Importance Of A Sprint Planning Meeting In Scrum Framework

Significance of the sprint planning meeting
Whenever scrum is to be implemented for a project, user stories are carefully worked out, and a product backlog is painstakingly prepared in which user stories are properly categorized, and set up in order of their importance. The product backlog is prepared by the product owner, who is also responsible for ensuring that the user stories are properly taken up by the team members. The team carries out the actual development work during the sprinting activity. The sprint forms the backbone of all developmental activities associated with the particular project, and therefore it is required to be properly planned in order to get the most out of what scrum has to offer. For this, a special meeting is held before the sprint is to be executed. This meeting is known as the sprint planning meeting.
 

Who attends the sprint planning meeting?Since sprint planning involves the formation of the sprint backlog (The list of user stories to be developed by the team members during the sprint. The product owner decides which stories are important, and recommends them to the team members who prepare a list of items which each team member is supposed to process and develop. This particular list is known as the “sprint backlog”). So the product owner has to remain present during the meeting. As the development is to be carried out by the team members, they too have to attend the sprint planning meeting. In addition, the scrum master is responsible to ensure that scrum is properly enforced, therefore it is also mandatory for him or her to remain present during the meeting.
 

The sprint planning meeting is attended by:

• The product owner
• Scrum master
• Team members

What is the sprint planning meeting like?
The main purpose of the meeting is to create the sprint backlog with respect to its user stories and development tasks. The product owner has to decide which user stories are most important and which of them should be ideally incorporated into the sprint backlog. Once the sprint backlog is decided by the product owner, the team members have to decide how the sprint backlog should be processed for development purposes. So, mainly two aspects – the “what” aspect and the “how” aspect pertaining to the sprint are to be discussed and worked out during the sprint planning meeting. The meeting is generally divided into two parts – the first part catering to the “what” aspect, and the second part which deals with the “how” aspect.
 

The two parts are further explained as follows:
 

1. Objective definition – the “what” aspect 
In the first section or the initial part of the meeting, the product owner briefs about the user stories which are of highest priority and instructs the team regarding the acceptance criteria associated with the user stories, and what kind of functionality are demanded by the stakeholders. The product owner does most of the talking and answers questions as well as queries put forward by the team members. The scrum master is a passive participant, but can also ask specific questions if he or she is not clear about a certain aspect regarding the implementation of scrum during the sprint.
 

2. Task estimation – the “how” aspect
During the second phase of the meeting, the “how” aspect is taken up by the team members. They segregate the user stories into individual tasks, and each member takes up a list of tasks to develop during the sprint. The tasks are unanimously selected depending upon the levels of expertise possessed by each team member. The main objective of the second phase of the sprint planning meeting is to ensure each team member has enough tasks on hand to last the entire sprint duration. For effective scrum project management too many tasks should not be taken up so that the sprint cannot be successfully completed. Scrum makes it mandatory for each given task to be completed by each team member at the end of the sprint duration. At the same time, enough tasks should be taken up so that the team member does not run out of development work during the sprint. 
 

Scrum emphasizes upon active participation and involvement of every team member. It is highly recommended that the scrum team should undertake a proactive approach regarding one’s involvement and responsibilities during the implementation of scrum. The sprint planning meeting should ideally be conducted keeping these principles in mind.  
 

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3 Serious Pitfalls Which Every Scrum Master Should Avoid – Implement Scrum Successfully

The scrum master holds a very high position and an important one too, while executing projects using scrum methodology. The main role of the scrum master is to ensure that the development team effectively employs scrum during the sprint activity. If scrum is properly implemented, each member of the team remains busy with the tasks allotted, or taken up, by him or her. It is not required for the member to seek guidance from the scrum master as to what should be done next, or what task need to be carried out. The main objective of the sprint planning meeting held before the commencement of the sprint is to ensure that proper and enough tasks are taken up by each team member. 

However, at times due to various reasons, which ought to be avoided at all costs, the scrum master knowingly or unknowingly transgresses his or her responsibilities, and extends the primary role of the scrum master. This can lead to undesirable results and ineffectual implementation of scrum methodology. It can also lead to increased development costs and bloated overheads – something every business owner tries to avoid at all costs. So how does a scrum master know that he or she is making a mistake? How does the person find out whether he or she is transgressing the responsibilities associated with being a scrum master?    
 

The three main mistakes of a scrum master
It is not an easy task to become a scrum master. If the person is new at the job, or lacks enough knowledge or experience as a scrum master, it can be very easy to fall back upon doing what project managers know best – behave and function as traditional managers. It can be very easy to fall into this trap, and many scrum masters often fail to avoid this pitfall during the early stages of their career. A scrum master is not supposed to behave as a typical project manager. Scrum methodology does not support or subscribe to it. 

Certain indications can help you identify and avoid the pitfalls:   
 

1. Start assigning tasks to team members
During the sprint process, if scrum is implemented properly, each team member has enough tasks on hand to last the entire sprint duration. The very purpose of holding a sprint planning meeting before starting with the sprint is to ensure that proper and enough tasks are taken up by each team member, and each task is allotted a predetermined time during which it is to be completed. So when scrum methodology is enforced in a proper manner, team members generally do not run out of tasks, and are not required to ask for new tasks when the sprint is currently underway.
 

Pitfall
As a scrum master, if any team member runs out of tasks and approaches you for new tasks before the current sprint is over, you might be inclined to allocate new tasks to the person. This is a pitfall, and should be avoided. It means that the sprint planning meeting was not done in the correct manner.
 

Solution
Care should be taken to select proper user stories into the sprint backlog, from the product backlog, and each team member told to take up enough tasks to last the entire sprint. The time allotted to the development of the task should be properly decided and set up in a manner such that excessive time is not linked with a particular task. The exact amount of time should be allotted to the tasks, and the tasks should be added up so that they span the entire sprint duration.
 

2. Taking decisions for the development team
It is highly common for team members to discuss about work and problems occurring during the sprint activity. Very often, the members depend upon each other’s help and guidance to solve problems occurring during the development process. It can be very tempting for the scrum master to “volunteer suggestions” which can solve the problem, or provide a solution which can eliminate the issue.
 

Pitfall
The scrum master actively involves in the discussion by prompting the team members to explain the problem, and subsequently offers an alternative which solves the issue on hand. Team members accept the verdict and start implementing the solution within their development activity owing to a higher degree of problem solving experience held by the individual. This is also a pitfall, and ought to be avoided.
 

Solution
The scrum master is a passive participant as far as sprinting is concerned. He or she is supposed to observe the team members and ascertain whether they are following scrum methodology, and instruct them to follow proper techniques in the event they are making a mistake. Care should be taken to select proper team members who are experienced and well conversant with the development process. Typically, the team should consist of members who are thorough professionals and capable to providing correct results in a time bound manner. The team should be selected well in advance before the sprint commences and the product backlog is created. The product owner and the scrum master should carefully pick the team members once the product backlog is created. The user stories can give an idea about the complexity of the development to be carried out, and what levels or expertise are ideally required.
 

3. Function as an intermediary or a “go between” between the product owner and the team
Scrum methodology is a highly organized development process, and each member is assigned specific tasks to complete the process. One of the main criterion involved with scrum is not to cross or transgress one’s are of work or authority. Each individual involved with the methodology is advised to work within the scope and time frame decided beforehand. However, during the sprint, team members can face problems, or may need specific feedback regarding the acceptance criteria and the level of functionality to be incorporated. For this, it may be required to communicate with the product owner who has all the details.
 

Pitfall
The scrum master comes to know about a particular issue and starts asking team members about the problem. The person than contact the product owner on behalf of the team member for possible solutions or feedback. This is a pitfall. The scrum master is not a project manager. He or she is not supposed to communicate anything with the product owner regarding developmental issues and problems.
 

Solution
Proper channels should be set up and the product owner notified about the issue well in time when the particular problem occurs. The product owner is responsible for addressing the issues and not the scrum master. Moreover, the team members should be instructed to immediately notify the product owner when required, and not waste undue time in discussing alternative solutions amongst themselves.
 

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