the Story will determine how to implement it. Review the Lean concept of making decisions at the Last Responsible Moment. [3] This is also why I suggest avoiding breaking Stories down into Tasks during planning, as it locks in the implementation too early.
Transform the List of Stories Into a Contract with the Customer
The customer should feel confident that the team will achieve what it signed up to do.
Goal: Make sure everyone is comfortable and aligned with the iteration objectives.
Ending the planning session: This is a critical point as the whole team is now committing to deliver on this set of Stories at the end of the iteration. Use the Fist of Five or other voting strategy to ensure that the confidence is high. [4] Then, conduct some type of ritual, like signing a contract. This lets everyone know that the commitment is accepted and will be treated with respect.
Tracking Iteration Progress
The customer should be kept informed on how well the iteration is going. A customer that understands the Product Owner role will be happy to be involved daily as long as he sees benefit derived from the investment. The customer should never be surprised at the end of the iteration.
Goal: Involve the customer in adjusting the plan to match reality as it happens.
Daily cycle:
1. Start the day with a Standup, and encourage the customer to attend.
2. Review the impediment list and blocked Stories with the customer, and update the resolution plan.
3. Review the iteration progress and remaining work.
4. Allow the team to arrange assignments for the workday, who is working on what, who needs help, etc.
5. Do quality work and have fun.
Story overrun : Having a Story take longer than expected is a common risk to an iteration's commitment. First, try to identify the problem as early as possible. This is easier with small Stories since it will become obvious sooner if it is taking longer than expected. Once the problem is identified do whatever is possible to keep the Story on track.
The following is a prioritized list of agile ways to address an overrun:
1. Raise the issue to the customer and ask for assistance in resolving the problem.
2. Find a way around the blocking issue through a team discussion.
3. Back up and start over - don't be afraid to throw away dead-end work.
4. Try a different brain on the problem - pass the Story to others for a fresh perspective.
5. Reduce the scope - try to find a quicker solution that is still acceptable to the customer.
6. Move on to another Story and come back after all other Stories are done.
7. Split the Story into one table for the current Sprint and one for a future Sprint.
8. Drop the Story from the Sprint - and preferably substitute a small Story that can be done instead.
Note on Meeting Commitments: No matter how well informed the customer is, he will feel letdown when the team does not meet the original commitment. If the team signs up for eight Stories then do your best to complete eight Stories. Breaking the commitment will lower trust and make it harder to be successful with agile.
Delivering
Before moving to the next iteration, validate this iteration's delivery and reflect on the iteration.
Ending the Iteration:
Goal: Celebrate the successful completion and discuss how it went.
1. Select a facilitator who will ensure that everyone is involved and provides input.
2. Review the original commitment and how it was adjusted during the
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