Competing video game companies—one that operates inside of the Scrum framework and one that does not—release similar games around the same time. The graphics and story-lines in each are fantastic. As gamer’s button mash their way through the campaigns, however, disparities emerge. Unlike its competitor, the company that operates inside of the Scrum framework finds…
Scrum is not your regular waterfall technique but an agile framework which changes and, at times, challenges traditional roles. The Organizational Resource Matrix is a hierarchical depiction of a combination of a functional organizational structure and a projectized organizational structure. Matrix organizations bring together team members for a project from different functional departments such as…
Scrum Team, also referred to as the development team, is responsible for developing the product and they possess all the essential skills required to carry out the work of the project. They have a high level of collaboration to maximize productivity, so that minimal coordination is required to get things done. To minimize dependency, team…
Selecting appropriate Scrum Master(s) and identifying relevant Stakeholder(s) is crucial to the success of any project. In some projects, there may have been pre-conditions stipulating certain team members and their roles. When there is flexibility in choosing the Scrum Master(s), the following are important Selection Criteria: Problem-solving skills—This is one of the primary criteria to…
In Scrum, the risk management activities are divided among various roles with some responsibility resting with everyone in the Scrum Team and the Scrum Master facilitating the process. Risk management is integral to ensuring value creation; therefore, risk management activities are performed throughout the project lifecycle and not just during project initiation. Each risk could…
A Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) is a useful tool for reporting and tracking project performance. It provides a simple, visual representation of project progress at a particular point in time. It is usually used to provide a higher level status of the overall project and not daily updates for individual Sprints. The image above is an…
Risk is defined as an uncertain event that can affect the objectives of a project and may contribute to its success or failure. Risks with a potential for positive impact on the project are called opportunities, whereas threats are risks that could negatively impact a project. Managing risk must be done proactively, and it is…
A project is a temporary endeavor that involves a collaborative effort to create a new product, service, or other result as defined in the Project Vision Statement. Every project is affected by the constraints of time, cost, scope, quality, risks, benefits, resources, and other limitations. For a successful project delivery, it is important to choose…
A typical Prioritized Product Backlog will contain all User Stories, their time estimates (including any revised estimates), and the status of higher priority requirements. Any new or revised User Stories resulting from changes to business requirements, customer requests, external market conditions, and/or lessons learned from previous Sprints are also incorporated. Backlog Grooming Session The Product…
The term “agile” generally refers to being able to move or respond quickly and easily; being nimble. In any kind of management discipline, agile as a quality should therefore be a good thing to aim for. Agile project management specifically, involves being adaptive during the creation of a product, service, or other result. A number…
