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Scrum and Process
Scrum ceremonies are a chain. If refinement is broken, planning runs long. If planning is broken, the daily turns into a status report. This series covers the process from being agile to the roadmap, as it works in the field, not in the book.
The parts are written to be read in order; each one builds on the one before. In a hurry? Jump to the checklist at the end of each post.
Being Agile vs Doing Scrum
Agile does not end the chaos; it makes it visible. That is why teams can run every ceremony and still not be agile.
SCRUMScrum or Kanban: Not a Methodology, the Way Work Arrives
We took 9 items into the sprint and finished 4; 23 requests came from outside in the same two weeks. A decision table by how work arrives, and a rotating one-person Kanban lane.
SCRUMBacklog Refinement: Kill Bad Ideas Early
Refinement is a funnel, not a meeting. Back-of-the-envelope filtering and ROI in one shared currency.
SCRUMGrooming: Not a Ticket Reading Session
The PO's job is not to read out what will be built, but to explain why it matters.
SCRUMSprint Length: Not Two Weeks, the Speed of Feedback
Two days of work reached the user after more than nine weeks. We tried one-, two- and three-week sprints for eight sprints each: ceremony load, review attendance and feedback per month.
SCRUMSprint Planning: Commitment, Not Estimation
Good planning is boring. If surprises show up, the preparation failed. Capacity math and the pull system.
SCRUMStory Points: Not Time, Uncertainty
Asked “how many hours is one point?”, I said “five and a half”; an epic planned for 1.5 sprints took 5. Points turned into hours, inflated velocity and six sprints of #NoEstimates.
SCRUMDaily Standup: Synchronization, Not a Status Report
If what you did yesterday does not affect today, it does not matter. Walking the board, and the async option.
SCRUMSprint Goal: One Sentence, Not a Ticket List
On day eight, four person-days of work did not fit. We argued for 40 minutes and dropped the item the campaign needed. A goal is the one sentence that tells you what to drop.
SCRUMSprint Review: A Feedback Loop, Not a Demo Show
If nobody objects, nobody is listening. Silence is the worst signal.
SCRUMDefinition of Ready: A Conversation Trigger, Not a Gate
A story that was not ready ate a third of the sprint. The 14-item gate I built in response blocked the work for three sprints. A checkbox asks for a yes; a question asks for a name.
SCRUMRetrospective: Tracked Actions, Not Wishes
Definition, owner, deadline — without all three it is a wish, not an action.
SCRUMEpic, Story, Task: How to Break Work Down and the 8-Hour Rule
Why should a task never exceed one day? Six ways to cut work, walked through a real e-commerce returns project.
SCRUMDefinition of Done: A Quality Contract, Not a Checklist
A story we called done wrongly rejected 14.5% of withdrawal requests for 26 hours. The three layers of a DoD, who changes it, and keeping the work open when it breaks.
SCRUMDoes Scrum Make Customers Happy?
Bringing the customer inside: from 1 project to 9, from 1 person to a team of 14. A real story from the field.
SCRUMWIP Limits: Flow Control, Not a Restriction
Six people, nine open items, and only 8 of 11 cards done at sprint end. Little’s Law in practice, a limit put on the wrong column, and a flow limit of 4 that cut cycle time from 11 days to 4.5.
SCRUMMid-Sprint Work: A Budget, Not a Ban
A “no new work” rule did not stop the work; it moved it to WhatsApp. The interruption card, a measured 15% share, swapping when the budget runs out, and the only valid reason to cancel a sprint.
SCRUMProduct Owner: The Person Who Says No, Not a Ticket Writer
Seven items, all P1; 67% of sprint work came from outside the PO’s order. Putting ordering authority in writing, the stand-in PO mistake, and the line with the tech lead.
SCRUMDo You Need a Scrum Master? A Function, Not a Role
When our Scrum Master left, the daily grew from 8 to 19 minutes and blockers waited six days. How we shared the work, three things that failed, and a decision by team size.
SCRUMCycle Time: Not Velocity, the Time Your Customer Waits
Velocity rose from 34 to 52 while the customer waited 47 days for a fix. Cycle time vs lead time, p85 instead of the average, and flow efficiency.
SCRUM“When Will It Be Done?”: Not One Date, a Range of Probabilities
I said “27 March” and we went live on 5 May. Past throughput, a 20-line Monte Carlo, and how to explain “85% likely by this date” to management.
SCRUMRoadmap: Ordered Bets, Not a List of Dates
Our dated Gantt chart fell apart in the first quarter, and the one item that finished on time did not help. Now / Next / Later, with every item written as a bet with a hypothesis, a measure and a stop condition.