Learning Scrum

Certified ScrumMaster Training is Over!!

JoeDogs — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:53:25 +0000

So I’m now I’ve finished CSM training and boy , what a couple of days. I really think that anyone who is involved in the Scrum life needs to take this course. I’m not sure if this course is the same everywhere, but the class I took this week with Jean Tabaka at Rally Software in Boulder Colorado was absolutely fantastic. It all started on Wednesday (more…)

Certified ScrumMaster Training

JoeDogs — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:43:42 +0000

So here I sit in an airport, waiting to go to my official Certified ScrumMaster Course in Boulder Colorado. I’m actually very excited to be going to this as I’ve been waiting for this course, with this instructor (Jean Tabaka) for a long time. Finding a course that was going to match well with our work schedule was tough, but luckily I found one. As I sit here at the airport, random thoughts pop in my head. (more…)

Scrum Item: Product Backlog

JoeDogs — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:59:14 +0000

So you got your team together, you’re ready to rock and roll. Now the question comes, what do you do? What’s the most important part of your to-do list? That is where the Product Backlog comes into play. The Product Backlog is a prioritized list of project requirements with estimated times of completion. Estimates can be done in days or hours but the more specific they are, the better it is for estimation purposes. The higher an item is on the backlog, the more important it is. This list is never static. It is always being added to, changed, etc as the conditions of the business or project change. Your backlog is created by your product owner, and then as your backlog develops you can then develop what your iterations will look like. In easyspeak, this is your list of what you have to do, and the list you and your team have to work off of when deciding what you’re going to do and when.

A Scrum Review from Juice Games

JoeDogs — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:39:32 +0000

In searching the net for articles on Scrum, I found a really nice article where Juice Games’ Paul Keast explains why scrum is a great way to empower new entrants to the games industry. This may not mean a whole lot to most people but in a world where World of Warcraft is taking over more and more people’s lives, this gives a glimpse on how the game companies are now using scrum to their advantage. From what I read in the interview (more…)

Scrum Roles: The Scrum Team

JoeDogs — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:46:05 +0000

Teams that work within the Scrum framework do not have traditional roles. There are no set programmers, designers, QA, etc. Everyone who is on the team, works as one to complete the items they have agreed to complete during a set time period (sprint). For the most part, scrum teams have a true “team” feeling because they are all working towards a common goal. (more…)

Scrum Event: The Daily Scrum

JoeDogs — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:26:17 +0000

A standup meeting of the Sprint team where status is exchanged, progress is observed, and impediments are noted and removed. The meeting is usually held at the same time and place every working day. All team members are expected to attend, but the meetings are not postponed if some of the team members are not present. One of the crucial features is that (more…)

Scrum Roles: Product Owner

JoeDogs — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:08:59 +0000

The Product Owner represents the voice of the customer. They ensure that the Scrum Team works with the right things from a business perspective. In trying to come up with a perfect definition of the Product Owner, I went on and looked for certain areas that might help with it…

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Scrum Roles: Scrum Master

JoeDogs — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:25:14 +0000

A ScrumMaster is a member of a Scrum team, and is responsible for guiding the team in following the values and practices of Scrum. The ScrumMaster also facilitate the team meetings and is responsible for identifying and (hopefully) removing obstacles that block or hamper the team from being able to do their work.
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Scrum Roles: Pigs and Chickens

JoeDogs — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:24:01 +0000

Several roles are defined in Scrum; these are divided into two groups; pigs and chickens, based on a joke about a pig and a chicken.

A pig and a chicken are walking down a road. The chicken looks at the pig and says, “Hey, why don’t we open a restaurant?” The pig looks back at the chicken and says, “Good idea, what do you want to call it?” The chicken thinks about it and says, “Why don’t we call it ‘Ham and Eggs’?” “I don’t think so,” says the pig, “I’d be committed but you’d only be involved.”

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A List of Must Have Books for the Scrum n00b

JoeDogs — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:58:00 +0000

No matter what you do in today’s life, you are always going to be a n00b at something. When I say the word n00b, I mean in the best possible way. Hell, I’m still a n00b @ learning scrum, and I try to learn more every day. The day I considered myself “advanced” is going to be the day that I no longer have the urge to learn, and that is when I’ll fail. To be truly “advanced” means you have to start with the basics, you need to take baby steps, and you need to throw yourself into the pit and learn what works, what doesn’t work, and most of all the rules you’ll need to follow.

So allow me to present my list of the books that are “must haves” for the newly minted scrum enthusiast.

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