Practical Guide to Distributed Scrum, A

Succeed with Scrum in Even the Largest, Most Complex Distributed Development Projects

Forewords by Ken Schwaber, Scott Ambler, Roman Pichler, and Matthew Wang

This is the first comprehensive, practical guide for Scrum practitioners working in large-scale distributed environments. Written by three of IBM's leading Scrum practitioners--in close collaboration with the IBM QSE Scrum Community of more than 1000 members worldwide--this book offers specific, actionable guidance for everyone who wants to succeed with Scrum in the enterprise.

Readers will follow a journey through the lifecycle of a distributed Scrum project, from envisioning products and setting up teams to preparing for Sprint planning and running retrospectives. Each chapter presents a baseline drawn from "conventional" Scrum, then discusses additional issues faced by distributed teams, and presents specific best-practice solutions, alternatives, and tips the authors have identified through hard, empirical experience.

Using real-world examples, the book demonstrates how to apply key Scrum practices, such as look-ahead planning in geographically distributed environments. Readers will also gain valuable new insights into the agile management of complex problem and technical domains.

Coverage includes
. Developing user stories and working with Product Owners as a distributed team
. Recognizing and fixing the flaws Scrum may reveal in existing processes
. Engaging in more efficient Release and Sprint planning
. Conducting intense, brief daily Scrum meetings in distributed environments
. Managing cultural and language differences
. Resolving dependencies, performing frequent integration, and maintaining transparency in geographically distributed environments
. Successfully running remote software reviews and demos
. Brainstorming what worked and what didn't, to improve future Sprints

This book will be an indispensable resource for every team leader, member, product owner, or manager working with Scrum or other agile methods in any distributed software development organization.

List of contents

Foreword by Ken Schwaber     xvii
Foreword by Scott Ambler     xix
Foreword by Roman Pichler     xxiii
Foreword by Matthew Wang     xxv
Preface     xxvii
 
Chapter 1  The Evolution of Scrum     1
Core Principles of Scrum     2
    An Agile Project Management Framework     2
    Scrum Roles     2
    Scrum Artifacts     3
    The Sprint     4
The Shift to Distributed Development Teams    5
    Globally Distributed Teams to Reduce Costs     6
    Reaching Market More Quickly with the “Follow the Sun” Model     6
    Distributed Teams Expand Access to New Markets     6
    Acquisitions     7
    Expanding for Innovation and Thought Leadership    7
    Telecommuting     7
    Improvements in Distributed Collaboration Tools     7
Types of Distributed Teams That Have Emerged     8
    Collocated     8
    Collocated Part-Time     9
    Distributed with Overlapping Work Hours     10
    Distributed with No Overlapping Work Hours     11
Ways of Handling Distributed Teams     12
    Isolated Scrums     12
    Distributed Scrum of Scrums     12
    Totally Integrated Scrums     13
IBM's Experience in Distributed Scrum     14
History of Agile in IBM     15
Summary     17
 
Chapter 2  Challenges Faced by Distributed Teams     19
Communicating with Distributed Team Members     20
Time Zones and Working Hours     20
Cultural Differences     21
Language Differences     23
    Keeping Language Simple     23
    Giving Everyone a Chance to Speak     24
    Using Group Chat During Meetings     24
    Providing a Translator     25
    Confirming What Team Members Understand     25
Tools     26
File Sharing     26
Software Engineering Practices     27
Schedule Differences     27
Team Dynamics     28
Telephone Dynamics     29
    Providing Access to the Call     29
    Working with Telephones in a Meeting Room     30
    Identifying the Speaker     31
    Handling Visual Cues     31
    Encouraging Participation     32
    Limiting Side Conversations     33
    Muting the Lines     33
    Checking for Agreement and Disagreement     34
    Identifying an Advocate to Represent Remote Team Members     34
    When Nothing Else Works, Everyone Dials In     34
Reminders     34
Impact of Communication Problems     35
How Does Scrum Help?     36
Summary     37
 
Chapter 3  Starting a Scrum Project     39
How to Identify the Problems Your Product Will Solve     40
    Who Are Your Stakeholders?     40
    What Problems Will the Project Address?     42
    What Are Your Solutions to the Problems?     46
    What Is the Return on Investment?     47
Define the Vision     49
Create the Product Roadmap     50
Organize the Scrum Teams     50
Create and Prioritize the Backlog      51
    Estimating the Stories as a Team     52
    Prioritizing the Backlog     52
    Single Backlog for Multiple Scrum Teams     53
    Single Backlog with Sections for Multiple Teams     53
    Separate Backlogs for Multiple Scrum Teams     54
    Single Backlog Populated by Multiple Other Teams     56
Create the Release Plan     56
    What Is the Sprint Length?     58
    What Is the Estimated Team Velocity?     59
    What Are the Dependencies?     61
    What Are the Risks?     63
Coordinate Multiple Product Owners     63
Use Agile Project Management Tools     64
Invest in Smarter Development     65
Coordinating Agile and Non-Agile Teams     66
Reporting on Release Status     66
Ongoing Updates to Release Plan and Vision     66
Important Note about Meeting Face-to-Face     66
Summary     67
 
Chapter 4  Preparing for Sprint Planning     69
Sprint Preplanning Activities     70
    Clarification of the User Stories     71
    Breaking Down User Stories     72
    Estimating User Stories     72
    Dealing with Dependencies     75
    Cleanup of the Product Backlog     78
Approaches for the Sprint Preplanning Meeting     78
    The Full-Team Approach     80
    The Preplanning Team Approach     81
    The Balanced Team Approach     82
    Considerations for Distributed Teams     82
Summary     83
 
Chapter 5  Sprint Planning     85
Adequately Preparing for the Sprint Planning Meeting     87
Sprint Planning Meeting Logistics     87
    Sprint Planning Meeting Logistics for Scaled Teams     87
    Sprint Planning Meeting Logistics for Distributed Teams     88
The First Half of Sprint Planning: Deciding What to Do     88
    Reviewing Product Vision and Sprint Goal     89
    Reviewing the Product Backlog     89
    Engaging Stakeholders     91
The Second Half of Sprint Planning: Deciding How to Get the Work Done     91
    Creating the Sprint Backlog     92
    Gaining Commitment     94
    Updating the Release Plan     94
Summary     94
 
Chapter 6  Distributed Daily Scrum Meetings     97
Using the Three Questions Effectively     98
    Answering the Three Questions     99
    Coordinating the Team on a Daily Basis     99
    Committing to the Team     100
    Verifying Progress     100
    Resolving Blockers     101
Daily Scrum Logistics     102
Ways of Communicating During the Daily Scrum     102
    Face-to-Face Meeting     102
    Teleconference Meeting     103
    Videoconference Meeting     104
    Group Instant Messaging Approach     105
Approaches to Handling Time Zone Issues     106
    Daily Scrums Through Documentation     107
    The Liaison Approach     108
    Alternating Meeting Times     110
    Sharing the Pain     112
Tips for Distributed Daily Scrums     114
    Removing Side Conversations     114
    Keeping the Team Engaged     114
    Facilitating the Meeting     115
    Taking Daily Scrum Notes     116
    Dealing with Language Barriers     117
Tools to Help with Distributed Daily Scrum     117
Scrum of Scrums     118
Summary     118
 
Chapter 7  Effective Collaboration During a Sprint     121
Communicating During the Sprint     122
    Documentation to Overcome Distance     123
    Using the Right Tools     123
    Valuing the Whole Team     124
    Transparency     124
Handling New Requests in the Middle of a Sprint     125
    Single Point of Entry     125
    Value of the Well-Groomed Backlog     126
    Shortening the Sprint     127
    Dealing with Defects     127
    Disruptions at the Team Member Level     128
Handling Stories the Team Cannot Complete During the Sprint     128
Handling Blockers During the Sprint     129
Responding to Questions During the Sprint     130
Sustainable Pace     131
    Sharing Time Zone Challenges     132
    Avoiding Double Workdays     132
Continuous Integration     133
    Reports Any Build Failures to the Team     133
    Reduces the Risk of Integrating Code     133
    Establishes Greater Confidence in the Product     135
    Reduces the Time to Find Integration Issues     135
    Improves the Efficiency of the Team     136
    Builds Can Run at Different Frequencies     136
Test Automation     137
    Dedicated Automation Teams     137
    Identify High-Value Automated Tests     138
    Automate What Is Stable     138
    Automated Tests Can Run at Any Time     139
    Automation Helps Improve Software Quality     139
Test-Driven Development     139
    Provides Documentation and Working Examples of Code     140
    Helps Reduce the Time to Fix Defects     140
    Helps Improve Code Quality and Provides a Safety Net for Changes     141
    Helps Team Members Work Together and Collaborate     141
    Helps Teams Move Away from Big Upfront Designs     142
    Unit Tests and Continuous Integration     142
Handling Infrastructure Projects     143
Summary     144
 
Chapter 8  End of Sprint Reviews     147
Who Participates in the Reviews     148
    Enterprise Stakeholders     148
    Who Should Present     149
Preparing Stakeholders     150
Reviewing the Strategic Vision of the Product     151
Approaches to Help Focus the Review     151
    Using Themes and a Script     152
    Having the Product Owner Introduce Each Presentation     152
Scheduling for Teams with Overlapping Work Hours     153
Scheduling for Teams with No Overlapping Work Hours     154
    Alternating Meeting Times     154
    Multiple Sprint Review Meetings     155
    Sharing the Pain     156
    Feeling the Pain     156
    Recording the Entire Sprint Review Meeting     157
Challenges Teams Face     157
    Not Keeping Track of the Stakeholder Comments     157
    Demos May Provide a False Sense of Completion     158
    The Team Has Nothing to Present     158
Added Challenges of Distributed Teams     159
    Neglecting to Demo the Work of Part of the Team     159
    Coordinate with Teams on Different Sprint Lengths     160
Remote Demonstrations      160
    Network Delays and Poor Performance     160
    Services May Vary by Location     161
    Demos Outside of Office Hours     161
Summary     162
 
Chapter 9  Retrospectives     163
Sprint Retrospectives     163
What Should Come Out of a Retrospective?     165
Retrospective Timing     166
    Hold Joint Retrospective as Needed     166
    Hold Regular Joint Retrospectives     166
    Joint Retrospectives for Teams on Different Sprint Lengths     167
    Retrospectives for Teams in the Same Product Family     167
    Conducting Retrospectives After Reviews     167
    Larger Retrospectives     168
Building Trust     168
    Effects of Distance     169
Preparing for the Retrospective     169
    Setting Expectations     169
    Understanding the Team Members' Personalities     170
    Respecting Cultural Differences     171
    Offering Anonymity     171
Asking for Comments Before the Retrospective Meeting     171
    What Went Well and What Can We Improve?     171
    Providing Questions to Focus the Discussion     172
    Consolidating Comments Is Extra Work     172
Conducting the Retrospective     173
    Discussing Reported Issues     173
    Giving Everyone a Chance to Engage     174
    Using Common Terminology     175
    State the Obvious     175
    Keep the Conversation on Track     175
    Managing Time Effectively     175
    Release Retrospectives     176
Summary     177
 
Chapter 10  Closing Thoughts     179
 
Index     181
 

About the author

Elizabeth Woodward is a Senior Software Consultant with IBM Quality Software Engineering under the Corporate Headquarters Office of Innovation and Technology. She has served as the project manager or development leader on more than 100 globally distributed projects for IBM and other development companies. Elizabeth coaches distributed software development teams to improve efficiency and effectiveness of their development practices. She has co-chaired the IBM Academy of Technology Conference on Agile Methods, teaches courses on Disciplined Agile Development, and co-leads the IBM Agile Community.
 
Steffan Surdek is a User Experience Lead and Agile Champion in IBM. He has worked in the software development industry for over fifteen years as a software developer, architect, project manager, and team leader. Steffan has managed and coordinated large-scale projects with teams distributed in as many as five countries--India, Egypt, Israel, China, and Canada. He coaches distributed agile teams, is a co-leader of the IBM Agile Community, and teaches Disciplined Agile Development workshops. He is an active member of the Montreal Agile Community and has written on agile methods and globally distributed development for developerWorks and Dr. Dobbs Journal. In his spare time, he does some writing on his website at www.surdek.ca.
 
Matthew Ganis is an IBM Senior Technical Staff Member and ibm.com site architect. Matt was was co-founder of the Agile@IBM Community and was an early adopter of agile within IBM. He currently teaches Disciplined Agile Development and has published numerous articles and papers on the use of agile methods within ibm.com--both within its traditional web development and the development/support of their Second Life Island. Matt has been the co-chair and chair of the Academy of Technology's Agile Conferences for the past two years and is a Certified Scrum- Master and Practitioner. Outside of IBM, Matt serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Agile and Extreme Software Development and is a steering committee member of New York City's Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN) chapter.
 

Summary

Succeed with Scrum in Even the Largest, Most Complex Distributed Development Projects
 
Forewords by Ken Schwaber, Scott Ambler, Roman Pichler, and Matthew Wang
 
This is the first comprehensive, practical guide for Scrum practitioners working in large-scale distributed environments. Written by three of IBM's leading Scrum practitioners--in close collaboration with the IBM QSE Scrum Community of more than 1000 members worldwide--this book offers specific, actionable guidance for everyone who wants to succeed with Scrum in the enterprise.
 
Readers will follow a journey through the lifecycle of a distributed Scrum project, from envisioning products and setting up teams to preparing for Sprint planning and running retrospectives. Each chapter presents a baseline drawn from “conventional” Scrum, then discusses additional issues faced by distributed teams, and presents specific best-practice solutions, alternatives, and tips the authors have identified through hard, empirical experience.
 
Using real-world examples, the book demonstrates how to apply key Scrum practices, such as look-ahead planning in geographically distributed environments. Readers will also gain valuable new insights into the agile management of complex problem and technical domains.
 
Coverage includes
•  Developing user stories and working with Product Owners as a distributed team
•  Recognizing and fixing the flaws Scrum may reveal in existing processes
•  Engaging in more efficient Release and Sprint planning
•  Conducting intense, brief daily Scrum meetings in distributed environments
•  Managing cultural and language differences
•  Resolving dependencies, performing frequent integration, and maintaining transparency in geographically distributed environments
•  Successfully running remote software reviews and demos
•  Brainstorming what worked and what didn't, to improve future Sprints
 
This book will be an indispensable resource for every team leader, member, product owner, or manager working with Scrum or other agile methods in any distributed software development organization.
 

Product details

• Authors: Ganis, Matthew Ganis, Surde, Surdek, Steffan Surdek, Woodwar, Woodward, Elizabeth Woodward
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2016
• EAN: 9780137041138
• ISBN: 978-0-13-704113-8
• No. of pages: 240
• Weight: 380 g
• Series: IBM Press; Pearson; Pearson
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Programming languages