Scrum Inc. Services 2014 · Scrum Inc. Services ... Scrum is an Agile organizational framework that...
Transcript of Scrum Inc. Services 2014 · Scrum Inc. Services ... Scrum is an Agile organizational framework that...
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Summary of Scrum Transformation Services
• General Terms and Conditions
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Introduction
Scrum is an Agile organizational framework that allows any team, business unit,
department, or enterprise to maximize output while improving product quality. It
does this by keeping teams focused on the greatest sources of value creation,
eliminating unnecessary overhead activities, and empowering team members to
achieve their collective potential. Organizations using Scrum have realized both
revenue growth and cost reduction by completing more work with the same or even
less effort than traditional management approaches. Successful Scrum organizations
are also generally regarded as more satisfying places to work, while delighting
customers more than their competitors. A successful Scrum adoption will result in a
profound transformation of the organization, and requires senior leadership, middle
managers, and workers to commit to adopt its use. This change will be felt at the
team level, but will ultimately affect all layers of the organization. Properly
implemented, Scrum increases the speed of development, aligns individual and
corporate objectives and supports shareholder value creation.
Founded by Scrum co-creator Jeff Sutherland, Scrum Inc. provides a comprehensive
portfolio of solutions for companies seeking high-impact results through Scrum
development. Services include training on Scrum concepts, execution and
management; coaching and consulting support of enterprise-level Scrum
implementation; and publications that advance the frontier of Agile thinking.
All services may be customized to meet our client’s unique requirements. We
welcome further discussion of how to tailor our services to best meet your needs.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Scrum Transformation Services
Scrum is designed to add energy, focus, clarity, and transparency to project
development planning and implementation. Properly implemented, Scrum will:
• Increase speed of development and reduce time to market
• Align individual and corporate objectives
• Break down organizational silos
• Create a culture driven by performance
• Support shareholder value creation
• Achieve stable and consistent communication of performance at all levels
• Enhance individual development and quality of life
Achieving these goals requires developing an Agile mindset at all levels of the
organization. Based on our initial discussion, we propose the following high-level plan
for a combination of services to support a complete agile transformation. Each
service may be selected individually or in combination with others. Alternative
service configurations are presented, where applicable.
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Part I – Scrum Strategic Consulting
Clients may wish to engage in high-level discussion about whether Agile methods can
improve its delivery of products and services, and if so how Scrum can support its
broader corporate strategic goals, and what that means for the way it codifies and
implements its Scrum.
Scrum Inc. offers strategic consulting from some of the leading thinkers in Agile
Strategy for companies needing assistance adapting Scrum to meet new or novel
applications, or where there is a strong emphasis on customization and linking
Scrum methods to business goals and strategy. Engagement length and description
can vary widely, (including on-site and remote support) and is usually defined ahead
of time in response to a company’s specific needs.
Part II – Scrum Team Training
A critical part of a successful Scrum transformation is broader training of the teams
to ensure that they share a common foundation of understanding, and know not just
WHAT they are doing, but WHY as well.
Scrum Inc. offers private classes for groups of 15 or more students from the same
company. These classes are taught on-site at the customer’s location, and can
incorporate actual company data and issues to illustrate the course material with
highly relevant examples.
Target Audience: Scrum Inc. provides training focused on the Scrum Master,
Product Owner or team members. All our classes are comprehensive, highly
participatory and use hands-on exercises to convey the key material. Each class
focuses on the different aspects of Scrum that are particularly relevant to each role
of the participants.
Certified vs. Non-Certified: Certified classes cover all of the curriculum required
by the Scrum Alliance to take their “Certified Scrum Master” or “Certified Product
Owner” test. After completing the class, all participants will receive an email
invitation to take the certification exam. The cost of certification is included in the
course price.
Non-Certified classes can cover the same curriculum as a certified class, but have the
advantage of being more flexible to spend time on topics and issues that are
particularly relevant to a given set of teams. Non-certified classes are also easier to
schedule and less expensive than certified classes. They are a great option for
companies that are not focused on whether employees receive a credential from the
training.
Course Agenda: All Scrum Inc. courses provide everything you need to begin
leading or participating in a Scrum team. Participants learn:
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• What is Scrum? Team roles, tools and time constructs
• How to set up Scrum teams and begin work in the most effective way
• How to create, prioritize, and estimate user stories for the product backlog
• The role of management in a company powered by self-organizing teams
• How to help both new and experienced teams be more successful
A combination of group exercises, facilitated discussions, case studies, tool examples
and open Q&A are used to illustrate the principles being taught. The courses use a
flexible curriculum that allows the team to help guide its own learning experience.
For people in a specific Scrum role, such as the Scrum Master, and people supporting
Scrum Teams who want to improve quality and productivity using Scrum, the two-
day courses focus on “expert practice” for both hard and soft skills.
The course structure uses Scrum to organize the class. During the course, feedback
is gathered from participants to tune the course for maximum value. We rely heavily
on class participation to amplify relevant conversation, exploration, and discovery.
Further, we encourage actionable commitments to extend value beyond the
classroom. All participants in Certified classes will be eligible to receive the Scrum
Alliance’s Certified Scrum Master or Certified Scrum Product Owner designation.
Build Party (Optional Module): Use Scrum to build a car in 60-minute sprints.
Guided by professional coaches, it’s an inspirational experience that leaves
participants confident about conquering their work using Scrum. Because attendees
apply the Scrum framework and eXteme Manufacturing to solve complex problems,
build parties are a terrific way to win buy-in about agile practices.
Build Parties are perfect for introducing agile to organizations or to help practiced
teams re-launch. No Agile experience or automotive background is necessary. The
build party can be completed in as few as 3, 60-minute sprints.
We kick off each build party by having the attendees self-organize into 4 to 5 person
scrum teams, complete with a Scrum Master and Product Owner. Teams then swarm
on the backlog to complete as many stories as possible, with quality. Each sprint the
teams get a chance to review their work with the facilitators while using scaled
Scrum to address impediments, demonstrate their work, and refine the
backlog. When the Party ends, teams have built a car and had fun.
Part III – Leadership Workshop
Leadership is critical to a Scrum implementation. Whether a transition to a fully
Scrum organization, or just leveraging the work of specific teams, an engaged
management team generates tremendous productivity.
Our Leadership Workshop is designed to familiarize participants with Scrum
terminology and philosophy, outline Scrum tools and metrics to ensure full
transparency of the process, and define roles clearly. Particular focus is given to
how leadership teams can maintain and enhance their traditional goals of building
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shared vision, maintaining transparency on progress, and driving accountability using
Scrum's constructs and tools.
The workshop also emphasizes the important role of management in ensuring a
successful Scrum implementation by supporting infrastructure needed for success
and removing impediments that are beyond the team's ability to address. The
workshop includes an explicit discussion of what leaders should and should not
expect from a Scrum team at different phases of implementation.
All concepts are presented from a management perspective, including a module on
linking Scrum and Agile to the company's strategic goals to drive competitive
advantage. The workshop will use the leadership team's unique company goals and
pain points to motivate and illustrate Scrum, allowing them to address pressing
corporate issues in the context of the workshop.
Scrum Inc. offers both half-day and full-day workshops. Half-day workshops can
cover the key topics that leadership needs to know to succeed with Scrum, and
allows time for discussion and to answer questions. Leadership teams can use the
second half of a full-day workshop for one of several different purposes: 1) to dig
deeper into advanced topics that are of particular concern to them, such as
distributed teams or Scrum metrics and how they support visibility; 2) as a “hands
on” session to start working on known issues that leadership is facing; or 3) to plan
next steps for rolling out Scrum and transforming the organization.
Part IV – Team Launch Support
Once trained, the first tasks of a newly-launched Scrum team are to create and
prioritize its product backlog, and start the regular sprint cadence. Over the years,
we have found that teams that are supported through these initial steps develop
better internal practices that allow them to accelerate faster than unsupported teams.
By the end of two facilitated days, the pilot team(s) should have an initial backlog
sufficiently defined that they can use it to guide their ongoing work. They will also
have been through the key sprint planning meeting and daily standup with an
experienced professional.
Part V – Scrum Implementation Coaching
Targeted coaching support can dramatically improve both the speed and outcome of
implementing these changes. Over the years, we have found that teams that are
supported through these initial steps develop better internal practices that allow
them to accelerate faster than unsupported teams.
Typically, coaching comes in one of two different flavors:
1. A coach works intensively with one or more teams through several complete
Sprints to help build experience and a solid “muscle memory” from having
been through the full Scrum process in a facilitated environment
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2. A coach serves as a “thought partner” to the Scrum Master or Product Owner
for several teams. They can provide an experienced perspective on decisions
and challenges that the Scrum Master/Product Owner may be wrestling with,
and usually make periodic in-person visits to monitor progress and suggest
course corrections, as needed.
Clients can choose either flavor, or combine them to provide holistic support that
tapers over time until the teams are completely managing their own process.
Scrum Inc. provides as needed on-site support specifically with helping companies
launch or expand a Scrum implementation. The focus is on the mechanics of
successfully executing the Scrum process, with a goal of helping teams run their own
Scrum without external support as rapidly as practical.
Part VI – Scrum Capability Assessment
The Scrum Inc. Capability Assessment is a rapid, structured, tailored, yet minimally-
disruptive way to identify a company’s current Agile strengths and weaknesses, and
define a path toward ongoing improvement. The assessment looks at your
company’s Scrum practices from top to bottom and assesses the capabilities of the
teams actually doing the work. The results reveal where your Scrum is strong, and
what practices are holding you back. Specific subjects addressed in the assessment
include: 1) execution of the Scrum framework; 2) effectiveness of the product
backlog and Product Owner function; 3) rigor of continuous improvement processes;
4) team dynamics; and 5) workspace and tooling. Additional modules of the
assessment evaluate the strength of team engineering (XP) and workflow (Kanban)
practices, if applicable.
After the assessment, each team and the company as a whole will be given an
overall ScrumScoreTM and a prioritized backlog of actionable steps to drive the
greatest improvement. Companies or teams demonstrating mature and well-
functioning Scrum processes will be awarded a bronze, silver or gold Scrum
Capability Rating that celebrates your achievement to the outside world.
The Assessment consists of: 1) Pre-visit information collection; 2) A pre-visit
coordination call; 3) An on-site visit to each location where Scrum teams are
working; and 4) A post-visit report and awarding of any applicable Scrum Capability
Ratings.
Pre-Visit Information Collection - Several weeks prior to the on-site assessment,
the organization being assessed (the host company) sends the Scrum Inc.
assessment team a focused set of data and metrics that helps the assessment team
understand the key processes that the Scrum teams execute. It also helps to prepare
for the on-site visit to be as efficient as possible.
Pre-Visit Coordination Call - After reviewing the supplied materials, the
Assessment team will have a call with the host company’s key contact to finalize
plans for the on-site assessment. This will include:
• Agreeing on dates, locations, and local contacts for the on-site visits
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• Scheduling meetings and one-on-one discussions with key team members,
including: Leadership, Product Owners, Scrum Masters (more detail below)
• Arranging on-site logistics (internet access, security, temporary space)
• Clarifying any questions from the pre-visit data
The Scrum Inc. Assessment team can provide an introductory email to send to the
host company’s Scrum teams in advance of the visit to explain the visit and the
assessment process.
On-Site Visit - The on-site visit is the core element of the assessment. It is a
minimum of two days, with an additional day expected for every 4 teams beyond the
first 4, and one additional day for each location beyond the first. The on-site visit will
conducted by two-four members of our assessment team, and has 5 key elements:
• Leadership Meeting – This is a chance at the beginning of the assessment to
explain the Assessment and its deliverables. It is also an opportunity to
discuss the leadership team’s understanding of and goals for using Scrum.
• Introductory Meeting with Teams – This is an opportunity to Introduce Scrum
Inc. and the assessment, answer any questions, break the ice, etc. In
keeping with the Scrum principle of transparency, it is designed to show that
there is no hidden agenda and reduce potential anxiety that the teams may
feel. This can be one meeting with all teams, or separate meetings with
individual teams depending on host company schedule and preference.
• Interview POs and Agile Coaches – Over the course of the multi-day visit, the
assessment team will have one-on-one discussions with all Product Owners
and Coaches to talk about their particular Scrum, how they execute the key
Scrum practices and meetings and their interpretation of how Scrum supports
the organization’s goals and objectives.
• Team Observation – Between the meetings, the assessment team will observe
the teams working and interacting in their actual team environment. At a
minimum, this will include observing all of the key Scrum meetings: Daily
Standup, Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
• Wrap-Up – At the end of the on-site visit, the assessment team will meet with
the assessment sponsors and relevant leadership about initial findings. The
assessment team will already be able to share a preliminary report of findings
that can outline the overall results, key strengths and opportunities for
improvement, and an estimate of the incremental business value from
addressing the top opportunities.
Post-Visit Follow-Up - In the week following the on-site visit, the assessment team
will further distill the themes from the findings of the assessment and prepare a
more detailed final report for company distribution. The report will highlight key
strengths, top opportunities for improvement, and provide detailed recommendations
on the next steps to improvement. The final report will also include how teams in the
host company compare to teams at other assessed companies, and an estimated
velocity improvement and potential business value increase if the proposed
recommendations are implemented.
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These findings can be shared and discussed in a live meeting between the host
company and the Assessment team. The report will also indicate whether the
company or any team has qualified for a Scrum Capability Rating.
At that time, any companies or teams qualifying for a Scrum Capability Rating will
also receive a marketing package including:
• A personalized .jpeg of the award icons that can be used on the host
company’s website and marketing materials. The icon indicates the company,
date of assessment, and level of recognition achieved
• A rating description that can be shared with teams, customers and others
• The link to view the host company’s rating as officially listed on the Scrum Inc.
website
ScrumScore™:
Companies that demonstrate mature Scrum practices will be awarded one of three
different Scrum Capability Rating Awards in recognition of their accomplishment:
Bronze, Silver, or Gold. All ratings will be dated with the month and year they were
awarded, recognizing that any assessment is a snap shot in time. Bronze level
ratings will also indicate the specific teams included in the rating.
Bronze - A “Scrum Inc. Bronze” rated company is consistently executing essential
elements of Scrum well in core segments of their business. All roles, artifacts and
ceremonies are carried out effectively. Teams know their velocity and deliver a
working increment of product at the end of each Sprint. They are aware of and
consistently removing impediments, and have demonstrated and sustained
improvement in velocity over time. Any variations from core Scrum are deliberate,
done only in response to specific business needs, and grounded in Agile principles.
Silver - A “Scrum Inc. Silver” rated company is a step above. Not only do they meet
all requirements of the Bronze level, but they demonstrate effective use of advanced
patterns outside of core Scrum (e.g. using Scrum dashboards to report progress to
leadership, best practice engineering standards, demonstrating effective release
planning). They must be executing Scrum effectively across all value-generating
business units, including Agile leadership; and have successfully delivered on Agile
projects in the past.
Gold - A “Scrum Inc. Gold” rated company has achieved something truly
extraordinary. In addition to all traits of a Bronze and Silver company, several teams
at a Gold rated company have reached hyper-productivity. (i.e. a velocity increase of
4-8x). Gold companies have embraced Scrum at an enterprise level…delivering
repeatedly on Agile projects, using Agile contracting and performance evaluation,
and institutionalizing continuous improvement at a fundamental level. Gold
companies clearly demonstrate a focus on delivering to customers and explicitly
recruit each business unit to support that effort. A Gold rating represents the
pinnacle of Scrum/Agile proficiency, so at first we expect very few firms to reach this
level.
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General Pricing
For a list of our pricing please contact us directly.
General Terms and Conditions
The services and pricing outlined in this proposal are offered subject to the following
terms and conditions
Intellectual Property
Scrum Inc. and its subcontractors reserve exclusive rights to any pre-existing
methods, approaches, frameworks, documents, or other intellectual property used by
its staff in the course of completing this engagement. Our clients are granted a
limited license to use these methods, approaches, frameworks, documents or other
intellectual property for the exclusive purpose of implementing the actions or
recommendations derived from our work together.
Scrum Inc. also reserves the rights to any new intellectual property generated or
refined through the course of its work with clients. Rights to co-developed materials
may be jointly owned by Scrum Inc., its subcontractors, and clients with an active
role in their development. In this case, co-ownership must be explicitly granted in
writing by Scrum Inc.
In addition, Scrum Inc. is actively engaged in advancing the frontiers of Agile
thinking, and may seek to develop teaching materials, case studies and/or write-ups
derived from its work on this engagement. We always seek to do this in partnership
with our clients, and will request permission before publishing. Any data provided by
the client to Scrum Inc. for the purposes of completing our engagement remains the
client’s property.
Confidentiality
From time to time, our client work requires us to see and use non-public information
(written or otherwise), including employee data, financial data and internal strategic
documents. Disclosure of this “Confidential Information” could cause harm to our
client. In light of this, Scrum Inc. agrees to maintain the confidentiality of our
client’s Confidential Information. This information must be marked “Confidential” at
the time it is shared with Scrum Inc.
Information will not be considered “Confidential” if:
a. It is generally known to the public, or available in the public domain
b. It was independently developed by Scrum without access or reference to
other Confidential Information
c. It was lawfully obtained from a third party without any obligation of
confidentiality
d. It was known to Scrum Inc. prior to the start of the engagement
e. It was later published or generally disclosed by client
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Scrum Inc. may disclose confidential information as required by law. In this case,
we will notify our client of an impending disclosure before it is made.
Scrum Inc. also reserves the right to list past clients in our marketing, proposal, and
class materials.
Non-Competition
We recognize that well-executed Scrum implementation can drive significant
competitive advantage, and that Scrum Inc.’s work will occasionally expose us to
proprietary information that, if shared, could harm our client’s competitive position.
In light of this, Scrum Inc. is willing to enter a non-compete agreement with our
clients, if explicitly requested and justified by the work being performed. However,
any non-compete agreement will be limited to work with direct competitors to our
client (defined as operating in the same industry and geographic market as the client
business unit that Scrum Inc. is supporting) and the exclusion period of the non-
compete will not exceed one year following the last day of a paid engagement.
Staff Availability
Scrum Inc. will make every attempt to have the identified team available at the time
support is requested, or to make alternative staff available. To maintain our agile
operation, we require notice of an impending request for ad hoc consulting support
no later than the week before support is requested. Requests with more lead time
allow significantly more flexibility in support.
We continually seek to improve our service and results, and welcome any feedback
on our team, its members, or the service provided.
Payment Terms
Payment is due to Scrum Inc. within 30 days after receipt of each invoice. Scrum
Inc. reserves the right to apply interest, starting from the invoice date, calculated
using the US Prime Rate as listed in the Wall Street Journal on the invoice date and
compounded daily, on any payments not received within the 30-day window.
Limits of Liability
In no event will Scrum Inc. be liable for special, indirect, incidental or consequential
damages, including lost profits. This holds even if we have been advised of the
possibility of such damages. Scrum Inc.’s liability from any cause will be limited to
the total amount paid by the client to Scrum Inc. for its services.
Local Tax Obligation
The client is responsible for any local tax obligations created by our work during this
engagement. Any taxes imposed by local jurisdictions other than those where Scrum