SCRUMCommitment and Prioritisation

Scrum is a powerful approach to effectively

book project results. It keeps costs and time

manageable and provides practical solutions to

build functionality in a flexible way.

Moreover, the method is transparent and very

understandable. Within Maxcode we use

Scrum in our projects since 2009 and we’ve

created an environment to optimally apply it.

Duration, cost and functionality

Scrum makes a project manageable, yet flexible:

• Fixed duration due to clear agreements about the

duration of a Sprint (a development period) and the

number of Sprints.

• Cost Control by agreeing on a certain capacity per

sprint.

The short-cyclical nature of Scrum adds to the

flexibility. The team is working on the current

Sprint, while the Product Owner (customer

representative) freely makes changes for future

Sprints.

Functionality can expire, it can be replaced by

other, become more or less important, or it can

receive another interpretation than initially

foreseen, as a result of detailing.

The short duration of Sprints makes it possible

to regularly show results and avoid too long a

continuation in a wrong direction.

To smoothly manage this flexibility, Scrum depends on some basic rules.

We’ll highlight two of those rules.

Two Scrum Rules

1. Only the development team estimates the

amount of work and determines how much

work fits into a Sprint.

2. The Product Owner determines on behalf of

the stakeholders the development sequence of

the functionality (The Stories in the Product

Backlog).

Consequently, the achieved results are variable,

but very predictable by applying the rules.

Moreover, the key functionality is built first.

Correctly applying the rules prevents

undesirable effects on cost, time or quality.

Maxcode interprets these rules by:

1. Actually offering the team the chance to commit.

2. Helping the Product Owner prioritise.

Flickr user Thomas Heylen

Commitment

Flickr user Jim Larrison

Scrum uses the term 'commitment'. The team

will endeavour to achieve a certain quantity of

functionality in a Sprint. The team gives this

commitment or devotion.

If you want the team to be accountable for

performance or if members should be able to

address each other on performance, the

amount of work should never be imposed by

pressure or desire.

Excessive workload leads to errors. The danger

of a negative spiral is at hand: More pressure,

more mistakes, more irritation, more errors,

etc.

Prioritisation

Flickr user Lars Plougmann

Besides commitment, prioritisation is an

important component. In Scrum, this means

maintaining a Product Backlog, which records

the to-be-built functionality (expressed in

Stories), in desired order.

An experienced team does this by asking

critical questions about specific functionality

and by composing understandable (not too

technical) Stories.

The Product Owner needs to do a lot in the

short period of a Sprint (usually two weeks).

Every Sprint he needs to evaluate the results

and ensure that the order and detailing for at

least the coming Sprint is ready in time.

The Product Owner needs to do a lot in the

short period of a Sprint (usually two weeks).

Every Sprint he needs to evaluate the results

and ensure that the order and detailing for at

least the coming Sprint is ready in time.

At Maxcode, personal responsibility is key. We create an environment that suits the above described way of

working.

Flickr user EG Focus

Scrum at Maxcode

Flickr user Florent Darrauilt

We directly involve the full team in the

preparation of a proposal. First, a general

description of what needs to be developed is

written. A user model identifies different users

and roles.

Only after this has been agreed with the

customer, the Stories are composed and

assessed. We encourage team members to

take a critical look at the order of these Stories.

From the moment we hand over the proposal

to the customer, the Product Backlog becomes

his responsibility. Is it clear enough? Is the

order in line with the priorities of the

customer?

During the project, the team constantly checkswhether the most relevant aspects are handledfirst. They challenge the Product Owner tomake choices if needed.

This creates a good consultative structure, setsthe focus to the most relevant first and givesthe project the cadence it needs.

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