Hi all,
Today is our first try at a new format (in addition to the cartoons) at www.implementingscrum.com.
It is called, “ImplementingScrum – UnScripted” and will feature audio and/or video in different formats along the way. By the time this goes out, it should be out on youtube and here is a link to the “.mov” format (uses quicktime and is just under 17MB — for some reason this is MUCH clearer — any recommendations???).
Using FeedBurner, it should also find it’s way out to iTunes as a podcast… let’s see together how it all works and continue to inspect and adapt.
Fair? (smile)
This first version of this is with a guy “Down Under” who had some spectacular patience with me this morning (in addition to the fifteen hour time difference!).
His name is James Brett and he maintains a site at www.scrummaster.com.au and recently (with a LOT of help with the people there!) published a survey, where you can see the results at www.scrummaster.com.au/Article.mvc/Detail/43 or download the PDF file from www.scrummaster.com.au/Content/download/ScrumSurveyResultsJan09.pdf.
The video of this is about eight minutes long and goes into the survey a bit and introduces the topic. It is not meant to be exhaustive — right now it is a test of the technology convergence(s) and as usual we want to keep these things short and to the point.
A few other references made in the video included a retrospective formats article and retrospective why.
You can also check out a few cartoons about retropectives on this site (there is a three part series here:
www.implementingscrum.com/2007/09/04/scary-team-retrospectives-part-one/
www.implementingscrum.com/2007/09/10/retrospectives-not-just-reading-a-book-part-two/
www.implementingscrum.com/2007/09/17/walk-into-the-light-retrospectives-part-3-of-3/
As usual, any errors anywhere on the video or my site — I accept that responsibility.
Take a look at the video and the links above for the survey and other stuff and PLEASE comment about it below.
Inspect and Adapt.
Let’s see where we go.
As usual!
Thank you.
www.implementingscrum.com
www.michaelvizdos.com
Welcome back to a new week and first cartoon of 2009 at www.implementingscrum.com.
Thank you for continuing to follow and spread the word about this blog and our cartoons.
Get ready for a blast this coming year.
The last cartoon of 2008 covered the topic of how to handle questions from outside stakeholders during a Scrum (or iteration).
Remember that even familiar chickens can be dangerous to derailing an iteration.
Eek.
Does that sound too dogmatic?
Hmmm.
Let’s think.
Who calls an iteration “Done?”
That would be the Product Owner (look back at this old comic strip from the early days for a refresher on that).
And, the “old way” of doing this — in a waterfall environment — was to bow to the pressure. That leads to very funny cult-movies; however, in reality it sucks for everyone involved.
Especially if you bow to it while using Scrum.
So.
If you are a Team Member on a Scrum team and you get asked to do something that is outside the Sprint Backlog, you’ve GOTTA turn it over to the Product Owner to deal with.
So, this comic strip shows that.
Our intrepid character Pig did the right thing.
And.
What is the Product Owner now supposed to do with this information?
This is not a blame game.
But.
Someone needs to be responsible for the decisions.
How does this sit with you?
And where does the ScrumMaster play in this situation?
Comments, as usual, are requested and will help guide where we take this in the future (smile).
Thank you,
- mike vizdos
www.michaelvizdos.com
www.implementingscrum.com
Welcome back to a new week and new cartoon at www.implementingscrum.com.
For new subscriber via email, facebook, and twitter — Welcome and thanks for the interest in the site.
Please feel free to pass this site on to your friends and talk about it on twitter and other social networking sites.
The problem depicted in this cartoon is something I see a LOT when working with teams around the world.
Even when Scrum is being implemented on teams within an organization.
Hmmm.
So what do we do about this situation?
When asked for a status from a Chicken within a Sprint, Scrum talks about the team members not saying, “No” and punting it to the Product Owner.
The same goes for a new feature request.
In the past… before Scrum… this type of request was a major cause of never getting to “Done.”
This is the main reason to have a strong demarcation point between the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog. The main reason is to help shield the team from the outside “Noise”.
Care to share some real life stories about this via comments below?
How do you do this without committing career suicide?
Who really is responsible for telling outside Chickens to speak with the Product Owner?
What does the Product Owner need to do with this next?
Is this really an important concept or what do you think about it?
Please share with us…
Thank you,
- mike vizdos
This week Tony and I are finally reintroducing the weekly cartoon blogs after a bit of a hiatus. Sorry for the long wait; however, you should start seeing these on a weekly basis once again! I am going to try to take a different tact going forward — let’s see how it goes. I am going to present YOU with a scenario. And I want YOU to add comments as to how you would handle the scenario using Scrum. I will add comments to your comments to get a conversation going. Make sense?
If you have any ideas please contact me and we can talk about exploring them via a comic strip or even you writing a guest blog entry!
Here is the scenario:
You are running a Scrum Team in an organization that contains a large contingent of Waterfall Projects and surviving somehow in a command-and-control environment.
Maybe you even have multiple teams running at this point.
You are following the “Combo Approach” of rolling this out, and you have support of the team and a person at the highest level within the organization, so that when impediments are hit they can be cleared if you ask.
All of the sudden, there is a reorganization.
The Chickens have moved around.
Your Scrum Team inherits some very new Chickens with little experience using Scrum and are pretty tight when it comes to command-and-control management styles.
One of the new Chickens walks into the Scrum Team room and asks for status reports to start up again. In writing using the template this Chicken has always used to get control of projects.
Starting today.
You look at this Chicken in amazement.
You ask, “Why?”
This project seems to be out of control in the view of this Chicken.
“We also need to start having daily one hour status meetings from everyone in this group… Fifteen minutes is not enough. I (The Chicken) will run the meeting and set the agenda. It may have to be two times a day.”
The Chicken wants a “all hands” meeting at the end of the day today for a few hours.
The Chicken is thinking about instituting mandatory sixty hour work weeks.
The words “Microsoft Project” are thrown around.
The Chicken also wants to put the teams back into offices because their stature in the company is high — the team members have all been with the company for a long time and want their own offices back (according to the Chicken).
The Chicken wants to have an all day post moderm to determine the root cause of the problems with this team because the boss of the Chicken wants the Chicken to be in charge.
So,
What do YOU do?
- As a Team Member?
- As a ScrumMaster?
- As a Product Owner?
- As “The Chicken”?
Comment on your responses.
Let’s get the conversation going!
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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June 3, 2008
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