Question 1

Definition of Ready

Accepted Answer

The Definition of Ready isn't a practice defined in the Scrum Guide. However, some teams have created a checklist while refining the PBIs, to ensure that the PBIs entering the Sprint Planning are well refined, clear and free from dependencies.

Caution must be excercised to avoid the definition of ready from becoming an extensive list that eventually hinders the emergence of right details later.

The Scrum Guide hints about readiness of PBIs, however doesn't prescribe any such DOR criteria:

Question 2

Stakeholders

Accepted Answer

Anyone with a stake / interest in the Scrum Team and it's outcomes could be a stakeholder to the Scrum Team. Stakeholders could be internal as well as external to the organization.

Internal stakeholders may be people from various functions / departments of the organization such as: finance, sales-marketing, infrastructure, customer support, release management, etc.

External stakeholders may include clients, paying customers, end users, consumers, prospects, etc.

Question 3

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 4

Sprint Demo

Accepted Answer

Please see: Sprint Review

Question 5

Timebox

Accepted Answer

Timebox is a maximum duration allocated for an activity / event. Scrum Events are Timeboxed to keep everyone focused on the agenda of the event. Timeboxing also reduced risk by limiting the time a team would spend on a particular activity.

Question 6

WIP Limit

Accepted Answer

The maximum amount of Work-In-Process (WIP) that can be pulled in for processing / implementation within a workflow. This is a limit on the total amount of items that can be in process.

The purpose of having a WIP Limit is to increase the focus on the flow of value. Due to the limits on WIP, the remaining work items can be either Waiting to be Picked up or Completed (Done).

In a Scrum environment, to improve the flow of value delivery, it's recommended that the number of work items in progress may be lesser than the number of developers available to execute the work items.

Question 7

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 8

Methodology

Accepted Answer

Methodology is a body of methods, rules, procedures and processes to achieve a goal. Usually methodology tries to define steps and answers to various situations. Most methodologies are bulky and rigid due to being prescriptive.

Question 9

Framework

Accepted Answer

A framework could be a collection of guidelines, rules and elements that provide a structure and boundary but not the prescription to achieve something.

For Example: The game of Chess (a framework) offers:

The chess board (8x8 squares)
The chess pieces (Material)
The rules about how each piece is placed, how each piece moves across the board

A chess player gets to decide their strategy, which piece they move and where, how they secure their king and how they use their queen. The game of the Chess doesn't prescribe any of this.

Question 10

Tools

Accepted Answer

The purpose of using any tool in a Scrum implementation is to create transparency.

Which tool is used by a team / org does not matter, as long as it's simple and serves the team's purpose.

From surveys, the most teams (83%) use MS Excel or Google Sheets.

Here is a list of some of the tools used:

MS Excel / Google Sheets
Jira
Trello
Digital.ai
MS Azure DevOps
Rally
IBM Rational

there are about a million tools out there etc.

As long as one knows how to use Excel well, one should be able to use the tool used by their organization.

See also: Information Radiators

Question 11

OKRs

Accepted Answer

Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is a goal-setting framwork to establish focus towards delivering results that truely matter and to direct all initiatives toward measurable strategic outcomes.

OKRs are goal-setting metrics that are meant to be measurable, time-bound, achievable, relevant, and specific.

OKRs are expressed in a format that employees can easily understand. The use of OKRs allows all employees to focus on what’s most important to the company as a whole.

Question 12

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 13

Scrum Values

Accepted Answer

Scrum Values offer overarching guiding-rails to how team members behave, act, work, and collaborate as a team.

Scrum offers five Scrum Values: Focus, Openness, Respect, Commitment and Courage.

When a Scrum Team and the people they work with embody these Scrum Values, they a build high trust environment.

Question 14

Task Board

Accepted Answer

Please see Scrum Board.

Question 15

VUCA World

Accepted Answer

VUCA World is a term used to describe the current market conditions.

V: Volatile

Due to the volatility, uncertainity, complexity and ambiquity involved it's increasingly important to collaborate as a team and build capability to address VUCA conditions. Those who can embrace and address VUCA conditions effectively gets the competitive advantage over others.