Agile Software Development (AL-703 (C)) Unit 3 Notes

How unit 3 is examined

Scrum framework, artifacts, meetings, roles, planning, sprint cycle, user stories, acceptance tests, burn down chart and daily scrum; the marks so far came from Scrum values, roles, user stories, advanced Scrum, Atern and Scrum best practices.

Agile Scrum Framework

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Definition. <mark>Scrum is a lightweight Agile framework in which a small self-organising team delivers a potentially shippable product increment in fixed-length iterations called sprints, inspecting and adapting the work continuously.</mark>

Diagram. <figure class="ds-fig" style="margin:1.4rem 0;overflow-x:auto"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" id="dsfig-u3-01" viewBox="0 0 467 80" width="467" height="80" role="img" aria-label="Scrum flow. PB = Product Backlog, SB = Sprint Backlog, SP = Sprint (1-4 weeks), INC = Increment"><style>#dsfig-u3-01 .e{stroke:#454C5A;stroke-width:1.4;fill:none}#dsfig-u3-01 .e.hi{stroke:#2340B8;stroke-width:2.6}#dsfig-u3-01 .n{fill:#FFFFFF;stroke:#16181D;stroke-width:1.4}#dsfig-u3-01 .n.hi{fill:#E3E9FC;stroke:#2340B8;stroke-width:2.2}#dsfig-u3-01 .n.rb-b{fill:#16181D;stroke:#16181D}#dsfig-u3-01 .n.rb-r{fill:#BD3227;stroke:#BD3227}#dsfig-u3-01 text{font-family:"JetBrains Mono",ui-monospace,Menlo,Consolas,monospace;font-size:13px}#dsfig-u3-01 .t{fill:#16181D;font-weight:500}#dsfig-u3-01 .t.inv{fill:#FFFFFF;font-weight:700}#dsfig-u3-01 .kd{stroke:#16181D;stroke-width:1.2}#dsfig-u3-01 .dot{fill:#16181D}#dsfig-u3-01 .ann{fill:#2340B8;font-size:11px;font-weight:700}#dsfig-u3-01 .lbl{fill:#6F7787;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:700}#dsfig-u3-01 .ptr{fill:#2340B8;font-size:12px;font-weight:700}#dsfig-u3-01 .ah{fill:#454C5A}#dsfig-u3-01 .ah.hi{fill:#2340B8}#dsfig-u3-01 .wl rect{fill:#FFFFFF;stroke:#DCE0E7}#dsfig-u3-01 .wl .t{font-size:12px;font-weight:700}#dsfig-u3-01 .wl.hi rect{fill:#2340B8;stroke:#2340B8}#dsfig-u3-01 .wl.hi .t{fill:#FFFFFF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .e{stroke:#B1B7C3}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .e.hi{stroke:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .n{fill:#161920;stroke:#E6E8ED}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .n.hi{fill:#1E2748;stroke:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .n.rb-b{fill:#E6E8ED;stroke:#E6E8ED}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .n.rb-r{fill:#FF7E71;stroke:#FF7E71}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .t{fill:#E6E8ED}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .t.inv{fill:#0F1115}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .kd{stroke:#E6E8ED}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .dot{fill:#E6E8ED}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .ann{fill:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .lbl{fill:#858D9C}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .ptr{fill:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .ah{fill:#B1B7C3}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .ah.hi{fill:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .wl rect{fill:#161920;stroke:#2A2E37}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .wl.hi rect{fill:#8FA3FF;stroke:#8FA3FF}html.dark #dsfig-u3-01 .wl.hi .t{fill:#0F1115}</style><defs><marker id="ah1" viewBox="0 0 10 10" refX="9" refY="5" markerWidth="7" markerHeight="7" orient="auto-start-reverse"><path class="ah" d="M0,1 L9,5 L0,9 z"/></marker><marker id="ahh1" viewBox="0 0 10 10" refX="9" refY="5" markerWidth="7" markerHeight="7" orient="auto-start-reverse"><path class="ah hi" d="M0,1 L9,5 L0,9 z"/></marker></defs><path class="e" d="M59,40 L148,40" marker-end="url(#ah1)"/><path class="e" d="M188,40 L277,40" marker-end="url(#ah1)"/><path class="e" d="M317,40 L406,40" marker-end="url(#ah1)"/><g class="wl"><rect x="210" y="31" width="47.1" height="18" rx="9"/><text class="t" x="233.5" y="40" dy=".35em" text-anchor="middle">daily</text></g><circle class="n" cx="40" cy="40" r="18"/><text class="t" x="40" y="40" dy=".35em" text-anchor="middle">PB</text><circle class="n" cx="169" cy="40" r="18"/><text class="t" x="169" y="40" dy=".35em" text-anchor="middle">SB</text><circle class="n" cx="298" cy="40" r="18"/><text class="t" x="298" y="40" dy=".35em" text-anchor="middle">SP</text><circle class="n" cx="427" cy="40" r="18"/><text class="t" x="427" y="40" dy=".35em" text-anchor="middle">INC</text></svg><figcaption style="font-size:.82em;opacity:.72;margin-top:.45rem">Scrum flow. PB = Product Backlog, SB = Sprint Backlog, SP = Sprint (1-4 weeks), INC = Increment</figcaption></figure>

Key points.

Need: software products are complex and requirements change, so Scrum gives short feedback cycles instead of a fixed up-front plan.
Scrum gives transparency, because backlog, progress and impediments are visible to everyone, and it supports inspection and adaptation.
Scrum values are commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect.
Commitment to team goals, courage to face hard problems, focus on sprint work, openness about work and challenges, and respect among members.

Answer frame. Open with the definition; draw the flow; give need, then the five values with one clause each; close with "Scrum delivers value early and adapts to change".

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) What is Scrum? What is the need of Scrum? What values are provided by Scrum?

Scrum Artifacts

Definition. Scrum artifacts are the information sources that give the team and stakeholders transparency about the work.

Key points.

The Product Backlog is the ordered list of everything the product needs, owned by the Product Owner.
The Sprint Backlog is the items chosen for the sprint plus the team's plan to deliver them, owned by the Development Team.
The Increment is the sum of all completed backlog items, and it must meet the Definition of Done.

Meetings

Definition. Scrum meetings are timeboxed events that inspect and adapt the work.

Key points.

Sprint Planning decides what will be built and how, up to 8 hours for a one-month sprint.
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute sync of the Development Team.
Sprint Review demonstrates the Increment to stakeholders, up to 4 hours for a month.
Sprint Retrospective is the team's inspection of its own process, up to 3 hours for a month.

Activities and Roles

Definition. <mark>Scrum has three roles: the Product Owner who maximises product value, the Scrum Master who coaches the team on Scrum, and the Development Team that builds the increment.</mark>

Key points.

The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog, sets priorities and represents the customer.
The Scrum Master removes impediments, facilitates events and protects the team; he or she does not assign tasks.
The Development Team is cross-functional and self-organising, and decides how to turn backlog items into an increment.

Point	Agile (Scrum) roles	Traditional roles
Control	Self-organising team	Project manager assigns tasks
Leader	Scrum Master serves and coaches	Manager commands and controls
Requirements	Product Owner keeps a changing backlog	Analyst freezes requirements early
Titles	Team members share work across skills	Fixed roles: analyst, designer, tester
Customer	Continuous involvement	Involved at start and end

Answer frame. Open by naming the three roles; develop each with responsibilities; then give the table; close with "Scrum replaces command and control with collaboration".

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) Explain various roles in Agile process. How are these roles different from traditional roles?

Scrum Team Simulation

Definition. A Scrum team simulation is a classroom exercise in which participants play the roles and run short sprints on a toy project.

Key points.

Participants take the Product Owner, Scrum Master and Development Team roles.
The team builds a backlog, plans a sprint, works within a timebox, and holds a review and retrospective.
It teaches timeboxing, prioritisation and self-organisation by practice rather than theory.

Scrum Planning Principles

Definition. Scrum planning is done at several levels, product vision, release, sprint and day, each more detailed and each revised as learning arrives.

Key points.

Plan just in time: near items are detailed, far items stay rough.
Timebox every plan and fix the date, letting scope vary.
Prioritise by business value, and plan with the whole team.
Atern (DSDM) rationale: it suits Agile because it puts business need first and uses timeboxes and MoSCoW priorities to deliver on time. Its principles are focus on business need, deliver on time, collaborate, never compromise quality, build incrementally, develop iteratively, communicate continuously and demonstrate control.
Best practices to manage Scrum: groom the backlog regularly, keep stand-ups to 15 minutes, keep sprints fixed in length, define Done, show working software at each review, and hold a retrospective every sprint.

Asked: [14 marks] (Dec 2020) Explain: (a) the rationale for using Atern philosophy in Agile; (b) best practices to manage Scrum.

Product and Release Planning

Definition. Product planning builds a vision and product backlog; release planning groups backlog items into releases by priority, estimate and velocity.

Key points.

The Product Owner writes the vision and orders backlog items by value.
The team estimates items in story points.
Release date is estimated as remaining points divided by velocity per sprint.
Backlog refinement keeps the top items ready.

Sprinting: Planning

Definition. Sprint planning is the meeting where the team selects backlog items for the coming sprint and plans the work.

Key points.

It answers what can be delivered and how it will be done.
The team commits to a sprint goal and pulls items according to its velocity.
Items are broken into tasks with hour estimates to form the Sprint Backlog.

Execution

Definition. Execution is the sprint itself, when the team designs, codes and tests the selected items.

Key points.

Scope may be clarified but the sprint goal is not changed.
The team synchronises in the Daily Scrum and updates the burn down chart.
The Scrum Master removes impediments.
Only the Product Owner may cancel a sprint.

Review and Retrospective

Definition. The Sprint Review inspects the product Increment with stakeholders; the Retrospective inspects the team's process.

Key points.

In the review the team demonstrates completed work and the Product Owner updates the backlog.
Stakeholder feedback shapes the next sprint.
The retrospective lists what went well, what did not, and improvements to try next sprint.

User story definition and Characteristics

Definition. <mark>A user story is a short description of a feature from the user's view, written as "As a <role>, I want <goal>, so that <benefit>".</mark>

Key points.

Stories are kept in the product backlog, estimated in story points and selected in sprint planning.
Good stories follow INVEST: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable.
Each story carries acceptance criteria that decide when it is done.

Example. Story: As a customer, I want to reset my password by email, so that I can regain access. Acceptance test: given a registered email, a reset link arrives within a minute and the new password works.

Answer frame. Open with the definition template; give the INVEST list; show how stories feed backlog, planning and acceptance; close with the example.

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) What is meant by user stories? How are they used in Agile? Discuss with a suitable example.

Acceptance tests and Verifying stories

Definition. An acceptance test is a customer-defined check that confirms a story behaves as agreed.

Key points.

Tests are written with the story, often as Given-When-Then.
A story is done only when its tests pass and the Definition of Done is met.
The Product Owner accepts or rejects the story in the review.

Burn down chart

Definition. A burn down chart plots remaining work (y-axis) against time (x-axis) to show progress toward completion.

Key points.

The ideal line falls straight from total work to zero at sprint end.
The actual line below the ideal means ahead of schedule, above means behind.
Sprint burn down uses task hours; release burn down uses story points.
Velocity is story points completed per sprint.

Daily scrum

Definition. The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute timeboxed meeting held at the same time and place each day by the Development Team.

Key points.

Each member answers: what I did yesterday, what I will do today, what blocks me.
It plans the next 24 hours and exposes impediments; it is not a status report to management.
Problems raised are solved afterwards, not during the meeting.

Scrum Case Study

Definition. A Scrum case study applies the framework to a real project, such as building an online shop in four-week sprints.

Key points.

Sprint 1 delivers login and catalogue, sprint 2 the cart and payment, tracked on a burn down chart.
Advanced Scrum applications scale the basics. Distributed Scrum runs sprints across locations using video stand-ups and shared tools, at the cost of time-zone and communication problems.
Scrum of Scrums has one representative per team meet to coordinate dependencies among several teams.
Large-scale Scrum combines many teams on one product with a shared backlog, giving scale but needing coordination and a common Definition of Done.

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) What are various advanced Scrum applications? Explain each of them.

Last-minute revision

Scrum values: commitment, courage, focus, openness, respect.
Roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team.
Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment.
Events: Sprint, Planning, Daily Scrum (15 min), Review, Retrospective.
Sprint length is 1-4 weeks and fixed.
User story: As a ... I want ... so that ...; INVEST.
Release date = remaining points / velocity.
Burn down: remaining work against time.
Atern (DSDM) puts business need first with timeboxes and MoSCoW.
Advanced Scrum: distributed, Scrum of Scrums, large-scale.

Memory hooks

CCFOR: Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, Respect.
PO decides what, SM helps how Scrum works, Team decides how to build.
3 questions in the Daily Scrum: yesterday, today, blockers.
INVEST spells the story checklist.

Coverage checklist

Agile Scrum Framework: Dec 2020 what, need, values.
Scrum Artifacts: backlogs and increment.
Meetings: planning, daily, review, retrospective.
Activities and Roles: Dec 2020 roles versus traditional.
Scrum Team Simulation: role-play sprints.
Scrum Planning Principles: Dec 2020 Atern and best practices.
Product and Release Planning: vision, velocity.
Sprinting: Planning: sprint goal and backlog.
Execution: sprint work.
Review and Retrospective: demo and improvement.
User story definition and Characteristics: Dec 2020 user stories.
Acceptance tests and Verifying stories: Given-When-Then.
Burn down chart: ideal versus actual.
Daily scrum: three questions.
Scrum Case Study: Dec 2020 advanced Scrum applications.

Account

Agile Software Development (AL-703 (C)) - Unit 3 Short Notes

How unit 3 is examined

Agile Scrum Framework

Scrum Artifacts

Meetings

Activities and Roles

Scrum Team Simulation

Scrum Planning Principles

Product and Release Planning

Sprinting: Planning

Execution

Review and Retrospective

User story definition and Characteristics

Acceptance tests and Verifying stories

Burn down chart

Daily scrum

Scrum Case Study

Last-minute revision

Memory hooks

Coverage checklist