis for new items in the product backlog, which can be prioritized in the upcoming sprint planning ceremony.
Sprint Retrospective
The purpose of the sprint retrospective is to build a culture of continuous improvement. During this ceremony, scrum teams inspect how the last sprint went and what they can improve in the next. Everything is up for review and discussion, including processes, individuals, interactions, and tools.
It is also important to appreciate and celebrate all that went well during the sprint to keep the motivation high. You could also use the opportunity to discuss how to replicate successes in the future.
Sprint reviews usually take place at the end of a sprint; however, it seeks to improve the process, not the product. There are three main objectives of the sprint retrospective:
- Inspect how the sprint went in terms of individuals, processes, tools, and relationships
- Identify the opportunities for improvement and celebrate what went well during the sprint
- Create a plan detailing specific improvements that must be carried out in the next sprint.
Backlog refinement
During this event, more details and specifications are added to the product backlog. This ensures that they are in great shape when you pick items in the next Sprint Planning. Details that you may include in the product backlog include user stories, acceptance criteria, and estimated efforts.
There is no set time frame for backlog refinement and keeps happening throughout the sprint. Some teams may choose to have a weekly refinement meeting, while others may like to do it multiple times per week. If you are working with a less experienced team or a team that has not been together for long, you may need to have more frequent backlog refinement meetings.
Conclusion
Scrum teams are collectively responsible for improving and enhancing the scrum ceremonies. The scrum environment is fine-tuned and allows teams to constantly add value to their products for the users. The environment is also flexible enough to adapt to any changes happening in the market.
