How to run a Scrum Planning Meeting like a pro?

We all know about scrum, don’t we? But still, we fight to employ the scrum in our work space. Many project managers grow up in software development industry thinking that building complex products through iterative approach can lead to disaster.

And this is not only one reason that resists us to use scrum. If you Google, you will find many reasons why people avoid scrum. The top reason being that they lack knowledge about scrum.

In this article, we will draw everything about scrum, which will give you a better insight how to use scrum like a pro.

Scrum is the process in agile methodology which is a combination of an iterative and incremental method. It works on project management framework which tells us the strength and weaknesses of our project.

The truth is that scrum does not tell us how to solve but sure point out what to do.

As different from waterfall process, scrum focuses on people because people are the pillar of a development process. Ignoring the importance of team can lead to variety of problems. For instance, contradiction in what was written and what was coded and so on.

Also Read: 4 Tips to Make Scrum Planning Meetings Better

In scrum framework, the product is delivered constantly. A project moves forward via a series of iterations called sprint. Each sprint lasts typically for two or four weeks.

The Agile Framework in easy steps

The picture above gives the clear explanation on how scrum cycle works.

First, the product owner develops a particular set of features for each sprint. It is defined in a product backlog. Then the team selects the top features from product backlog which they will deliver at the end of each sprint.

After agreeing to do a particular feature, the feature is broken into a smaller tasks which is developed by product owner found in the sprint backlog.

Then the sprint starts, during the sprint, there is so called daily meeting where the team member provides their task status and discuss the problem related to a task. In this daily meeting, scrum master is responsible for solving the problem.

Also Read: 3 tips to enhance the art of scrum sprint planning

After completing the sprint, the feature is presented to the product owner for the approval. And the review is given to team related to a feature in sprint review.

Finally, in retrospective meetings, team, scrum master, and product owner discuss improvement in the overall process.

Scrum Roles

1. Product owner

1. Voice of a client.
2. Responsible for developing and maintaining the feature of a sprint.
3. Decide the release date.

2. Scrum Master

1. Resolve the problem which arises.
2. Ensure team productivity.
3. Build winning team.

3. Team

1. People who do work and develop a product.
2. Works collaboratively and share responsibilities.
3. Responsible for designing, implementing and fixing the bug of a product.

Elements of a Scrum Meeting

1. Sprint Planning

1. Product owner presents the top item on the product backlog to the team.
2. Review and clarify user backlog item/stories.
3. Select the work they can complete during coming sprint.

2. Daily Scrum

1. Scrum Master facilitates this meeting.
2. In this meeting, the team set the context for each day work.
3. It’s 15-minute meeting which talks about the roadblock related to a task.

3. Sprint review

1. The team presents a demo of the product in front of a product owner.
2. Product owner takes the final decision as per acceptance criteria.
3. Review meeting brings the team close to the client which help a team to contribute positively to the product development.

4. Sprint retrospective meeting

1. The team conduct Sprint Retrospective meeting.
2. The team discusses how they can work as a team and what they can do to improve.
3. The meeting helps in the improvement of scrum process

5. Product backlog requirement

1. Product owner provides Clarity on each product Backlog item.
2. Priorities the item as per business value
3. Identify and discuss risk on other uncertain items in acceptance criteria.

Scrum Artifacts

1. Product Backlog

The product owner, who maintains product backlog and prioritized the feature as per business need. And during planning a meeting, one feature is picked from the product backlog.

Then team does brainstorming, understand and refine it.

2. Sprint Backlog

Sprint backlog contain a list of a top item from product backlog chosen for development in the current sprint.

The scrum team brainstorms and plan for accomplishing the task.

3. Burndown Chart.

The burndown chart is a graph which helps the product owner to track the team progress.

It is a tracking mechanism by which day to day task are tracked and it also gives information about estimated sprint goals to achieve.

Having read about the technical jargon of scrum, now let’s move to the purpose of scrum planning meeting.

Scrum planning meeting include short every day meeting which ensures that entire team is aware of the impediments like, what stories is done or not done and what tasks are ready to pull from one team member to do list into someone else.

In a scrum, it is important that all team members should participate and briefly describe any obstacle that stands in their hand.

After reading all these 800 words we think that you have a better idea what scrum meeting really is?

Some cool tricks to run scrum planning meeting like a pro

Tip#1 Prepare

“You are unprepared” is one of the main reasons of a long and unproductive meeting.

If you don’t want this to happen, then refine your product backlog requirement before the task because it will help you to explain next sprint task to your team without wasting any time.

Tip#2 Design your task

This happens when the team is new to scrum, they find hard to accomplish their sprint goal. So, design your task for a better result.

Here are two questions; you must ask yourself before designing your task.

1. How will you get started?
2. What will you do next?

Tip#3 Set up your idea balloon

Does your improvement ideas are lost in the waves of sticky-notes and hand drew diagrams?

Try idea balloons! Idea balloons are a way of keeping ideas and agreements visible at all times. Write what you want to do on a balloon.

Here’s how they work:

1. Pick the top three ideas you want to focus on
2. Grab a sharpie and write each idea on a balloon
3. Add helium to you balloon (available at any petrol station)
4. Attach the balloons to your visual work space
5. Pop the balloon when you have the idea!

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