Scrum

Better Software Magazine Articles

A Real Sprint in the Life of a ScrumMaster

You read so many books and articles that present how perfectly a Scrum project goes; yet in practice, that is rarely the case. Natalie shares ten lessons that she learned the hard way when she started out as a ScrumMaster. Special attention is given to ways you can avoid those same mistakes.

Natalie Warnert's picture Natalie Warnert
Why Quality Is such a Big Deal

In this issue's Editor's Note, Ken Whitaker introduces an issue that is focused on quality and testing, summarizing the value of each of the featured articles.

Ken Whitaker's picture Ken Whitaker
Building a Solid Scrum Foundation Requires Clear Roles

Without clearly defined roles and responsibilities, actions taken by key project stakeholders may result in project misfires. Kyle shows what you should do to avoid the situation when roles are misunderstood, overlapped, or completely missing.

Kyle  Roozen 's picture Kyle Roozen
Moving Beyond the Backlog: The Four Quadrants of Product Ownership

What do you consider the role of product owner in an agile development project to be? Bob presents a compelling perspective that a product owner has four distinct critical roles that can prove impactful to a team's success.

Bob Galen's picture Bob Galen
Piece By Piece: Test Estimation and Planning in Agile Teams

The iterative agile methodology provides a clearer vision, smaller time scale, and closer planning horizon. The authors look at approaches to estimation and planning, from product backlog grooming to task-estimating tables and more.

A Look Behind the Curtain: Debunking 12 Myths of Agile Development

When it comes to agile development, Allan Kelly has noticed a lot of misinformation being passed off as fact. In this article, he takes a closer look at twelve of the most common agile myths he has encountered while training new agile teams.

Allan Kelly's picture Allan Kelly
Storycrafting: From Idea to Action in the Face of Unknowns

To see an endeavor through to completion, you need vision and the skills to execute it. Inspired by the software craftsmanship movement, which is making great strides on the skills front, Nancy Van Schooenderwoert has been developing a practice she calls “storycrafting” to create a clear vision.

Agile Teamwork: Three Ways to Minimize Handoffs

Rather than rely on large handoffs between specialties, high-performing Scrum teams learn to do a little bit of everything all the time during a sprint. To do this effectively, teams must make three changes: shift from writing about requirements to talking about them, reduce the size of handoffs and make them more frequently, and pay more attention to the size of the product backlog items that they bring into their sprints.

Mike Cohn's picture Mike Cohn
The Three Amigos: All for One and One for All

Analysts determine what needs to be created. Programmers create it. Testers find the holes in the work of both. That's one way to do it, but all three can collaborate to do these things better, and more easily, too.

George Dinwiddie's picture George Dinwiddie
The Roles of the Project Management Office in Scrum

Successfully adopting Scrum entails understanding and perhaps adjusting the role of the project management office (PMO), whose workers are often resistant to the lighter-weight process. But, they can become a critical part of agile success. Discover how an agile PMO works.

Mike Cohn's picture Mike Cohn

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