4.4 Communication

  • Grooming sessions to clear out not understandable portions of stories in the Product Backlog. To describe and understand stories and negotiate on Story to Epic relationships and if a Story should be separated or not. Can happen multiple times parallel with the Sprints.

  • Planning sessions for Sprint kick-off. The team makes the commitment: pick and choose user stories for a Sprint and add it to the current Sprint Backlog. All stories chosen here must be fulfilled for the end of the Sprint and delivered in a stand-alone, working software package.

  • Daily stand-up meetings: internal daily meetings of the team members, discussing who have done what, what are the plans for the day. Most important part is to remove impediments: Scrum master has to ensure that the whole team helps individuals to get over all blocker problems effectively.

  • Retrospective meetings: discussion of all roles and team members on what went well and if the team should repeat the processes that are effective. Discussing opportunities and impediment, problem, risk mitigation that brings a chance for improvement. Retrospectives are to cover both soft, emotional feelings and professional topics too.

 

Figure 4.4: Six thinking heads retrospective technique

 

Two possible retrospective techniques that could be used in “general project management” are

  • Six thinking hats technique often used for project planning

    • Each team members “puts up a hat” and is thinking in a role of the above described one in Figure 5.4. This creativity technique helps to experience thoughts, not to get stick at one thought of other team member.

    • Various perspectives will be present, which gives well “problem coverage”.

  • Retrospectives are lead by the Scrum master, creating a pleasant work environment and stimulating all thoughts to be shared by the team members.

  • Review sessions: at the end of each sprint the team members present the functionality of the stories, which they are responsible for to the Customer/Stakeholders and PO.