Scrum is a popular framework for Agile software development. The Scrum model follows Sprint timelines (2 weeks to 4 weeks) to deliver software or product enhancements, on a regular basis to the client. Scrum Roles – The Scrum team Three roles within the Scrum framework are Product Owner, Scrum Master and the Scrum team. Scrum teams may include the developers, testers and designers. In a Scrum team, all the stakeholders work together towards a common goal. Daily Scrum The Daily Scrum is a short meeting, ideally during start of the working day that helps to understand the status and progress towards completing the work from the Sprint Backlog. This meeting is an opportunity to work as a self-organizing team, to connect to each other, and to understand how every team member’s work affects the team’s productivity, and helps accomplish the common Sprint goal. So, what are some of the key steps to conduct an effective scrum meeting? Have a clear agenda The team should have a clear understanding of the purpose of the meeting. Some of the important aspects of the meeting are listed below. Team members should: Make commitments to each other Give an update on work progress – what he or she has accomplished since the last Daily Scrum and what will be done before the next Daily Scrum Raise impediments and address blockers Have short meetings For an effective meeting, the Daily Scrum/stand-up meeting should not run for more than 15 minutes. It is advisable and ideal to have small scrum teams, not exceeding nine members. Having bigger scrum teams may lead to long running scrum meetings, which will eventually make the daily meeting inefficient. Give updates to the team, not to the Scrum Master Do not use the Daily Scrum to report status to the manager or to the Scrum Master. Do not discuss solutions to specific problems. Updates from a team member should be valuable to everyone in the room. Try to schedule a separate meeting to have a detailed discussion on any of the impediments reported in the Daily Scrum. Maintain a Scrum board Team members could point at stories and tasks on the Scrum board as they provide status on their tasks. This will provide a clear view of the status of stories to the entire team. Also, moving a story or task from ‘In Progress’ to ‘Done’ status in the scrum board may give a sense of accomplishment to the team. Add a dash of fun Organize fun activities to keep Scrum meetings lively and to build team rapport. Team members could share interesting facts or humorous experiences. Members could try out different ways of selecting the person who speaks next – by tossing an object (ball, token, toy) or by picking up interesting names or numbers. Organize a potluck on occasion. Importantly, don’t forget to celebrate the Sprint success with your team!
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