In this post, we will be sharing the Day 4 live session review with the FAQs of Scrum Master Certification Day 4 Training which will help you in understanding the five scrum ceremonies/events like Sprint, Sprint Review, Daily Scrum, and a brief overview of MoSCoW.
The previous week, In Day 3 Live Session, we have covered the basic concepts of Scrum Scrum Master Certification which will help you in understanding three Scrum Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment and concepts of User stories.
In Day 2 Live Session, we have covered the basic concepts of Scrum Master Certification which will help you in understanding some basic concepts of basics of Scrum, Scrum values & frameworks and concepts of sprints.
So, here we discuss some Q/A’s asked during the Live session from Module 4: Scrum Events.
Scrum Events
Each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt Scrum artefacts. These events are specifically designed to enable the transparency required. Failure to operate any events as prescribed 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.
Q1: What are the five Scrum Events/Ceremonies?
Ans: The five scrum events are:
- The Sprint
- Sprint Planning
- Daily Scrum
- Sprint Review
- Sprint Retrospective
Q2: What do you mean by Sprint in Scrum?
Ans: A Sprint is at the heart of Scrum. These are fixed length events of one month or less to create consistency. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint. All the work necessary to achieve the Product Goal, including Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective, happen within Sprints. A Sprint could be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete and only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
Sprint breaks down large, difficult undertakings into manageable chunks. It helps teams provide high-quality work faster and more frequently, making projects easier to manage. Sprints provide them with more flexibility in adapting to changes. Sprint planning, daily scrums, development work, Sprint review, and sprint retrospective are all part of a sprint.
Q3: What do you mean by timeboxing in Scrum? When can a Sprint be cancelled and by whom?
Ans: Timeboxing refers to allocating a specific amount of time to a specific activity. A timebox is a time measurement unit. A timebox should be no more than 15 minutes long. Before the Sprint timebox limit expires, a Sprint can be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete and only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
Q4: What is Sprint Planning?
Ans: Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the Sprint. This resulting plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team.
The Product Owner ensures that attendees are prepared to discuss the most important Product Backlog items and how they map to the Product Goal. The Scrum Team may also invite other people to attend Sprint Planning to provide advice. Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
Read: What three techniques should a scrum master use?
Q5: How long should Sprint Planning last?
Ans: Sprint planning is limited to a maximum of eight hours.
The general rule of thumb is to allow two hours of sprint planning for every one week of sprint length. That means teams should timebox sprint planning to four hours for a two-week sprint and eight hours for a one-month Sprint.
Q6: Explain the three main topics expressed in the Sprint Planning event.
Ans: Sprint Planning addresses the following topics:
- Topic One: Why is this Sprint valuable?
The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint. The whole Scrum Team then collaborates to define a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders. The Sprint Goal must be finalized prior to the end of Sprint Planning. - Topic Two: What can be done this Sprint?
Through discussion with the Product Owner, the Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint. The Scrum Team may refine these items during this process, which increases understanding and confidence. Selecting how much can be completed within a Sprint may be challenging. However, the more the Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity, and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts - Topic Three: How will the chosen work get done?
For each selected Product Backlog item, the Developers plan the work necessary to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This is often done by decomposing Product Backlog items into smaller work items of one day or less. How this is done is at the sole discretion of the Developers. No one else tells them how to turn Product Backlog items into Increments of value.
Q7: What happens in a Daily Scrum?
Ans: The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. To reduce complexity, it is held at the same time and place every working day of the Sprint. If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as Developers.
The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. This creates focus and improves self-management.
Q8: How does Daily Scrum help the team? Can Developers meet any other time also throughout the day after the Daily Scrum also?
Ans: Daily Scrums improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick decision-making, and consequently eliminate the need for other meetings.
The Daily Scrum is not the only time Developers are allowed to adjust their plan. They often meet throughout the day for more detailed discussions about adapting or re-planning the rest of Sprint’s work.
Q9: What is the purpose of a Scrum Master to be present at the Daily Scrum?
Ans: A Scrum Master is not required to be present; all that is required of him or her is that the Development Team has a Daily Scrum. Only Development Team members are allowed to participate in the Daily Scrum. Although the Scrum Master or Product Owner is welcome to attend this meeting to help with the Daily Scrum, Scrum does not necessitate it. During the Daily Scrum, the Development Team members synchronize their work, track their progress toward the Sprint Goal, and, if necessary, adjust the Sprint Backlog and the plan for the following 24 hours.
Q10: A member of the scrum team does not want to participate in the sprint planning meetings and considers meetings as a waste of time. How do you deal with that kind of attitude?
Ans: For a Scrum Master, it is important to understand the pulse of the team. If there’s a member in your team who takes the meetings as useless, it’s time to know why he/she is adopting such behaviour. The focus should be on the behaviour rather than the individual, the Scrum Master should try to talk to the team member individually by asking open-ended questions to find out the reason for not attending the meeting. Certainly, there is a need to understand the cause of this behaviour and try to explain the importance of the planning meeting (Scrum ceremonies).
In Scrum, each individual is important, it is like the wheels of a truck, any wheel gets dealigned or malfunctioned, the complete vehicle suffers. Hence, the need to explain the impact of not having his presence in the planning meeting and its impact on the entire team arises. Even the team can start to feel this imbalance. If it is still not resolved, the Scrum Master can set up a meeting with his reporting manager to talk about the concern and lookout for ways to help the team member and the team.
Q11: What happens in a Sprint Review?
Ans: Sprint reviews focus on the product being developed, specifically on the potentially shippable product increment created during the sprint. During a sprint review, the scrum team invites stakeholders to discuss what was completed during the sprint. They adapt the product backlog as needed based on this feedback. The product owner has the option to release any of the completed functionality.
Though a demo might be part of this meeting, the primary purpose of the sprint review is the inspect and adapt capability provided by the discussion.
Q12: Who Attends a Sprint Review?
Ans: The entire scrum team attends the sprint review. The team invites users, customers, stakeholders, senior managers, and affected departments (e.g., marketing, customer support) to attend and give feedback. Scrum teams are encouraged to invite as many people as the room can hold–diverse feedback is essential for creating excellent products.
Q13: How Long Should Sprint Reviews Last?
Ans: Sprint reviews are limited to a maximum of four hours.
The general rule of thumb is to allow one hour for sprint review every one week of sprint length. That means teams should timebox sprint review to two hours for a two-week sprint and four hours for a one-month sprint.
Q14: What happens in a Sprint Retrospective?
Ans: Sprint retrospectives focus on the process. During a sprint retrospective, the scrum team discusses what went right and areas for improvement in the sprint. They make tangible plans for how to improve their own process, tools and relationships.
Q15: How Long Should Sprint Retrospectives Last?
Ans: Sprint retrospectives are limited to a maximum of three hours.
The general guidance is to allow 45 minutes for each week of sprint length. So a two-week sprint would cap the sprint retrospective at an hour and a half; a four-week sprint at three hours.
Q16: Who all can be the participants in the retrospective meeting?
Ans: The sprint retrospective is both a time to analyze and change the process and an opportunity to reflect on it. Attendance by the entire Scrum team is required. This includes the Scrum Master, the product owner, and all members of the development team (including everyone who is designing, building, and testing the product).
However, other teams may not want to include the product owner since it will obstruct their discussion. If there is a lack of trust between the product owner and the development team, or a lack of safety that prevents the product owner from speaking candidly, the product owner should not attend until the Scrum Master can help teach those engaged in building a safer, more trusting atmosphere. Anyone not on the immediate scrum team, especially team members’ managers, should not be invited to participate.
Q17: What do you understand by the MoSCoW technique?
Ans: The acronym MoSCoW represents four categories of initiatives: must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, or will not have right now. Some companies also use the “W” in MoSCoW to mean “wish.”
MoSCoW prioritization, also known as the MoSCoW method or MoSCoW analysis, is a popular prioritization technique for managing requirements
Quiz Time (Sample Exam Questions)!
Ques: Who is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum?
A. Scrum Master
B. Development Team
C. Product Owner
D. Scrum Team
Comment with your answer & we will tell you if you are correct or not!
Neha Saxena says
Answer is : Development team