How we bring the product to life

We use the Agile approach for small projects and the Scaled Agile Framework for big projects that involve two or more teams. Using small groups allows us to speed up the process and achieve the desired result quickly.

Roles

The Agile-Scrum framework has three roles, which are the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the development team.

1. Product Owner - a project's key stakeholder.
2. Scrum Master - facilitator for an Agile development team.
3. The development team typically consists of developers, designers, quality assurance personnel, and others.

Artifacts

The Agile-Scrum framework has three artifacts, which are the product backlog, the sprint backlog and the product increment.

1. The product backlog is a list of tasks that need to be done.
2. The sprint backlog is a subset of tasks that need to be completed during the sprint.
3. The product increment is a deliverable produced by completing the sprint backlog.

Events

The Agile-Scrum framework runs on a list of events. It starts with planning across multiple teams, moves through the sprint and its meetings, and ends with the inspection of the developed features.

1. Product increment planning refers to a meeting of multiple teams and stakeholders wherein a shared vision is established, features are discussed, the roadmap is planned, and cross-team dependencies are identified. This typically occurs 4 or 6 times per year.
2. The Sprint Planning Meeting takes place at the beginning of a sprint and is when the team defines what can be delivered and how. The team makes the decision based on the early defined feature priorities. Stakeholders' participation is optional.
3. A sprint is a short period (usually two weeks) wherein a development team works to complete specific tasks, milestones, or deliverables.
4. At a Daily Scrum Meeting, the team discusses what they will do that day and creates a plan for the next day.
5. At the end of each sprint, the team has a Sprint Demo Meeting to show what they have accomplished and how it works. Stakeholders can choose to participate in this meeting.
6. The Sprint Retrospective Meeting is an opportunity for the team to reflect on how the past sprint went regarding people, relationships, processes, and tools. The team identifies what went well and what can be improved.
7. The Innovation and Planning Week occurs every Program Increment. This is a time for the team to estimate their objectives, plan for the next increment, and dedicate time to new ideas.
8. The team inspects all the developed features and makes any necessary adaptations. They then present this information to a broader audience, including external and internal stakeholders.

How we speed up the process

Three habits speed up the process. Each feature is clarified before development begins, new features are discussed while developers work, and every meeting ends with a written follow-up.

1. Before development begins, each feature and its corresponding definition of done is clarified. This way, developers don't waste time having to rework the same functionality twice.
2. While developers work on current features, a project manager discusses a new set of features with stakeholders and fills the sprint backlog.
3. Each meeting has an agenda, and afterward, we send a follow-up letter with a summary of the discussion and the decisions made.

The Agile-Scrum framework

The diagram below shows how the roles, the sprint cycle and the meetings fit together.

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