Processes and Mechanics II: A Sequel

Hello!

So as documented in the previous posts, I know what I want to do by defining epics and stories, I have a plan and a team created, but now I need to know how to execute this, including ways to chart my progress and keep myself accountable. This is where I'm hoping agile and scrum will really help me develop. Utilising sprints, stand ups and retrospectives I hope to get the most from my professional development plan.

Sprint:

The sprint backlog is a list of tasks identified by the Scrum team to be completed during the Scrum sprint. During the sprint planning meeting, the team selects some number of product backlog items, usually in the form of user stories, and identifies the tasks necessary to complete each user story. Most teams also estimate how many hours each task will take someone on the team to complete.

It's critical that the team selects the items and size of the sprint backlog. Because they are the people committing to completing the tasks, they must be the people to choose what they are committing to during the Scrum sprint.

(http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/scrum/sprint-backlog)

Working with my team of scrum masters and stakeholders I will identify what I hope to achieve in cycles of two weeks, be that read a book, update this blog with a minimum of 8 posts. Working in our small group we will identify what we believe to be possible with the aim of completing all the tasks by the set two week completion date. Personal circumstances will be reviewed in each sprint meeting and each time I will attempt to push myself just a bit harder.

Daily Stand Up:
The daily scrum meeting is not used as a problem-solving or issue resolution meeting. Issues that are raised are taken offline and usually dealt with by the relevant subgroup immediately after the meeting. During the daily scrum, each team member answers the following three questions:
What did you do yesterday?
What will you do today?
Are there any impediments in your way?

(http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/scrum/daily-scrum) 

I plan to hold a daily stand up with myself and those invested in my development (stakeholders). As my life plan is diverse and not wholly relevant to some, I plan to hold multiple mini-stand ups. 

For my weight-loss and fitness goals I plan to weigh myself at the same time, every day daily and report the findings to my partner, who has a vested interest in my health and wellness. I will explain why I feel I have lost or gained weight since the day previously and what I will do to achieve my goal that day.

For more professional goals such as reading and business development I plan to hold a daily stand up with my colleagues (Scrum masters from post prior). There I will discuss what I'm doing, plan to do and what may stop me achieving my goals. My scrum masters will do their best to help me achieve my goals.

And not forgetting you guys and this blog! Part of the reason I'm documenting my experience with agile on my life is to keep myself accountable. Building a potential community who may be interested or anyone I could help by reading through my ramblings will encourage me to fulfil my potential and reach my goals.

Sprint review/retrospective:

In Scrum, each sprint is required to deliver a potentially shippable product increment. This means that at the end of each sprint, the team has produced a coded, tested and usable piece of software.

So at the end of each sprint, a sprint review meeting is held. During this meeting, the Scrum team shows what they accomplished during the sprint. Typically this takes the form of a demo of the new features.

The sprint review meeting is intentionally kept very informal, typically with rules forbidding the use of PowerPoint slides and allowing no more than two hours of preparation time for the meeting. A sprint review meeting should not become a distraction or significant detour for the team; rather, it should be a natural result of the sprint.

(http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/scrum/sprint-review-meeting)

  

At the end of every two week cycle I will reconvene with my small trust team to discuss progress and what has been achieved. We'll ask what worked and did I achieve my goals? If not, what could I do to achieve them in a future sprint? Planning future sprints and more activities will help me achieve my goals in bitesize chunks. In the same meeting I will start to compile a future sprint plan whilst marking off what has been achieved as I burn down through the backlog.

Hopefully this approach will work and give me positive, quantitative results,

Geronimo!

AT