Question 1

Return on Investment (ROI)

Accepted Answer

Return on Investment (ROI) is a ratio of the gains from an investment over the investment.

ROI = Gains / Investment

For Example: Implementing a set of features required an investment of $100K, and after implementing those features, the product generated additional $300K in profitability.

In this case the ROI = ($3,00,000 / $1,00,000) = 3.

Question 2

Scrum Artifacts

Accepted Answer

A Scrum team needs access to shared information in order to effectively perform its activities and Inspect the information.

Scrum Artifacts are designed to maximize transparency of key information. Thus, everyone inspecting them has the same basis for adaptation.

The three Scrum Artifacts represent work or value:

Product Backlog
Sprint Backlog
Increment

Each artifact contains a commitment to ensure it provides information that enhances transparency and focus against which progress can be measured.

Question 3

Scrum Board

Accepted Answer

Visualizing the work of the Scrum Team via a board (either virtual or physical) is a common practice used by Scrum Teams. The purpose of creating such a board is to create transparency of information.

While the Scrum Guide doesn't prescribe any specific practice or a board, it's valuable tool to enhance shared understanding and empiricism.

The Scrum Board may contain the list of everything that's needed in the product (a Product Backlog) and the work of the current sprint (Sprint Backlog).

Question 4

Scrum Events

Accepted Answer

Scrum combines four formal events within a containing event, the Sprint. (That makes total 5 Scrum Events)

Four formal Scrum Events are:

Sprint Planning
Daily Scrum
Sprint Review
Sprint Retrospective

Scrum Events are a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt the Scrum artifacts. Missing any event(s) results in lost opportunities to inspect and adapt.

Events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.

Scrum events are designed to provoke change

Question 5

Scrum Framework

Accepted Answer

Scrum is a light weight framework that helps people generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.

Scrum Framework is built on empiricism and lean thinking.

Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and to control risk.

As a framework, Scrum is not prescriptive, but only offers few elements and the rules associated with these elements.

Further Reading: A short summary of the Scrum Framework

Question 6

Scrum Master

Accepted Answer

The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum. Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.

Scrum Master is not a new name for the traditional (Project) Manager. Rather, the Scrum Master is a true leader who leads through serving.

The Scrum Master Educates, Coaches, Mentors and Facilitates to higher performance and agility.

The Scrum Master serves the Developers, the Product Owner and the Organization.

Also see: Scrum Master as a Coach, Scrum Master as a Leader

Question 7

Scrum of Scrums (SoS)

Accepted Answer

A techinque to coordinate work and dependencies across multiple Scrum teams. A member from each team joins a short daily sync up to discsus dependencies, impediments and opportunities to collaborate among various teams.

See also: Scrum as a Servant-Leader

Question 13

Spike

Accepted Answer

Spike (concept originating from Extreme Programming) may be considered a type of a Product Backlog Item that is usually focused on research, exploration and investivation activity.

The purpose of a spike may be to explore the technical feasibility or create a quick proof of concept to gain better understanding about a particular requirement.

Since a Spike does not directly deliver stakeholder value, and due to unknown nature of the work involved, a spike should be subjected to a time-box.

The knowledge gained during this time-box (effort spent) should be presented at the Sprint Review and based on it the Product Owner may decide whether to puruse this feature / technology further or not. If the Product Owner decides to pursue it further, they may write a fresh Product Backlog Item and add it to the Product Backlog.

Also see: Product Backlog Item, User Story, Product Backlog Refinement

Question 14

Splitting User Stories

Accepted Answer

When a big Product Backlog Item (or a User Story) can not be implemented within one Sprint, it's best to split it in to multiple smaller (thin) slices. Then the team can pick up these smaller items one by one for implementation over number of Sprints.

Smaller Product Backlog Items are easier to implement, require less effort, less investment and allow to get early feedback, reducing risk and maximizing learning.

For Example: A brand new ecommerce portal requires ways to accept online payments. The Accept Online Payments Product Backlog Item is pretty big in itself. It can be splitted (sliced) in few ways as below:

"Accept Online Payments" can be split in to four pieces as below:

1a. "Accept Visa" can be split in to pieces further:

The PBI 1aa. can be further split based on APIs available from Visa.

Also see:

User Story, Product Backlog Item

Question 15

Spotify Engineering Culture

Accepted Answer

How Spotify (a music streaming company) built their engineering culture based on agile values, principles and techniques:

Part I:

Part II:

This video reflects Spotify's journey in progress, not the journey completed. Many teams blindly try to follow Spotify model and miserably fail at it, as the underlying context for every organization / team is different.

Question 16

Sprint

Accepted Answer

Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into highest possible value.

Sprints are fixed length events of one month or less that repeat one after the other and create consistency.

Shorter Sprints are preferred as they generate more learning cycles and limit risk of cost and effort to a smaller time frame.

Question 17

Sprint Backlog

Accepted Answer

The Sprint Backlog is one of the Scrum artifacts that creates transparency of the work of the current Sprint.

It is set of Product Backlog Items selected by the Developers for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal.

Question 18

Sprint Demo

Accepted Answer

Please see: Sprint Review

Question 19

Sprint Goal

Accepted Answer

Sprint Goal is the single (overarching) objective for the Sprint, achieved through the Increment.

Sprint Goal communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders, creates coherence and focus.

Collaboratively defined by the Scrum Team during Sprint Planning.

Although the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers, it provides flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it.

The progress toward the Sprint Goal is inspected on daily basis during the Daily Scrum.

If the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, the Sprint could be cancelled.

Question 20

Sprint Goal Success Rate

Accepted Answer

The Sprint Goal Success Rate is the percentage of sprints in which the team successfully achieves all the goals they set at the beginning of each sprint. It is a measure of the team's ability to stay focused and complete the planned work during the sprint.

A high success rate indicates that the team consistently meets its goals, while a lower rate indicates they need to analyze their performance and adapt their Sprint Planning and Execution.

However, too much focus on achieving Sprint Goal, may result in team under committing during Sprint Planning and also not being flexible when the customer needs change.

Question 21

Sprint Planning

Accepted Answer

Sprint Planning is one of the prescribed Events within the Scrum framework. Conducted at the beginning of every Sprint where the work to be performed for the Sprint is planned.

Sprint Planning addresses the Why, What, and How of the sprint work.

Question 22

Sprint Retrospective

Accepted Answer

The Sprint Retrospective is one of the prescribed Scrum Event - an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.

The Team may inspect their processes, communication and interactions among people, and tools used to identify opportunities to simplify processes, automate steps, reduce any waste, reduce hand-offs etc.

The result of the Sprint Retrospective is improved effectiveness of the Scrum Team and better quality product/solutions.

The end of the retrospective marks the end of the Sprint.

Question 23

Sprint Retrospective Action Item Completion

Accepted Answer

The Sprint Retrospective Action Item Completion measures how well the team follows through on the action items they identified and committed to during the sprint retrospective. It helps the team assess their responsiveness to improvement opportunities and their ability to make meaningful changes.

A higher completion rate indicates the team's dedication to continuous improvement.

Measuring this metric can be beneficial for new Scrum Teams; however, as they take ownership of continuous improvement and act on Retrospective Action Items, its significance decreases.

Question 24

Sprint Review

Accepted Answer

Sprint Review is the opportunity to inspect the increment (outcome of the sprint) and adapt the product backlog. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed. Participants collaborate on what to do next.

The Sprint Review is the second to last event of the Sprint.

Question 25

Sprint Review Attendee Satisfaction

Accepted Answer

Sprint Review Attendee Satisfaction is a measure of how satisfied the stakeholders, and customers, are with the outcomes and demonstrations presented during the Sprint Review. It helps the team gauge whether their work aligns with the stakeholders' expectations and if improvements are needed.

Like a movie rating, it's not possible to get 10/10 rating from everyone. It's important to observe a pattern, rather than individual rating and make adaptations as needed.

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