Scrum ceremonies are the set of 4 meetings constituting key rituals in the agile method.
But what is the Scrum Process? And sprint? And users stories?
Let's start with 2-3 very simple definitions, to get into the swing of things.
A sprint: A relatively short period of time, during which the development team focuses on a specific objective.
SCRUM: An agile methodology that allows teams to deliver products by focusing on short, iterative cycles and constant collaboration. The project here is not fixed and any changes can be made.
User story: A method for describing the functionality of a product from a user's perspective, short and simple, they are used to describe specific features or requirements.
⭐The Sprint Planning
This is a meeting that takes place on the first day of the sprint.
To successfully complete your sprint and sprint planning, it is essential to take time (LOTS of time).
On average, we talk about :
- 2 to 4 hours of sprint planning (for a 2-week sprint)
- 4 to 8 hours of sprint planning (for a 4-week sprint)
The goal?
- Determine the objective of the sprint and what will be delivered at the end
- Choose the user stories to realize
- Estimate the time required to complete each task
⭐The Daily Scrum
This is a meeting that takes place every morning - it is the fastest of all (max 15min).
The participants go over what was done the day before, what they plan to do today, and what would have prevented them from moving forward.
The particularity? This meeting is held standing up (see our article on standup meetings).
No overflow of timing accepted (No small talk about children or dogs 🙌)
The goal?
- Share relevant information
- Create transparent communication within the team
- Offer recognition to employees
- Allow mutual support between each other
⭐The sprint review
This is a meeting where the finished deliverables of the project are presented to the different stakeholders.
This is a demo to make sure that the product fits the customer's needs.
The maximum duration of the sprint review is one hour (it's still reasonable 😇).
The goal?
- Review the objectives and results of the sprint
- Adjust the sprint plan for the upcoming sprint
- Provide suggestions and criticism on the deliverables
⭐The Sprint Retrospective
This is the closing meeting.
It is placed after the sprint review and before the next sprint planning, it is here that the whole sprint is reviewed.
The maximum duration is one hour and a half! (this is where you have to use all the methods to make the meeting more dynamic).
I promise, you won't end up like this 😉 :
The goal?
- Identify the lessons learned during the sprint
- Determine what changes to adopt for future sprints.
- Share ideas and solutions to problems encountered
- Thank the team!
💡Best practices to remember before becoming a SCRUM master:
- RESPECT the time limit
- Innovate to make your meetings more dynamic
- Find tricks to avoid timing overruns
- Prepare yourself before each meeting - to be as fluid as possible
- Take time to anticipate questions and think about them
- Test all deliverables the day before!
- Take notes of all feedback and suggestions
- Give your teams autonomy - they will be more productive