Welcome back to yet another week at www.implementingscrum.com.
Thanks as usual for coming back this week and helping me spread the word about this site.
If you have some time today, please tell three or four of your friends about it, and let’s see if even more people can have fun with us.
Ask them to subscribe. Please. There are opportunities all over the site (please let me know if it is confusing in any way!). In fact, you can forward them this note and have them Subscribe to Implementing Scrum via Email!
Now… about “Fun.”
Yeah, I know, I know… we do serious work in the real world Mike….
I know.
I live it, as I hope you can tell.
So last week I wrote a few segments about Fantasy Island, and I really loved that comic strip.
One of the things listed was, “You may be on Fantasy Island” if you play Planning Poker without your Product Owner.
For a quick overview on an introduction to Planning Poker, please see this posting.
And come back! I am not going anywhere.
You back?
See. I told you I’d still be here. I am persistent that way (get it geeks of the world?!?! HA??? Ug… nevermind lol).
OK.
Ug.
WARNING: IF you have a very sensitive sense of humor (or none at all)… PLEASE STOP READING THIS POSTING.
My title tonight varied from, “How Planning Poker is like Unprotected Sex” to the one you see you actually displayed.
Guess it is at least a little more politically correct.
SO.
Um.
How can Planning Poker look like a one night stand?
Let me see if that can be answered sufficiently….
1) When you leave a Product Owner out of the process, you are at risk of waking up the next morning wanting to gnaw your left arm off. Clear?
OK.
Next one.
2) A Product Backlog does not have to be something that the Scrum Gods (aka Mr. Schwaber or others) think is perfect. Here is a fair question for you…. “Does it meet the needs of your customer?” If yes, all is good. If no, hire me (smile). Um. Dunno what that has to do with a one night stand (sorry).
3) Scrum Planning Poker without a Product Owner lands you in Fantasy Island. And. You cannot get off. Much like drinking and partying which can lead to the one night stand. You know, cannot get off the Island. And… never get to “Done.”
4) You cannot do any type of real release planning. Just like a one night stand, you may wind up with something you will have to live with for the rest of your life in about 10 months with not a clue it was coming (see my “Making Babies” post). Well, you saw it building and growing, but you have no idea what you are in for.
5) Hmmm…. I think the number one reason was the best (lol). Let me think. Oh…. this thing called “Group Think” may take place where everyone makes ASSumptions about the other. Can lead to going back to #1 in this list (smile).
6) Having a Product Owner there is like wearing a…. hmmm… do I dare say it? Nope. Use your imagination if you can. And. If it is missing it may feel fine but your team can wind up catching something that is hard to get rid of - or even cause your team to die.
7) And I guess my final word of advice… If you find yourself out during that “last call” and someone has that “five beer” look… GO HOME ALONE. This can be paralleled to playing Planning Poker without a Product Owner. If the Product Owner is not there… CANCEL THE MEETING.
Wow.
Was that the most inuendo-filled-posting I have ever posted? I think the most inuendo-filled-COMIC-STRIP was the one on CSM Training. Strange how that is the most downloaded comic strip on the site (smile).
Hehe… It was a little fun.
Now… back to the work thing.
And remember your PRODUCT OWNER!
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Gotta run! Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.
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June 3, 2008
Welcome back to yet another week at www.implementingscrum.com.
OK.
This week may be the week that actually dates people reading this blog.
Tattoo. Not Toto.
Scary.
But true.
Admittedly I have had grey hair for a while (that is one of the reasons I keep it short short lol) and I know I am one of those people “in between” on the high and low-age readership of this group. Next year will be 20 years in the industry for me, so I do have some real life experience. And for you, a lot of this life is lived working with clients on Scrum Projects around the world.
And.
This may be one of my favorite cartoons Tony has done to date. This has been one that has been brewing and talked about for over a year with clients and class participants.
And as usual, Tony nailed it (got it right for the non-Americans — this is a good thing (smile)).
Maybe for tonight I just leave you with the cartoon.
An give you a little more about it as the week progresses.
I am on the road.
And wow do I have some ideas and opinions on this one.
See where this one cartoon strip can lead you?
First… see if you get the context of it!
Here is the cheater link if you have no clue (and THAT is OK!).
Please read part two here
Gotta run Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.
You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!
May 27, 2008
Hi,
I am announcing another test (remember — inspect and adapt) on our site at implementingscrum.com.
Know what a Product Backlog is?
I am opening the Product Backlog to you — the reader — for input.
Is it the perfect tool for this? Maybe not.
However.
Let’s see if we can get some things started on here.
You can read more about it (see the product backlog and be able to enter your ideas into the product backlog) here.
Thank you.
- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com
Today I am addressing something that has been bothering me — and others in the industry too — and maybe even you, my great reader!
Scrum talks about having having working software at the end of every Sprint (or iteration).
Wow.
Not a Requirements Document. Working Software.
Not a Design Specification. Working Software.
Not a great Architecture PowerPoint Presentation. Working Software.
Not Compiled Code. Working Software.
Not an incredible Test Plan with Automated Testing and complete coverage. Working Software.
Yikes.
Get the point here?
Not too preachy I hope (smile).
That is awesome, right?
“Working Software” then became recast or known a, “Potentially Shippable Product.”
Huh?
Is there a difference?
Yes.
There is a difference.
Think about it.
In your Scrum Teams today, do you have someone from your Production and Support areas involved with your Sprint on a daily basis? How about the Daily Scrum (or Daily Stand-up meeting)? What about in your Sprint Planning? Planning Poker?
Any planning?
At all?
Hmmm.
Now OK.
We may have different definitions of Production and Support people. You can look at them as one separate team, two separate teams, or actually part of your Scrum Team.
In Agile and Scrum, I’d argue that the Production and Support people should be an integral part of the Scrum Team.
In the end, it is the Scrum Team agreeing on the definition of, “Done” for the Sprint (or iteration).
And where does Working Software actually spend most of its usable life?
Say it with me now… “In Production and Support.”
Wow.
What a paradigm shift in the way you are working today.
Or is it?
And.
Think about this.
If your Scrum Team does not include the Production and Support people into your Scrum Team, you may be creating more “Working Software” than the rest of organization can handle.
What? You may be asking yourself?
Are you kidding me?
Nope.
I see this.
Often.
And.
One way I advise clients about handling this situation is to include the Production and Support people into the Scrum Team.
Do they always listen?
Nah.
And then they have a big dump truck full of stuff (waste…. work in process…. inventory….).
What does this cost an organization?
What is this costing your organization today?
Do you care?
Gotta run!.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.
You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!
February 11, 2008
Welcome back to another day at www.implementingscrum.com.
Please note:
Tomorrow will most likely be the last comic strip for the end of 2007. Tony (our artist!) is planning on taking a two week hiatus between now and the new year. This is good stuff and shows he works on having a life (something we talk about a lot on here). While he is gone, I may do a little refactoring on the site and add some additional material and ideas.
If you have any ideas about the content for the remainder of this year, please contact me anytime and we can chat, email, or meet face-to-face.
I have a lot of great plans to be unveiled for 2008.
For those of you who are “stuck” doing the work thing over the upcoming holidays — spend some time surfing the net — specifically at this site and learn more about your craft and how to get better at it. Find something you like? Pass it on to your friends (they do not even need to be geeks!).
So… Tomorrow we will introduce the last comic strip of 2007.
Hope you enjoy it!
Gotta run�.Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.
You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!
December 16, 2007
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