🗓️Scrum Meetings

Video Version

Credit: Tech Fleet https://youtu.be/MoFbcsMPnt4

Scrum "Meeting Cadence"

Meetings are often called "cadences" in Scrum, implying that they always keep happening. They become a part of the operating rhythm of the Scrum team. Every sprint, there are meeting "cadences" that always happen no matter what.

The Scrum Framework has the following meeting cadences

1. Sprint backlog refinement

2. Level of effort estimation

3. Sprint planning

4. During the sprint

5. Daily standups

6. Sprint demo / Sprint review

7. Sprint retrospectives

Here's a visual of what Scrum meeting cadences look like:

This chart from The Server Side shows the process of Scrum framework, which is a method of carrying out Agile. Credit: https://www.theserverside.com/video/Scrum-methodology-explained.

Scrum Meeting Breakdown

Backlog Refinement Meetings

Backlog Refinement

What is it?

During backlog refinement, teams get together and discuss the work that's being documented before it starts. They discuss:

• The scope of tasks

• Whether the work is feasible

• What the design members and development members think need to be considered or included

• How complex is the work

Who owns it?

The Product Owner duty owns this in the Scrum method.

The Product strategy function owns this work in Tech Fleet.

When does it happen?

Backlog refinement should be a daily task for product teams.

What are the outcomes?

1.  The result should be tasks for the team that are ready to be taken on in sprints. This could be for research, design, or development.

Sprint Planning Meeting

Sprint Planning

What is it?

Sprint Planning meeting is a meeting where the entire team gets together and plans their next upcoming sprint. Product Strategy teams should rely on the team to consult in priorities based on current and previous work, and the entire team should align together in the goals.

Who owns it?

The Product Owner duty owns this in the Scrum method.

The Product strategy function owns this work in Tech Fleet.

When does it happen?

Teams do this before every sprint begins.

What are the deliverables and outcomes?

1. Sprint Goals

2. Updated Project Roadmap

3. Refined backlog tasks

Level of Effort Estimation

Level of Effort Estimation

What is it?

Level of effort estimation is an activity where teams estimate the complexity of upcoming work.

WLevel of effort should be measured for all kinds of work: research, design, and development alike. Teams should gauge level of effort for their work so that they have an idea of what's too much work for a given iteration, and can track the changes over time.

Measuring level of effort changes team-to-team. The overarching goal of an Agile team each iteration is to finish what they commit to. IF they have committed to too much work and can't finish, they should reduce the scope of the iteration's work itself; this is important to continually progress in delivery of the work and avoid work that is in progress for too long without delivering.

In order to do this successfully, teams must measure the effort levels of tasks in their backlog. This helps to holistically understand how much work is "too much" for the team in one iteration. Depending on the Agile method, teams may plan entire iterations (like Scrum method) or pick up one-off tasks as they are ready for the work (like Kanban method). All methods of Agile require teams to measure their effort; this may lead to breaking down tasks or splitting them out into separate tickets, and will save teams from unfinished work at the end of iterations.

Each team is highly unique in the case of how much work they can get done in one iteration. It depends on their skills, their availability, and a lot of other things. The methods of measuring level of effort remain the same, but the number of stories each team can get done in one iteration is highly variable and changes team to team. Learn how to measure level of effort in the next lesson.

Velocity is measured in story points per sprint. For instance, you'd describe the velocity of the team by saying "The team's velocity is 20 story points per sprint; the team can finish 20 story points of work on average every sprint".

Who owns it?

 The Scrum Master duty owns this in the Scrum method.

The Product strategy function owns this work in Tech Fleet.

When does it happen?

Tickets in the backlog should be estimated with their level of effort before they get planned for sprints. This helps the team measure their speed.

What are the outcomes?

1. Sprint Velocity

2. Estimated tickets ready for sprints

3. Planning poker results

Activities During the Sprint (AKA "In-Sprint")

During the Sprint

What is it?

Everyday during the sprint, the team doing the work needs to rally around the work. Tasks could be any kind of work: research, design, product management, development, or other kinds of work. The team needs to reflect and take action on adjustments during the sprint so that they can achieve their shared outcomes together.

Who owns it?

The entire team is responsible and accountable for successful sprint outcomes.

When does it happen?

Everyday in the sprint.

What are the outcomes?

Finished work

Daily Standups (AKA Daily Scrum)

Daily Standups (AKA Daily Scrum)

What is it?

A daily standup is a full-team touch base for visibility. Everyone on the team needs to attend standup everyday to report on their progress:

1. What did you do yesterday?

2. What are you doing / did you do today?

3. What blockers do you have?

The most important aspect of this meeting is identifying blockers for the team, things that prevent team members from succeeding in their work. Together the team should discuss what they should do to remove the blockers together.

Who owns it?

The entire team is accountable to run standup.

The Product Owner and Scrum Master should not be attending these meetings. As a self-organized team, the team itself should run and hold these meetings.

When does it happen?

• Everyday

• A live or asynchronous 15 minute meeting

What are the outcomes?

1. Full team visibility into progress.

2. Unblocked blockers.

Sprint Demo / Sprint Review

Sprint Demo / Sprint Review

What is it?

The sprint demo is a key moment in the sprint lifecycle. The team gets together at the end of their sprint and shows their work in progress. Whatever is half finished or fully finished is shown. They collect feedback from clients and teammates so that they can determine the direction they need to head for the next round of sprint planning.

Who owns it?

Scrum Master duty owns this in the Scrum method.

The Product strategy function owns this work in Tech Fleet.

When does it happen?

This happens at the end of every sprint increment.

What are the outcomes?

1. Sprint Demo presentations

Sprint Retrospective

Sprint Retrospective

What is it?

The Sprint Retrospective is a time for the team to get together and reflect. They reflect on their work process and their teamwork together. They discuss:

1. What they liked that they want to continue

2. What they learned in hindsight that they want to change

3. What they lacked that they want to change

4. What they longed for that they want to change

Who owns it?

Scrum Master duty owns this in the Scrum method.

The Product strategy function owns this work in Tech Fleet.

When does it happen?

This meeting should happen during each sprint increment.

What are the outcomes?

1. Sprint Retro action items

2. Updated Working Agreements

3. Team process changes

One-Week Sprint Example

This is what daily work looks like when teams operate one-week sprints.

One-week sprint schedule. Credit: Tech Fleet.

Before the sprint:

• Sprint planning

• Refinement

• Level of effort estimation

During the sprint:

• Daily standups

• Do the work that was planned

• Sprint demo at the end

• Sprint retro for previous sprint

Two-Week Sprint Example

This is what daily work looks like when teams operate two-week sprints.

One-week sprint schedule. Credit: Tech Fleet.

Before the sprint:

• Sprint planning

• Refinement

• Level of effort estimation

During the sprint:

• Daily standups

• Do the work that was planned

• Sprint demo at the end

• Sprint retro for previous sprint

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