This webinar highlights different styles of useful daily scrum patterns.
Should your Daily Scrum be done round robin, random order, or should you “Walk the Items” instead? Should you run your Daily Scrum quite differently if your team is remote or distributed? What are some good techniques for distributed Daily Scrums These are all challenging questions, and Scrum Patterns help us decide what to do when there are no straightforward, easy answers, for how to implement Scrum.
Original copy at https://www.synerzip.com/webinar/webinar-effective-daily-scrum-patterns-march-2013/
2. • Professional Scrum Trainer, Scrum.org
• I teach:
• Professional Scrum Foundations (2 days)
• Professional Scrum Master (2 days)
• Coming Soon! Professional Scrum Developer - Java (3 days)
• Started Scrum in 2008, Scrum Development Team Member(Java) &
Scrum Master Scrum Coach
• Trained and Coached numerous teams on Scrum
• Short term and long term engagements
• B.S., Computer Science
Charles Bradley
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3. Overview
• Setting the Stage: Daily Scrum Patterns
• Talk Order Patterns
• Q & A
• Obstacle Resolution Patterns
• Facilitation Patterns
• Q & A
• Who Participates? Patterns
• Who Attends? Patterns
• Sprint Backlog at The Daily Scrum Patterns
• Q & A
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6. Warning:
The Scrum Patterns Prime Directive
• Patterns are not a concrete methodology, and using only
documented patterns is a sure fire way to destroy
creativity and innovation. So… use the patterns with care,
and don’t forget to be creative. Mix and match, combine,
tweak, create a new pattern, or don’t ever hesitate to
use your own technique that doesn’t resemble an
already existing pattern.
• The Patterns are simply meant to be ideas to consider
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7. Scrum Guide
Requirements of Daily Scrum
• Purpose: Inspect, forecast, and adapt the plan for the next 24
hrs
• Rules:
• 15 minute time-box
• Same time/place each day
• Each team member explains Yesterday/Today/Obstacles
• Only Dev Team members participate
• SM enforces this
• Not a status meeting
• No Scrum Guide Guidance On:
• Who can attend
• Obstacle Resolution
• Standup vs. Sit Down
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8. Pattern Categories – Daily Scrum
• Talk Order Patterns(3)
• Obstacle Resolution Patterns(5)
• Facilitation Patterns(5)
• Who Participates? Patterns(2)
• Who Attends? Patterns(4)
• Sprint Backlog at The Daily Scrum Patterns(2)
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10. Round Robin
• One person starts, talk order proceeds in some spatial
pattern (clockwise, counter-clockwise, left to right, etc)
• Teams often stand in a circle or semi-circle
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11. Round Robin - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• New Scrum teams
• Experienced Scrum teams
• Works well broadly
• Possibly Bad For:
• Bored Teams. Change it up!
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12. Talking Stick
• The person speaking in a Daily Scrum holds a “talking
stick” or token of some sort.
• Helps Focus Team
• Smooth Speaker Transitions
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13. Talking Stick - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• Bored Teams. Change it up!
• Teams that have trouble focusing
• Possible Strategy: For Distributed Teams: “Toss the
microphone”
• Forces people to pay attention
• Possible Strategy: For Co-located Teams: “Random Order,
Toss the Token”
• Possibly Bad For:
• Bored Teams. Change it up!
• Teams annoyed by the kitchyness.
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14. Controversial Pattern:
Walk the Items
• Rather than going person by person, the meeting is
facilitated to go PBI by PBI
• Someone indicates which PBI is being discussed
• Each person that worked on it yesterday or plans to work on
it today talks about Yesterday/ Today/ Obstacles for only the
currently discussed PBI.
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15. Controversial Pattern:
Walk the Items - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• Non closing teams
• Highly co-located and Highly communicative teams
• Possibly Bad For:
• Teams that share improvement info at the DS
• Teams where this approach <Turns into a Waterfall Status
Meeting>
• Team members who remember better chronologically
(yesterday, today, etc)
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17. Defer Obstacle Resolution
• Don’t attempt to solve obstacles and impediments in the
Daily Scrum.
• Possible Strategy: Hand sign or other signal to indicate
someone’s preference for deferring a particular obstacle’s
resolution
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18. Defer Obstacle Resolution -
Context
• Possibly Good For
• Teams that have trouble keeping the DS time-box
• Teams that prefer short Daily Scrums
• Possibly Bad For
• Teams that are smaller, or can quickly discuss their obstacles
and impediments within the 15 minute time-box.
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19. Allow Obstacle Resolution
• Allow some obstacle resolution in Daily Scrum
• Can include discussion
• Must be able to consistently conform to the 15 minute
time-box
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20. Allow Obstacle Resolution -
Context
• Possibly Good For
• Teams that are smaller, or can quickly discuss their obstacles
and impediments within the 15 minute time-box.
• Possibly Bad For
• Teams that are time-box busters
• Teams that want short Daily Scrums
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21. Anti-Pattern: Save All Obstacles
For The Daily Scrum
• Team defers discussing and resolving nearly all obstacles
until the Daily Scrum
• Common anti-pattern with new Scrum teams
• Increases obstacle delays
• Instead, report and/or resolve all possible obstacles as
soon as they are identified.
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22. Anti-Pattern: Save All Obstacles
For The Daily Scrum - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Obstacles that appear shortly before the Daily Scrum.
• Possibly Bad For
• Just about any situation that does not meet the “Possibly
Good For” context above. Attempt to report/resolve all
possible obstacles as soon as they are identified.
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23. The After Party
• The Dev Team meets just after the Daily Scrum to handle
things that are inappropriate for the Daily Scrum.
• Non Dev Team members can also attend
• Can be a sit down.
• Beware the <Save All Obstacles For The Daily Scrum>
anti-pattern.
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24. The After Party – Part 2
• Possible Strategy: Largest audience to smallest.
• Possible Strategy: Vote with your feet.
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25. The After Party - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• Discussions with those not on the Development team
• Obstacle resolution if you’re following the <Defer Obstacle
Resolution> pattern.
• Discussions where only a small subset is needed
• Possibly Bad For
• Any team that might succumb to the <After Party Defeats
the Daily Scrum> pattern.
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27. Anti-Pattern: After Party Defeats
the Daily Scrum
• One or more non Scrum Team members “takes over”
<The After Party> and harms the self organization of the
Scrum Team.
• Related: See <Authority Figure Attends> anti-pattern.
• Often renders Daily Scrum moot
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28. Anti-Pattern: After Party Defeats
the Daily Scrum
• Possibly Good For:
• No known context where this pattern is good for a Scrum
implementation.
• Possibly Bad For
• Pretty much all teams
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31. Standup Meeting - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Teams that are time-box busters
• Good, quick communication
• Possibly Bad For
• Distributed teams that attend the DS via audio or video
conferencing at their desks or at home.
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32. Sit Down Meeting
• Participants in the Daily Scrum sit down for the meeting
• There is no Scrum Guide requirement that the Daily
Scrum be a standup meeting
• Should be used with caution
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33. Sit Down Meeting - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Distributed teams that attend the DS via audio or video
conferencing at their desks or at home.
• Possibly Bad For
• Teams that are Time-Box Busters
• Low Energy Situations – Stand Up!
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34. Close Facilitator
• A facilitator (often the Scrum Master) facilitates the
meeting very closely
• Might give hints to team members to mention something
• Might coach members closely on what to do, say, or that they
need to let the next person talk
• Might simply just ask insightful questions to the team or its
members to “expose the system to itself”
• Subtle difference between <Close Facilitator> and
<Controlling Facilitator> anti-pattern
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35. Close Facilitator - Context
• Possibly Good For
• New Scrum Teams
• Distributed Scrum Teams to keep it moving
• See <Talking Stick> pattern (“Toss the Microphone Strategy”) as an
alternative.
• Possibly Bad For
• Most Scrum Teams, so long as they have good Daily
Scrums, and no longer need the close facilitation and
teaching.
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36. Anti-Pattern: Controlling
Facilitator
• A facilitator controls the meeting very tightly
• Might call out the name of each person before
they talk
• Might quiz the person several levels deep to go
further on “what is holding them up”
• Controlling Facilitator can be a Scrum Team
member OR a Non Scrum Team member.
• Consider <Close Facilitator> pattern instead
• Often happens when <Authority Figure
Attends>
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37. Anti-Pattern:
Controlling Facilitator - Context
• Possibly Good For
• No contexts are currently documented for when this anti-
pattern might be possibly good for a Scrum implementation.
• Possibly Bad For
• This is an anti-pattern for any Scrum team because it harms self-
organization.
• See Also:
• Anti-Pattern: <Turns into a Waterfall Status Meeting>
• Anti-Pattern: <Authority Figure Attends>
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38. Anti-Pattern: Turns into a
Waterfall Status Meeting
• Focus on time (% complete, actual hours, etc) instead of
inspecting and adapting the plan.
• PO or Non Scrum Team member facilitates
• A <Controlling Facilitator> is present,
• Polling each person for their status, and/or
• Interrogating people about obstacles or things that take
longer than expected
• Constantly reminding team members about deadlines
• People dread going to the meeting
• People appear to be “reporting” to a particular person,
rather than fellow Dev Team members
• See <Authority Figure Attends> anti-pattern.
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39. Anti-Pattern: Turns into a Waterfall
Status Meeting - Context
• Possibly Good For
• No contexts are currently documented for when this anti-
pattern might be possibly good for a Scrum implementation.
• Possibly Bad For
• This is an anti-pattern for any Scrum team because it harms self-
organization, and the ability of the team to inspect and adapt.
• See Also:
• Anti-Pattern: <Controlling Facilitator>
• Anti-Pattern: <Authority Figure Attends>
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43. Controversial Pattern: Product
Owner Participates - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Teams that have a good working relationship with their PO
• Possibly Bad For
• Teams where the PO might harm Dev Team self organization
or exhibit one of the following anti-patterns:
• Anti-Pattern: <Authority Figure Attends>
• Anti-Pattern: <Controlling Facilitator>
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44. Anti-Pattern: Non Scrum Team
Member Participates
• A person who is not on the Scrum Team participates by
speaking or doing the “yesterday/ today/ obstacles”
• This is a direct violation of the Scrum Guide which says
that only the Dev Team participates.
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45. Anti-Pattern: Non Scrum Team
Member Participates - Context
• Possibly Good For
• No contexts are currently documented for when this anti-
pattern might be possibly good for a Scrum implementation.
• Possibly Bad For
• Any Scrum Team. This violates a very specific Scrum rule,
and harms self-organization, transparency, and the purpose
of the Daily Scrum itself.
• Outsiders can participate in the <The After Party>
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47. Only Dev Team Attends
• Only the Dev Team attends the Daily Scrum
• Caveat: The Dev Team should make sure that they are still
serving/communicating with the Scrum Master, Product
Owner, and wider organization well, through any other
needed communication mechanisms besides the Daily
Scrum.
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48. Only Dev Team Attends - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• Experienced Scrum Teams
• Possibly Bad For:
• New Scrum Teams
• Need Scrum Master as Shield
• See <Authority Figure Attends> anti-pattern
• Teams where a Scrum Master’s extended absence has
allowed slow degradation of the quality of the Daily Scrum
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50. Scrum Master Attends - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• New Scrum Teams
• Need Scrum Master as shield
• See <Authority Figure Attends> anti-pattern
• Teams That Need a Refresher on Effective Daily Scrums
• Possibly Bad For:
• Scrum Master who exhibits <Authorify Figure Attends> anti-
pattern
• Teams that grow dependent on the Scrum Master
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52. Product Owner Attends - Context
• Possibly Good For:
• Dev Teams who often need to speak to the Product Owner at
<The After Party>
• Product Owners who are “team players”
• Possibly Bad For:
• Scrum Teams that forget that the Product Owner should be
highly available throughout the sprint, not just at the Daily
Scrum.
• Product Owners who exhibit the <Authority Figure
Attends> or <Controlling Facilitator> anti-pattern.
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54. Anti-Pattern: Authority Figure
Attends
• Possibly Good For:
• Rare visits so the authority figure learns about Scrum.
• Teams who have an authority figure on the Scrum Team.
• SM should coach that member to not act as their authority role in the
Daily Scrum
• Possibly Bad For:
• Pretty much any situation not described in the “Possibly
Good For” section
• Authority figures who don’t realize the effect they have on the
team – somewhat akin to the “lab coat effect”
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56. View Sprint Backlog at Daily
Scrum
• The Sprint Backlog is viewed or displayed at the Daily
Scrum.
• Examples:
• Physical Scrum board(Most popular by far)
• Photograph of the Physical Scrum board
• Webcam pointed at the Physical Scrum board
• ALM tool screen
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58. View Sprint Backlog at Daily
Scrum - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Pretty much any Scrum Team, so long as they are not
exhibiting some other anti-pattern (<Authority Figure
Attends> , <Controlling Facilitator>, <Turns into a
Waterfall Status Meeting>, etc)
• Possibly Bad For
• No contexts are currently documented for when this pattern
might be possibly bad for a Scrum implementation.
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59. Controversial Pattern: Update Sprint
Backlog During Daily Scrum
• The Scrum team updates the Sprint Backlog and/or
Burndown during the Daily Scrum
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60. Controversial Pattern: Update Sprint
Backlog During Daily Scrum - Context
• Possibly Good For
• Very advanced/experienced Scrum Teams who will not let
the updating get in the way of the purpose of the Daily
Scrum.
• Possibly Bad For
• New Scrum Teams
• Teams where the “updating” will distract and take time away
• Teams where the updater is influenced by attendees.
• See <Authority Figure Attends> anti-pattern
• Transparency – Sprint Backlog could be 24hrs out of date
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62. Create Your Own Pattern!
• <Your Pattern Description Here>
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63. Create Your Own Pattern! -
Context
• Possibly Good For:
• <Possibly Good For these situations…>
• Possibly Bad For:
• <Possibly Bad For these situations…>
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64. Warning:
The Scrum Patterns Prime Directive
• Patterns are not a concrete methodology, and using only
documented patterns is a sure fire way to destroy
creativity and innovation. So… use the patterns with care,
and don’t forget to be creative. Mix and match, combine,
tweak, create a new pattern, or don’t ever hesitate to
use your own technique that doesn’t resemble an
already existing pattern.
• The Patterns are simply meant to be ideas to consider
www.synerzip.com
65. Wrapup
• Consider the Patterns as Ideas
• Not an official part of Scrum in any way
• Pay Attention to the Applicable Context
• You can find a pdf summarizing the patterns here:
• http://www.ScrumCrazy.com/DSPatterns
• Be published! Contribute your own patterns! See the link
above for details on how to submit your own Scrum
Patterns.
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67. Synerzip in a Nut-shell
1. Software product development partner for small/mid-sized technology
companies
• Exclusive focus on small/mid-sized technology companies, typically
venture-backed companies in growth phase
• By definition, all Synerzip work is the IP of its respective clients
• Deep experience in full SDLC – design, dev, QA/testing, deployment
2. Dedicated team of high caliber software professionals for each client
• Seamlessly extends client’s local team, offering full transparency
• Stable teams with very low turn-over
• NOT just “staff augmentation”, but provide full mgmt support
3. Actually reduces risk of development/delivery
• Experienced team - uses appropriate level of engineering discipline
• Practices Agile development – responsive, yet disciplined
4. Reduces cost – dual-shore team, 50% cost advantage
5. Offers long term flexibility – allows (facilitates) taking offshore team captive
– aka “BOT” option
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