The Scrum methodology, a popular framework for Agile software development, is effective for remote working teams, but some aspects need to be adapted to fit the needs of workers who are not in close proximity.
This guide will assist you with effectively managing your distributed Scrum team. In addition, we will go over how to properly manage Scrum events so that priorities are clear and any new ideas or issues can be captured immediately.
Scrum events and how to handle them remotely
The importance of holding Scrum events on a frequent basis is that they enable you to rapidly address issues or generate new ideas, adjust your work process to changing conditions, and improve communication and teamwork.
Scrum provides support to engineers by encouraging more conversation and focusing on priorities instead of burdening them with excessive documentation.
We will now analyze the primary Scrum team meetings and how to lead them effectively.
Sprint planning
Sprint planning is a session where the team comes to a consensus on what needs to be accomplished in the next few weeks in order to achieve the sprint goal. The team discusses the upcoming sprint and what needs to be done in order to complete it successfully. They also assess any risks that may impact the sprint goal and come up with a plan to mitigate them.
The team is regularly encouraged to evaluate and recognize the work that would produce the most positive results and then prioritize those opportunities. It helps the team to stay focused on the most important goals and to make the most of their time and resources.
Daily stand-up (Daily Scrum)
Scrum’s daily stand-up helps team members stay focused and improve their self-management skills. The daily stand-up allows us to discuss the progress toward the sprint goal and formulate a plan for tomorrow’s work.
Daily Scrum meetings aim to
- point out blockers;
- talk about difficulties and request help;
- share valuable information.
Sprint review
The sprint review can be divided into two phases:
After you’ve examined the completed work, show it to everyone. For instance, if you’re developing smartphone apps, supply each person at the meeting with a developer phone. These phones must have the latest app version so stakeholders can test out new features.
Evaluate whether the work completed solves the customer’s problem, how the marketplace or potential product use has changed, and what the next steps are.
Sprint Retrospective
Stakeholders need to be included in retrospectives or, at the very minimum, view a summary of what areas the team is trying to improve.
The Scrum Master should cultivate an environment of openness and appreciation. The meeting is not for finger-pointing but rather for coming to conclusions, making improvements, and taking subsequent actions as a team.
The Scrum Masters typically adhere to the five phases of retrospective meetings.
- Set the stage. Give people time to adjust before asking them to participate.
- Gather data. Use a shared repository of information to ensure that individuals are using the correct data.
- Generate insight. By identifying patterns, we can understand the reasons for past events and get a better sense of the big picture.
- Decide what to do. Choose a few key issues to focus on and develop action plans for addressing them.
- Close the Retrospective. Clarify the follow-up and express appreciation.
Backlog Refinement
The purpose of backlog refinement is to ensure that the product owner, development team, and stakeholders are all aligned with one another. Its key goals are as follows:
- Clarify priorities. The team will prioritize and look ahead to one or two Sprints.
- Maintain sprint velocity. Prior to the sprint planning meeting, there should be a backlog of well-defined tasks ready to be assigned. This way, all the necessary thinking, and preparation will already have been completed.
- Conduct efficient meetings. Sprint planning is more efficient and straightforward when backlog items have already been prioritized and assessed.
Final thoughts
Scrum is a popular software development methodology that encourages team collaboration and efficient project management. We have provided a brief overview of general Scrum events below, but you can find more in-depth information on our blog, including additional articles and resources on project management.
