How Scrum Can Help To Reduce Risks In Projects – Risk Mitigation In Scrum

Every project in scrum, irrespective of its size and scale, is subjected to certain risks. The risks may be minor in nature, in which case they could be easily solved. Alternatively, they could be of larger magnitude, and would really tax the experience levels of the scrum master as well as the product owner to resolve them. Catering to risks is one of the main reasons why managements and “C” level executives opt for scrum methodology. Actually most people interpret risks in a negative way. It is interesting to know that risks can be negative as well as positive in nature, depending upon the outcome they result in. Risks, which result in a positive manner, are termed as “opportunities” while those that negatively affect the project are known as “threats”. In a simple language, a risk can be understood as a particular situation, unknown about what kind of result it will deliver when it is conceived, and which can result into an advantageous situation, or it could adversely affect the project working as well as the result the particular project is fundamentally supposed to deliver. Risk management is an inherent part of scrum methodology.
 

Minimizing risks (threats) using scrum methodology
While positive risks, or opportunities, are inadvertently welcomed, it is the risks, which create a negative effect in the ongoing project, or threats, which are of concern to scrum enforcers. Scrum helps to minimize risks in several ways:
 

1. Flexibility exhibited by scrum reduces business-environment-related risks 

Unlike traditional development methodologies, scrum is highly flexible, and possesses the capability to add or modify the project related requirements at any time during the project life cycle. It helps the management to respond in a positive manner to threats as and when they arise. The management can easily cater to unforeseen circumstances when they arise. It is very easy to remove the user stories from the product backlog and replace them with new ones. The product owner can add new stories whenever required as per the wishes of the stakeholders. Moreover, if a particular set of requirements becomes obsolete or useless in terms of its functionality, it can be removed from the product backlog, and its development can be curtailed. This is not possible in a Waterfall method.
 

2. Constant and regular feedback reduce expectations-related risks
The entire project development is carried out in sprints. Each sprint is preceded by a daily scrum meeting. Scrum provides plenty of opportunities to avail feedback regarding exactly how much development has been successfully completed until date, and how much of it is still pending. The scrum board reflects the changes as and when they occur in real time, so the management is always kept informed about which user stories are currently being processed for development. Stakeholders can verify the work delivered at the end of the sprint, and if they are not satisfied, they hold the right to reject it. The investors are never caught off guard owing to miscommunication. They can always check up the development status and act accordingly.
 

3. Team ownership helps to reduce estimation related risks
The team creates proper and effective estimates making use of prior development related experience. Sprint retrospectives help to identify potential pitfalls likely to occur again in the future while sprint planning helps to include proper user stories for time bound and acceptable development. Team ownership helps to reduce estimation related risks. 
 

4. Increased transparency reduces non-detection risks
Scrum advocates transparency. Everything and each activity carried out by the scrum team is made public as soon as possible. As a result, any risk, if it arises, is detected early by the concerned person, and the person is supposed to take up further course of action to remove the risk. Risks are detected and communicated early, and this leads to better risk handling as well as risk mitigation.
 

5. Iterative development reduces investment-related risks  
The delivery value is continuously presented when scrum is implemented. The basic advantage of scrum is that functionality is delivered in stages after the sprint is completed, which generally takes from 2 weeks to 1 month depending upon how long the sprint lasts. This is not possible in case of waterfall methods since the results are derived in the final stage of the product development cycle. It then becomes too late to respond to the development, and to introduce new changes because the entire project is completed by that time. Scrum helps to reduce investment related risks.
 

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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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How Product Owners Can Increase Their ROI And Boost Up Sales

Many discussions and talks have been carried out regarding the actual role of a product owner i.e. what makes the ideal product owner. Several suggestions have been put forward explaining the role of the product owner – both ideal ones and practical ones. However, the debate is far from over since client requirements often keep on changing, and there is always a confusion whether a client can assume the role of a product owner, and if so, would it be contradictory to scrum methodology? Actually, it would be more meaningful to consider what type of activities should be undertaken by the product owner, rather than follow the ideal role of being one. As far as real life scenarios are concerned, it is the client who is the most well versed person as regards the developmental requirements and what kinds of functionalities ought to be incorporated in the user stories.
 

Know more about the Product Owner’s role at Quickscrum!
 

Suggested activities for a product owner
For the client and the product owner, it is very important to be familiar with the scrum methodology and its techniques. It is also important to know about the advantages of scrum, and what it has to offer over traditional development methods before tapping the full potential of it. The activities can ideally include:

• Remain present and contribute information as well as knowledge during sprint reviews, sprint planning, and retrospective meetings
• Order and create the product backlog based upon the importance of user stories and ROI
• Be easily available to team members, and provide appropriate feedback whenever they face difficulties or issues during development
• Thoroughly understand the product backlog items, and define the acceptance criteria for the tasks.   
• Define a sprint goal for each sprint
• Not try to influence the mindsets of team members with regards the complexity involved with the development activity, rather encourage them to be productive and “open to problems”
• Respect and adhere to the sprint goal

 

How product owners can make their work easy and more productive
It is very important to correctly define and manage the product backlog items to implement scrum in the perfect manner, and benefit from the advantages offered by the methodology. In addition, the user stories need to be properly stated and identified within the system, and individual tasks taken up by the team members. QuickScrum helps to define product backlog items with a lot of ease and flexibility, and what’s more, the items can be effortlessly rearranged as per choice using dynamic drag-and-drop features. You can save a lot of valuable time and efforts while allotting tasks to individual team members, and check out the project status using highly informative and useful reporting capabilities included within the scrum management tool. QuickScrum supports a host of useful and dynamic features specially developed for product owners, scrum masters, and businesses using scrum methodology to increase their productivity. It’s worth knowing more about this flexible and powerful scrum management tool, and the plethora of time saving and productivity-increasing features specially developed for you.
 

Find out more, and download our free QuickScrum tool which can help you in implementing scrum in an effective and profitable way!