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Risk Mitigation in Scrum

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  Scrum is a light-weight framework for project management which is used for complex product development in volatile market conditions. With high competition, companies have to develop products fast and innovatively always adding value and greater customer satisfaction. Quick decision-making and prioritization help mitigate risks in a project. The constant flow of new information changes requirements which Scrum is tailored to handle well and risks are turned into valuable deliverables. The Product Owner starts the Scrum cycle with identifying requirements of the client through a Business Stakeholder Meeting. It is up to the Product Owner to clearly outline the customer needs and place them in a Prioritized Product Backlog. Here risk plays a crucial role as it becomes essential to determine high risk elements and place them high in the backlog. The sooner these elements are identified and dealt with in early Sprints the better for the success of the project as the possibility of mitiga

A Guide to create a Prioritized Product Backlog

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  Your Guide to Creating a Scrum-Prioritized Product Backlog In this process, Epic(s) are refined, elaborated, and then prioritized to create a Prioritized  Product Backlog  for the project. The Done Criteria is also established at this point. User Story Prioritization Methods Some techniques used to prioritize the Epics, User Stories, or requirements in the Prioritized Product Backlog, based on business value are presented below: • MoSCoW prioritization scheme : The MoSCoW prioritization scheme derives its name from the first letters of the phrases “Must have,” “Should have,” “Could have,” and “Won’t have.” This prioritization method is generally more effective than simple schemes. The labels are in decreasing order of priority with “Must have” features or functionalities being those without which the product will have no value and “Won’t have” functionalities being those that, although would be nice to have, are not necessary to be included. • Paired Comparison : In this technique, a

Scrum Master Certification Best-in-class Training Provider

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  For those seeking best-in-class  Scrum Master certification  training, organizations like Scrumstudy and Scrumstudy.com stand out as premier providers. They offer comprehensive courses led by seasoned instructors who bring real-world experience to the classroom. These programs cover the full spectrum of Scrum methodologies, from foundational principles to advanced practices, ensuring participants develop a deep understanding of agile project management. Best-in-class training providers also emphasize hands-on learning through simulations, case studies, and interactive workshops, preparing candidates to excel in their roles as Scrum Masters. Successful completion of their certifications, such as Scrum Master Certified (SMC) equips individuals with recognized credentials that validate their expertise and enhance career opportunities in agile development. Becoming a certified  Scrum Master  is a pivotal step for professionals seeking to excel in agile project management. With the increa

What makes a good User Story?

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  Good user stories are vital for a Scrum project as user requirements are primarily captured in this form. Good user stories alone are not enough to ensure that the product is of high quality. However, good user stories are important to communicate user requirements to the Scrum team to develop products of high quality. The INVEST acronym, given by Bill Wake, suggests characteristics of good user stories. The acronym stands for  I ndependent , N egotiable , V aluable , E stimative , S mall, and  T estable. Let us examine each characteristic in detail. Independent User Stories are often inherently dependent on each other. In such situations, it is not clear which story should be given the higher estimate. One of the solutions is to combine these stories into one, big independent story. If some of the needed functionality has already been created or implemented, then the estimate should be revised to reflect this change. Also, it is important to define a non-functional User Story that d

Daily Standup Meeting and its Importance to a Scrum Team

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  In the Conduct Daily Standup process, everyday a highly focused, Time-boxed meeting is conducted referred to as the Daily Standup Meeting. This is the forum for the  Scrum Team  to update each other on their progress and any impediments they may be facing. Inputs Scrum Team* The Scrum Team, sometimes referred to as the Development Team, is a group or team of people who are responsible for understanding the business requirements specified by the Product Owner, estimating User Stories, and final creation of the project Deliverables. Scrum Teams are cross-functional and self-organizing. The team decides the amount of work to commit to in a Sprint and determines the best way to perform the work. The Scrum Team consists of cross-functional team members, who carry out all the work involved in creating potentially shippable deliverables including development, testing, quality assurance, etc. Scrum Master* The  Scrum Master  is a facilitator and “supporting leader” who ensure that the Scrum

Can Release Planning be Skipped?

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  The answer to this question is No. Release planning is a very important part of the Scrum process. In this process, the  Scrum Core Team  reviews the User Stories in the Prioritized Product Backlog to develop a Release Planning Schedule, which is essentially a phased deployment schedule that can be shared with the project stakeholders. Length of Sprint is also determined in this process. Release Planning Sessions Release Planning Sessions are conducted to develop a Release Plan. The plan defines when various sets of usable functionality or products will be delivered to the customer. In Scrum, the major objective of a Release Planning Meeting is to enable the  Scrum Team  to have an overview of the releases and delivery schedule for the product they are developing – so that they can align with the expectations of the Product Owner and relevant stakeholders (primarily the project sponsor). Release Planning Schedule A Release Planning Schedule is one of the key outputs of the Conduct Re

Beginning Your Role as a Scrum Master

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  Most new Scrum Masters have a rudimentary comprehension of their new role. Many have undergone training and received their Licensed Scrum Master designation. They are thrilled and keen to don on their mantle of a Scrum Master in the event their teams invite them in formally. Once their initial enthusiasm starts fading away, a troublesome hesitation begins to take shape. Daily, in the midst of paying attention to and smoothing the daily standups, a quiet thought begins to flow in the Scrum Master’s mind: Understanding the Complexity of the Scrum Master Role The role of the  Scrum Master  is a difficult one for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that they have no authority; in fact the Scrum Team can fire them. Scrum Master is an expression misconstrued so quite often, sometimes consciously, which causes misunderstanding. The appellation itself hints people to unseemly assumptions because of the attachment of the term ‘Master’. Some consider this person is in reality t

Agile Transition: What and How?

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  We need to answer the following questions to find out if we are prepared for Agile Transition: What extent of agility are you prepared for today? What extent of agility can you increase tomorrow? To what extents can you continuously adapt to your ever-changing business climate? We’re confident that you can boost your current advancement process and obtain a level of agility. If your environment is helpful to it, you may be able to achieve the level of agility. What areas will you become more Agile in? If anybody thinks of becoming agile, they generally anticipate the process and not the missions of an agile process. We normally find people state that they can’t convert to agile because their developers are not ready for it, or they have constraints with re-locating their project team members. Although these things may help anybody to become agile, these are not the only steps which support the missions of an agile process.  The few steps to become Agile are as follows: 1) Increasing