Agile Ceremonies
Agile Ceremonies:
Ceremonies aren’t just meetings—they’re rituals that foster transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
1) Sprint Planning -
2) Daily Scrum
3) Sprint Review
4) Spring Retrospective
Bonus: Backlog Refinement / Grooming
Item Estimate:
1) Sprint Planning -
- 4-8 hours
- input - product backlog,
- Product Owner Kick Off
- Team discusses sprint goal
- output - spring backlog.
2) Daily Scrum
- 15 mins
- what did i do yesterday
- what will i do today
- are there any impediments
3) Sprint Review
- 1-4 hours
- team showcases to stakeholders
- product backlog changes
- inspect the product
- adapt the roadmap
4) Spring Retrospective
- 1-3 hours
- what went well
- what didn't go well
- what can we improve for next time
Bonus: Backlog Refinement / Grooming
- cleaning the product backlog
- prioritize
- ready for future sprint
- items are classified
- item estimate
- items split into smaller tasks
Item Estimate:
Based on -
- effort
- complexity
- uncertainty
Methods:
- Planning Poker - 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ...
- Story Points -
- T-shirt sizing - XS, X, M, L, XL
- Bucket System - buckets - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..
- Ideal Hours/Days
- Dot Voting/Affinity Mapping
- Three-Point Estimation - Optimistic (O), Pessimistic (P), and Most Likely (M)
Core Roles in Agile
1. Product Owner
Focus: Maximizing product value
- Owns and manages the product backlog
- Prioritizes features based on business value and customer needs
- Acts as the bridge between stakeholders and the development team
- Clarifies requirements and accepts/rejects work results
- Think of them as the voice of the customer.
2. Scrum Master
Focus: Facilitating the Agile process
- Coaches the team on Agile principles and practices
- Removes blockers and shields the team from distractions
- Facilitates ceremonies like stand-ups, retrospectives, and sprint planning
- Helps the team continuously improve
- They’re like the team’s servant-leader and process guardian.
3. Development Team (a.k.a. Agile Team Members)
Focus: Delivering working software
- Cross-functional group (developers, testers, designers, etc.)
- Self-organizing and accountable for completing sprint goals
- Collaborates closely with the Product Owner and Scrum Master
- Estimates, builds, tests, and delivers product increments
- They’re the engine room of Agile delivery.
4. Stakeholders
Focus: Providing feedback and strategic direction
- May include customers, business leaders, or end users
- Attend sprint reviews to inspect progress
- Help shape the product vision and priorities
- They’re not part of the Scrum team but are essential for feedback loops.
Bonus: Agile Coach
Focus: Scaling and maturing Agile practices
- Works across teams or departments
- Mentors Scrum Masters and leadership
- Helps organizations adopt Agile at scale
What Happens to Incomplete Work?
1) Reassess and Reprioritize
The Product Owner reviews the unfinished item to confirm it’s still valuable.
If it is, it goes back into the Product Backlog to be reprioritized for a future sprint.
Otherwise, it goes to next sprint as deferred.
2) Split the Story (if needed)
If part of the work is done, the team may split the story:
- One part reflects what was completed (though it doesn’t count toward velocity unless it meets the Definition of Done).
- The remaining work becomes a new story or task for the next sprint.
3) No Partial Credit
Agile teams typically don’t count partial story points for incomplete work. Velocity is only credited when a story is fully done.
4) Discuss in the Retrospective
The team reflects on why the task wasn’t completed:
- Was it underestimated?
- Were there blockers?
- Was the scope unclear? This helps improve future planning and execution.
- Carry Forward (with caution)
If the story is still relevant and small enough, it may be carried forward as-is into the next sprint—but only with the Product Owner’s agreement.
Common Reasons for Incomplete Tasks in Agile Sprints
- Overcommitment
- Oversized Stories
- Unforeseen Blockers
- Unplanned Work or Scope Creep
- Inaccurate Estimations
- Reduced Team Capacity
- Lack of Clarity
- Shifting Priorities
These issues are often discussed during the Sprint Retrospective, where the team reflects and adapts to improve future sprints.
Agile methodology is a flexible and iterative approach to project management
Agile breaks the work into smaller, manageable chunks called iterations or sprints, allowing teams to adapt quickly to changes and continuously improve.
Agile Manifesto, which emphasizes:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a fixed plan
How Agile Works
- Projects are divided into sprints (usually 1–4 weeks long)
- Teams hold daily stand-up meetings to track progress
- After each sprint, they review results and gather feedback
- The process repeats, allowing for continuous delivery and improvement
Popular Agile Frameworks
- Scrum: Uses defined roles (like Scrum Master and Product Owner) and ceremonies (like sprint planning and retrospectives)
- Kanban: Visualizes work on a board to optimize flow
- Extreme Programming (XP): Focuses on technical excellence and frequent releases
Why Agile?
- Encourages collaboration and transparency
- Adapts easily to changing requirements
- Delivers value to customers faster
- Improves team morale and productivity
SCRUM MASTER
To Estimate or Not To Estimate
- in hours
Measure of work
amount of time
If unable to estimate, the Not To Estimate
The Constant Spring Rollover
Spring Goal not completed.
Not delivering the Value
Historical Velocity
Pressure of more tasking
Definition of Ready?
Velocity, Capacity, Load?
Finish Early and Accelerate faster
Not put full capacity, keep a buffer
Create a Buffer
DoD, AC
DoR - check
Over emphasis on Reporting
Burn down chart
Definition of Velocity
Scrum Team not working Together
Discuss
Praise the hero
Product Owner not available
Is part of the Team
Available to Team
Fun - Working as a Team