My name isn’t even Jarred. My real name is Donald. Preamble What is the best way to make software? In a world constantly changing, what is the best way to do anything is anymore? As the pace of business and technology rapidly increases, it is important for every organization (not just those who work in tech) to improve existing processes in order to perform better, faster, and stronger. Technology seems to be the sexiest industry, or at least the one that gets the most media buzz, though every industry has the own strengths and weaknesses. For now, join me in a paradox as we narrow our broad scope to just technology; specifically . software development What is clear is that technology leaders in the past and present seem to have an instinctive knack for creating organizational functional groups that work incredibly well together. The example of this most clearly defined in my mind is Apple being apple to successfully create the standard for a portable MP3 player before Sony, simply because Sony’s functional teams wasted time fighting for their individual agendas instead of working as one united organization. Perhaps there are lessons from the industry you and I can steal and implement in our companies in order to achieve such heightened levels of success. Let us narrow our scope even further as we talk about one way to make software; the Scrum version of agile development. Scrum is one way the agile software development process can work in the lens of product management. In plain English, it is a method of working where different teams can hone in on tasks and be a part of each other’s progress, problems, and solutions. It challenges an older, more traditional version of the process that resembled a linear fashion and was less collaborative (think Waterfall). The Scrum method of agile development takes into account that every project is going to have unexpected problems, customers of the software will change their mind, and the need for every individual team member to have their voice heard. Now that we have our introduction, who is involved in the Scrum process? Scrum : With so much going on, and a number of stakeholders at the table, the role of the product owner is vital. He or she articulates the vision of the software from the perspective of the end user, prioritizes features, and analyzes the project’s Return on Investment. The Product Owner : Unlike a team leader, a Scrum Master ensures that the team is strictly adhering to the Scrum process. More like a team coach, the Scrum Master helps to facilitate meetings and advises the team to continue to move in the right direction. The Scrum Master : Usually teams of , these folks do the heavy lifting. They have a variety of different skill sets, drive the plan for each sprint (a short cycle of work), and provide other teams with important feedback. The Development Teams 5–7 people Let’s move onward and learn and what holistically differentiates the process. what the different Scrum players actually do The Scrummy Components Sprint Planning Sprints, a specified time where the carrying out of specific tasks will occur, are planned in a formal Sprint Planning meeting. It occurs for about an hour each week and helps set working targets for each development team. The product owners play a large role here and help prioritize the needs of the customer (using a product backlog) and connects feasibility and technological constraints with everyone’s vision. Daily Stand Up Meeting A component of the scrum process that is both exciting and unorthodox. A daily stand-up typically involves a meeting within each development team where every team member can quickly inform each other of what one has accomplished in the past day and what work is soon to be completed. The scrum master ensures everyone’s updates are brief and relevant. Why Everyone Should Use Scrum Even if every company doesn’t have a product ownership team or develop software, there are benefits of an organization adapted even a smaller scale Scrum-like process. Scrum has the potential to develop professional and personal relationships. If you had to meet with your team members every morning in a daily stand up, you would learn more about who they are as a person and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Morale would boost in the team and the quality of its work is likely to increase. The process puts healthy emphasis on productivity. A little bit of social pressure is a powerful and effective way to ensure that team members will take the working day seriously and strive to complete their defined task. Everyone will know if they didn’t complete yesterday’s task and will likely be able to tell if it was for a good reason or not. It helps to solve problems more efficiently because it takes away the stigma of having a problem. If everyone in your morning meeting had some small challenge with their task from the previous day, you would feel more open about sharing your own challenges. If problems are more probable to be pronounced, they are more likely to be solved. It gives management, executives, and customers a more realistic timeline of when the product will be complete. Large corporate environments (and government) are notorious for their bureaucracy resulting in the inability to get anything done. Forcing management to have a daily, authentic update on progress will provide everyone with a more accurate velocity of the project’s completion. In Conclusion I hope you continue to take the time to learn about other methods of work and performance then what you’re used to. When you pitch Scrum to your manager, do your best to illustrate the value it will add and its unique ability to shed a light on problems and performance that is vital to innovation. If you’re lucky, maybe you can afford to hire Zac Woods to explain it to your team.
