Amber Hunt - Sprint 3 Paper 1 - Understanding Agile Meetings

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1   INTRODUCTION

1.2   STAYING LIGHTWEIGHT

1.3   RUNNING AGILE MEETINGS

1.4   TIMEBOXING

1.5   CONCLUSION

1.1 Introduction

Meetings in an agile environment are well structured and scheduled. Although many other conversations are going on at the same time, it is still very productive. It is not just one person talking to the team, but the team talking to each all at the same time. Some teams call their meetings “scrum activities” because it is not a formal meeting. (Lynda.com – from LinkedIn, 2017) To understand agile meetings, one must follow these three guidelines. Staying lightweight, running agile meetings and timeboxing. These steps allow the meetings to run smoothly. The meetings are as it says, lightweight.

1.2 Staying lightweight

Most of the activities in Agile are very lightweight. Even though their meetings are scheduled, they are considered “low value”. (Lynda.com – from LinkedIn, 2017) Many team members still think in a way of traditional projects. Therefore, the scrum master usually must remind them that Agile is about being lightweight. And although it is lightweight, the activities still move on a very tight schedule. A lot of meetings can burden the team.

1.3 Running Agile Meetings            Running meetings in Agile can be very successful, if these five steps are followed. Standup, Planning, Refining, Demoing, and Improving. The first of the five and the most used is Standup. Standup takes about 15 minutes for the developers to meet. It is an activity that allows them to get a gist of what everyone is doing or what they plan to do. This type of communication keeps everyone updated on where the team is at. The second, which is Sprint Planning, says what is going to happen for the next two weeks. Third, refining is said to be one of the most flexible of all the activities. (Lynda.com – from LinkedIn, 2017) This is the one that does not have a set margin, the meetings are not as organized as the others. Demoing, which is the fourth activity, is where the team shows the finished work to stakeholders. It is done at the end of the two weeks and they usually have about two hours to present. The product owner is mostly in charge of this meeting. The last of the activities is Improvement, also known as “Self-Improvement”. This activity is said to be the most important, has a constraint of two hours and if often called the Team retrospective. (Lynda.com – from LinkedIn, 2017) If the team cannot be better, then there will be room for error.

1.4 Timeboxing

A Timebox is a box of time that cannot expand. (Lynda.com – from LinkedIn, 2017) If a meeting says it is going to be an hour, that means it cannot go beyond an hour. Timeboxes are broken down into smaller boxes within an agile environment and every team must have. Without timeboxes, teams would not have a steady pace.

1.5 Conclusion

In conclusion, meetings in an Agile are lightweight but also very scheduled and has a tight schedule. Many scrum masters do not believe in having a lot of meetings because it can burden the team. Running meetings on the other hand, could be very easy if the five steps are followed. They keep the teams working together and have proven to be very productive. Timeboxing gives a specific time, once that time is up, the activity is over. Therefore, time must be allotted for.

Reference

Google.com. (2017). meetings in agile - Google Search. [online] Available at: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS628US628&tbm=isch&q=meetings+in+agile&chips=q:meetings+in+agile,g_1:team+meeting&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3o47ejMbXAhXENSYKHVQjDTgQ4lYIJigA&biw=1500&bih=714&dpr=0.9#imgrc=YzIXtOGV8TNlIM: [Accessed 17 Nov. 2017].

Lynda.com - from LinkedIn. (2017). Running agile meetings. [online] Available at: https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Running-agile-meetings/175075/437991-4.html [Accessed

16 Nov. 2017].

Lynda.com - from LinkedIn. (2017). Staying lightweight. [online] Available at https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Staying-lightweight/175075/437990-4.html l [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].

Lynda.com - from LinkedIn. (2017). Timeboxing. [online] Available at: https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Timeboxing/175075/437992-4.html [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].