Sprint Retrospective is a time-boxed meeting conducted at the end of the sprint to improve the process and make the next sprints more productive. Find out more on best practices for effective Sprint Retrospective meetings in this article.
Sprint Retrospective meetings are crucial when developing projects based on the Scrum framework . A Sprint Retrospective meeting is conducted at the end of the sprint to discuss what went well and what areas are to improve. It provides an excellent opportunity for Scrum teams to improve their…
When Planning Poker is conducted rightly, it delivers better estimates, removes cognitive biases, and catches unexpected challenges and scenarios that might show up. Therefore, keep reading this article to learn the right steps to execute Planning Poker.
Agile estimation is the process that helps teams to evaluate the required effort to complete the product backlog items. Software firms using Agile methodology in project development actively estimate their product backlogs to have a clear glimpse of the required efforts before beginning the…
The goal of the sprint review meeting is to demonstrate the accomplished work in the current sprint, get feedback, and set directions for the next sprints. Here are the best practices to adopt to turn a review meeting into a productive session.
There are four basic Agile meetings conducted in the Scrum framework, i.e., sprint planning , daily stand-up sessions, sprint review , and sprint retrospective . "Sprint" is the essential element of Scrum-based project management. When sprints are done rightly, it results in timely and quality…
Working from home can pose its own set of challenges when it comes to securing development data. To help you stay secure, here are some tips every programmer should use when working remotely.
As a programmer, adapting to working remotely can pose its own set of challenges when it comes to cybersecurity. Working from home exposes you and your company's data to security risks that may not have been present in an office environment, highlighting the necessity of taking the appropriate…
Estimation of product backlog items helps teams have a better view of the required efforts, pinpoint challenges, re-prioritize the product backlog, and have a more committed team. Therefore, it is crucial that the right set of people are involved in the estimation process.
Scrum, one of the well-acknowledged project management methodologies, is the most widely used Agile methodology. As per the survey of Digital.ai, 66% of Agile adopters are using Scrum actively. Scrum has many unique elements to focus on, but today we will emphasize specifically the estimation of…
A backlog refinement (grooming) meeting is an effective way of keeping the product backlog up-to-date and making the sprints more productive. Find out more on the top tips to conduct effective backlog refinement meetings.
In Scrum, the product backlog is the important to-do list that drives focused teams, timely deliveries, and quality products. A product backlog is designed by the Product Owner at the beginning of the project, which helps the Scrum team estimate the required efforts and plan sprints accordingly. As…
The product backlog is of mutual interest to the Product Owner and Scrum Master, as it is the key to quality product deliveries. Here are a few tips that can help the Product Owner and Scrum Master contribute to effective product backlog management.
In Scrum software development, the Product Owner and Scrum Master are the two main roles for effective software development. They both work with the goal of developing the best quality product by following the Scrum principles. Although they both have different roles to play in the project, yet…
The product backlog is key to having more productive sprint sessions. However, a product backlog can easily turn into a messy backlog by simple mistakes. Here's a look at 7 signs to identify if your product backlog is a mess.
Many organizations are starting their Scrum journey to have iterative-based project development, which is much needed in today's competitive era. This means that they will face a lot of troubles before they get experienced with the Scrum methodology. One such trouble they will face is a messy…
Async Poker and Planning Poker are both widely used estimation techniques that provide consensus-based accurate estimates. Find out more about both these techniques and their differences in this article.
The decades-old traditional project management methodologies are becoming less common now as the trend is shifting toward more iterative and feedback-based project management . Scrum is one such methodology that many organizations, especially software firms, are using nowadays. There are many…
Scrum is undoubtedly the most popular Agile project management methodology owing to its simplicity and promising results. Find out more about it in this article.
It is well known that Scrum stands as the most loved Agile methodology. So, how did a well-known rugby term become one of the most popular software development philosophies of all time? The word "scrum" comes from the action that rugby players do when they huddle and try to get the ball from the…
Teams that estimate in Agile-based project development find it helpful to have a shared understanding of the required efforts. However, some teams also don't think estimation is that important. So, let's discuss the key role estimation plays in Agile planning.
With the new digitalized and competitive era, organizations have to come up with new ways of managing and executing projects to meet customer expectations and remain ahead of the competition. Owing to that, many organizations are shifting towards Agile-based project development that focuses on…
Estimation of product backlog items helps the team to plan and manage the prioritized list of work more accurately. However, can a team complete the obligations of the project without estimating the product backlog items? Let's find out in this article.
In Scrum, estimation helps in the proper planning, management, and estimation of the efforts required to implement, test, and deliver the project. Estimation of product backlog items is carried out by the team members going to work on the project to have a shared understanding of the project…
Remote product backlog estimation is a rescue for distributed and remote teams that cannot conduct on-premises estimation sessions. In fact, it can also address challenges with on-premises estimation. Find out more in this article.
The product backlog is a list of prioritized tasks that the Scrum team is meant to work on in the next few weeks/months. Most Scrum teams estimate the product backlog to have a better view of the required efforts, the targeted goals, and customer expectations. The common practice of doing product…
Story points estimation is widely used among Scrum teams to estimate the product backlog items ahead of sprint planning to have a better view of the required efforts. Keep reading this article to learn how to estimate story points in the easiest way.
In project management, planning before execution is key to timely delivery. Every project has some uncertainties and hurdles that the team does not realize until it either discusses them beforehand or faces them during project development. Therefore, it is highly recommended to properly scope and…
Product backlog estimation helps a team have a better understanding of project needs, align priorities, discuss challenges, and have effective team discussions.
It is hard to find a Scrum team that can deny the importance of product backlog for effective and timely delivery of a project. The product backlog includes all the features, but it is more than just being a to-do list. A clear product backlog with the right estimation is one of the best time…
Affinity Estimation and Planning Poker are both effective techniques to estimate user stories. Follow this article to learn the working principles, use cases, and other comparison elements of both these techniques.
Organizations across the globe are today using Agile methods and techniques in their project development cycles. Agile helps organizations set a customer-oriented, feedback-driven, and iterative development model that leads to faster release and better-quality products. Agile-based development…
Relative estimation delivers comparison-based estimates, while absolute estimation delivers fixed estimates. So, what suits well for Scrum teams? Let's find out in this article.
Estimation is an integral part of any project work. The end goal of estimation is to know the efforts required to complete a certain set of work. When done rightly, estimation helps in determining the timeframe, feasibility, and similar other insights. Moreover, estimation also encourages discussion…
Dot Voting estimation technique is an easy and quick way of prioritizing items using dots without going into deep discussions. Find out all the details about Dot Voting in this article.
Estimation is the core part of the Scrum framework that helps teams to prioritize tasks and estimate the required efforts. Scrum teams mostly do estimates at two stages. The first stage is estimating the product backlog, while the second stage is during sprint planning. There are different…
Estimation is an essential activity for agile teams to have a mutual understanding of the product backlog and become more committed to the work. Keep reading to learn about the 5 alternatives of Planning Poker estimation technique.
Planning Poker is one of the most widely used estimation techniques in agile projects. Its consensus-based estimation, driven by a fun and easy gamified approach helps teams accurately estimate their product backlogs. Although agile teams around the world are using Planning Poker, still there are…
The Bucket System estimation technique is a simple, fast, and effective estimation technique for large product backlog items. Find out more in-depth details about this technique in this article.
Agile methodology is seeing unprecedented popularity among organizations no matter what industry they belong to. Agile eradicates the traditional way of product development and implements a more iterative-based development approach. One stage in agile-based development is "estimation", which plays…
Affinity Estimation is a relative estimation technique that empowers agile teams to quickly, easily, and efficiently estimate a large number of backlog items. Find out more on Affinity Estimation in this article.
Estimation of product backlog items is an important stage in agile-based development. Estimation helps the team and key stakeholders to get a better view of the upcoming work and the required efforts. There are multiple techniques available today to estimate product backlog items. Organizations…
Teams that are new to Scrum must take the proper time to grab the basics of the Scrum framework and adhere to its core principles to set a solid foundation and then gradually master it. Find out more tips for new Scrum teams in this article.
Scrum – The Most Popular Agile Methodology Scrum is an Agile development methodology that relies on teamwork to carry out iterative-based incremental development processes. The project is broken down into small prioritized development cycles (called sprints) that are completed on an incremental…
Async Poker or Asynchronous Planning Poker is the powerful evolution of the Planning Poker estimation technique that makes estimation straightforward for remote, distributed, and co-located agile teams.
In the present globalized corporate system, there are many agile teams that don't share office space, even not the time zone. In fact, some teams are so far from each other that they just get just one hour as the shared office time. That one hour is mostly utilized for stand-ups and other updates…
Planning Poker is a simple and fun way to estimate user stories. Scrum teams can elevate their Planning Poker sessions by following some key tips and tricks.
One of the great aspects of agile software development is its emphasis on effort estimation. A product backlog is difficult to prioritize if the team is unaware of the efforts required to complete user stories. Planning Poker is one of the most widely used estimation techniques due to its simple…
A Scrum Master is more focused on coaching Scrum Team to implement Scrum principles, while Project Manager plays a leadership role for timely project completion.
Both Scrum Master and Project Manager role seems to be the same, i.e., to manage the team, but they are not synonyms of each other. They both are distinct and have plenty of differences. On a bigger picture, consider the Project Manager as a leader who plans the execution of the project. On the…
Planning Poker is a consensus-based estimation technique that requires the contribution of the key team members to make the meeting result in fruitful outputs.
Planning Poker is a popular estimation technique used by thousands of Scrum teams to estimate their product backlogs efficiently. Its simple consensus-based estimation approach has attracted many Scrum teams to regularly conduct Planning Poker estimation sessions for their product backlog items…
Planning Poker is an easy and engaging estimation technique that has become a core part of most Scrum teams that regularly use it to do estimates in a fun way.
Whether it is a small or large project, there are three common things to know about any project, i.e., the requirements of the tasks, the size of the tasks, and the prioritized tasks. Over the past two decades, software project management and development has experienced a major change with the…
Product backlog and sprint backlog are two backlogs with different purposes. Estimating them is vital to have a better team understanding of the lined-up work.
The software industry is in full swing in the present era. Ever-growing customer demands are urging software firms to adopt smart and fast development approaches for fast releases. Owing to that, most software firms are using Agile for fast and responsive work. Agile teams orient themselves around…
Planning Poker is an estimation technique that is easy to learn but difficult to master. By avoiding mistakes linked with it, you can have accurate estimates.
Planning Poker is one of the widely used estimation techniques by Scrum teams to estimate the efforts required to complete product backlog items. If done rightly, it can deliver outstanding results and accurate estimates of the work. However, if done wrongly, it can lead to inaccurate estimates…
Scrum-based development relies on a cross-functional Scrum team, as it ensures that the team, as a whole, is capable to deliver the project as per expectations.
Scrum methodology relies on three basic pillars to ensure successful outcomes for any given project you may have. These are transparency, inspection, and adaptation. The dynamic and flexible nature of Scrum means you can adopt an incremental approach to optimization and management, allowing your…
With the growing competitive software industry, scrum is getting more attention from organizations. Let's discuss some key reasons why to use scrum over waterfall.
Scrum and waterfall are both well-known project management methodologies, but both are a lot different from each other. Waterfall has dominated the project management world for decades until the agile manifesto started to gather attention. Today, organizations are actively shifting to scrum-based…
Sprint Planning is a crucial part of Scrum-based product development. So, it is important to know what are the common mistakes around it and their remedies.
Sprint Planning is one of the crucial events in the Agile world that is meant to set the team's direction for the upcoming Sprint. However, it is also one of the most underappreciated Scrum events owing to the problems and errors it can lead to. As per the Scrum guide , the team should cover the…
Every Agile team heavily relies on effective collaboration. So, can you work on your team’s collaboration while also creating estimates with Planning Poker?
The development of Planning Poker, as it is known today, started in 2002. The creation of Planning Poker simplified the Wideband Delphi process from the 1970s to help overcome the complexities that often surface when a team seeks to estimate future work or level of effort. Even though it is not a…
Remote Scrum Master has a crucial role to play in order to ensure that the remote Scrum team works at its highest level, while the projects are delivered timely.
Remote scrum teams have been on the rise these last few years. As various corporations have been adjusting to the ongoing global pandemic, the scrum methodology has also seen some changes. This is in keeping with the Agile framework in general since the structure is made to be flexible and…
T-shirt sizing is a relative estimation technique where t-shirt sizes, such as XS, S, M, L, and XL, are used to estimate product backlog items in a seamless way.
Most agile teams do estimates, as it helps teams to understand, discuss, and plan what they are going to work on next. Estimation also helps in breaking a complex project into smaller parts and fitting them effectively in the next sprint. Moreover, a record of estimates also helps to measure the…
Oftentimes, people get confused between story points and time values when estimating with Planning Poker. Well, we’re here to clear up the confusion.
Without a doubt, estimation is a difficult undertaking. It is one of the most challenging — if not the most difficult — facets of the job for software developers. It must consider various elements to assist product owners in making decisions that influence the entire team and the company. Product…
Remote Scrum teams are a growing concept and gaining more and more popularity thanks to the pandemic and tons of other benefits associated with remote culture.
The world of business has changed rapidly over the last couple of years, especially with the pandemic that is forcing corporations to adopt varying work structures. The global workforce has seen a large-scale shift, with most people being forced to work from their homes. As corporations strive to…
Estimates help to align priorities, set mutual understanding, and identify dependencies, but there are no rules or standard practices mentioned in Scrum Guide.
Estimates are a great resource for teams and organizations to guess what they can achieve, what are the effort requirements, and when they can achieve. When estimates are done rightly, teams get a proper direction path driven by prioritized tasks. In short, estimates are a valuable practice in the…
Agile is a project management approach, while Scrum stands as one of the popular types of Agile methodology. Find out more on Agile vs. Scrum in this article.
Agile is a project management approach that focuses on small iteration-based developments to complete a project. Projects that have some level of uncertainty or might require changes use the Agile incremental development approach. On the other hand, Scrum is one of the types of Agile methodology…
Scrum Master is a key to having streamlined project development and timely deliveries. Here's a quick look at some crucial dos & don'ts of a Scrum Master.
Scrum is an easy-to-use framework that any corporation can adapt and grow through. As Agile methodology is becoming more popular, more and more organizations have started to implement Scrum . Some organizations that have used traditional approaches in the past might face a few obstacles when trying…
Scrum is a simple and lightweight Agile methodology but does come with real-life challenges that most of the Scrum teams have to deal with at different stages.
Scrum seems simple to set up and a lightweight Agile methodology that organizations can easily get started with, but it's not that straightforward to master. Scrum does promise enhancements in the overall team's speed, problem-solving skills, quality products, and timely deliveries. However, there…
Is whole team participation (including irrelevant skilled members) fruitful during Planning Poker estimation? It's a big "YES" and this article proves why.
There is a common perception that those team members who will be part of the project should be the ones involved in its estimation , rather than doing estimation with a whole or different non-contributing group. But the situation is a bit complex in the case of agile teams when they conduct product…
When it comes to estimating Agile projects, even small increases in accuracy make a big difference. So, are group estimates more accurate than individual ones?
The estimation process is a common bottleneck in which project managers, product managers, and software developers must predict the degree of effort required to complete a development assignment. Estimation is a two-edged sword: it is extremely useful for breaking down long-term projects into…
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Software estimation plays a crucial role to let the teams have a better understanding of the stories, the required efforts, priorities, and expected outcomes.
As the world is shifting from the traditional waterfall approach to the agile-based development approach, there is a movement going on "#NoEstimate", which reflects that there is no need to have software estimation sessions now. There is a perception that agile development makes projects proceed in…
2020 Scrum Guide is the 6th and the latest version of Scrum Guide, which focuses on simplifying the framework to make it more useful and effective for teams.
After every few years, the Scrum creators Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber update the Scrum Guide to make some changes in it based on the feedback received from the people using it. The latest version of Scrum Guide was dropped at the end of 2020. The main goal of the 2020 Scrum guide is to make…
Teams are actively doing estimations in story points owing to the advantages it offers over hours-based estimates. Find out more in this comprehensive guide.
Estimation is one of the important elements in the planning process of any agile project. When estimations are done rightly, it helps the product owners and the product team to prioritize things rightly, maximize their efficiency, and ensure quality deliveries. However, when it comes to how to do…
As the world is evolving digitally, the world of Agile methodologies is also evolving. Let's discuss what are some of the main Agile trends to watch in 2022.
Agile is no longer just a buzzword. It has set solid roots in the IT industry today. Agile practices took their inception back in 2001 to shift software development from waterfall model to iterative development using XP, Scrum, and other methodologies. But today, Agile is evolving aggressively in…
Agile estimation is an effective way to determine the effort required to complete a story, but there are a few common mistakes teams often do during sprints.
1. Points-Based Productivity Measurement One of the common mistakes or misconceptions in the agile approach is that points are considered as a measure of a team's productivity or story's business value, which is totally wrong. Such misconceptions can lead to ineffective estimation or unexpected…
Cost estimates are a key aspect of every agile project for deciding whether the project is feasible. Here’s how Planning Poker can help improve your estimates.
Estimation is challenging, as product managers, project managers, and software developers all agree. Indeed, many software developers consider it to be one of the most difficult aspects of their jobs. With this in mind, higher management and executive leadership frequently put a lot of pressure on…
To run an effective Planning Poker session, you need to understand these ten best practices in order to produce high-quality estimates that remain accurate.
Planning Poker is largely regarded as one of the most accurate methods of creating estimates for agile teams. So, it’s no surprise that Planning Poker is also one of the most popular estimation techniques. However, Planning Poker sessions can go awry if an agile team does not follow best practices…
To know if you’re running your planning poker sessions effectively, you need to know how long it should last. So, how long does a planning poker session last?
Effort estimation is an important project activity since it facilitates achieving expected results by completing certain tasks on time. Product managers, project managers, and software developers all agree that estimation is difficult. Many software developers regard it as one of the most…
Estimation with story points is becoming more popular among agile teams owing to fast, accurate, adaptable, and realistic estimates of the product backlog.
Estimation is a hard but crucial activity that agile teams must go through in order to be efficient in planning, managing, and estimating the project. Estimation requires taking into account different factors to have accurate estimates. Scrum guide mentions that estimates should be done by the team…
Running your first planning poker session can feel overwhelming, so we created a guide just for you to help you run your first session like a seasoned pro!
The planning poker technique gets used by agile teams all over the world to estimate their product backlogs. Typically, story points evaluate the complexity of a story, and writers gather various expert opinions for the estimation. This article will walk you through the process of hosting your first…
With the growing trends towards remote working, asynchronous estimation sessions empower remote or distributed teams to conduct accurate estimates remotely.
Estimation in agile is crucial during the different phases of the project, i.e., proposal level, release level, sprint level, etc. Practicing estimation makes a team have a shared understanding of the stories and let them collectively outline the estimates and direct their focus accordingly…
Planning Poker, also known as Estimation Poker, is a useful method for estimating relative quantities in complex empirical engineering or software development tasks.
Top managers frequently put a lot of pressure on product development teams to ensure that estimates are as accurate as possible. However, it is important to remember that an estimate is just that: an estimate, not a hard, concrete number. It is also difficult to figure out when and how to estimate…
Planning Poker holds a never-ending bond with Agile teams, but its evolution into Async Poker and Hybrid Poker is just game-changing.
If we go back in time when the developers and supporters of Agile, Extreme Programming, and Scrum were explaining all the details about their revolutionary framework, they failed to provide instructions about one important aspect, i.e., backlog estimation. Agile teams were aware of the need for…
Effort estimation is an important activity for any project because it aids in reaching the desired results by completing the work on time.Estimation, however, is tough, according to product managers, project managers, and software developers. Indeed, many software developers consider it to be one of the most difficult aspects of their jobs. The good news is that there are various estimation approaches to choose from in agile project…
Choose a proper agile estimation technique: Planning poker, T-Shirt Size, Dot Voting, and seven more.
Estimation is not an easy task but a crucial one. Without accurately estimating the cost and time frame of a project, it can lead to prominent delays, inefficiencies, and other issues. But estimation is not just conducted by one individual in a team, instead, the whole team collaborates to derive…
Providing accurate estimates is one of the largest challenges for agile development teams, but planning poker aims to ease this burden with an effective method.
One of the most difficult obstacles that agile development teams encounter is an effective estimation. Scrum masters must identify, estimate, and allocate work throughout a team regardless of its size. Moreover, each project is unique and likely requires a different estimation. Nevertheless…
Improve your efficienty and enhances the productivity of team members with asynchronous planning poker.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the remote working environment has triggered across the world. For employees, doing day-to-day operations from their homes became a new normal. Since the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet, it has let many businesses set up solid roots of remote working that they might…
