How to Deliver High Value Software Features in a Short Time Period using Agile Scrum Process

A brief introduction to the Agile Scrum (Sprint) Process

Understanding the terms ‘Agile’, ‘Agile Development Process’, ‘Scrum’, and ‘Sprint’ is fundamental before proceeding with the subject matter.

Agile refers to the ability “to move swiftly and easily.” This concept equally applies to software development. Agile development is a project management strategy (particularly prevalent in Software Development) exemplified by task division into brief work durations and constant plan reviews and modifications.

Understanding Agile Scrum (Sprint) Process

An Agile manifesto exists, outlining the comfortable practices in software development.

Any process that adheres to Agile manifesto‘s principles is identified as Agile development. Scrum is a novel instance of this. It’s a minimalistic framework for Agile development.

Scrum is an Agile methodology-based software development process. It can also be viewed as an Agile subset. In the current world where everything is accelerated, stakeholders anticipate immediate yield from their investments. They are uninterested in prolonged waits for a completely developed product.

Thus, novel Software Development and Testing structures such as Scrum are becoming extensively adopted. In Scrum, projects are broken down into small tasks to be developed and tested within predetermined timeframes called Sprints (short cycles).

The term Sprint quite literally means ‘to run at full speed over a limited distance.’ The same theory applies here. A Sprint aims at formula completion and examination of scheduled tasks while equally focusing on maintaining exceptional quality. The Agile Scrum group is managed by the Scrum master.

Scrum is an iterative and incremental framework for project, product, and application development, quickly gaining recognition among organizations as a software development and testing framework.

Various IT companies, independent of their sizes, have embraced the Scrum framework, as it enables them to provide top-quality products in reduced time compared to traditional methodologies like waterfall models.

This technique saves the corporation both time and financial resources. It drastically augments productivity and diminishes the time taken for reaping benefits compared to other software development processes. Additionally, it aids organizations in conveniently adapting to change.

Now that a rudimentary understanding of the Agile Scrum(Sprint) process is established, let’s investigate the soft skills that can facilitate you in delivering valuable software features in a limited time.

Necessary Soft Skills for the Scrum Team

Which soft skills could assure a successful Scrum team?

During (Agile) sprints, or work cycles, we usually face difficulties with team members. Instead of technical hurdles, these problems usually come from our team members’ attitudes or their soft skills.

Successful Scrum projects have demonstrated that the success of Scrum is conditional on the total support of team members throughout the Sprint.

Let’s delve into some critical soft skills for a Scrum team.

Fostering Team Spirit

Teamwork across various functions forms the backbone of Scrum. It’s about “Our effort,” “We have completed our Sprint,” rather than “my task,” “I completed my task,” or “your task.” Scrum team members have a spontaneous inclination to share technical know-how, and they are readily accessible to teammates instead of being secluded behind closed doors. The Scrum Master persistently motivates the teams and promotes a supportive learning environment.

The team consistently focuses on the sprint, often discussing its progression. A Scrum team’s responsibility includes self-organizing to tackle challenges, whereas management’s role involves mitigating hindrances to self-organization.

Effective Communication

Sound communication is essential among the development, testing, business analysts, and customer teams. There should be a highly interactive engagement between the client and the delivering teams.

Increased client participation implicates more recommendations or alterations from the client, which consequently requires a higher communication bandwidth.

Commitment

Commitment is fundamental within Scrum.

Agile teams necessitate occasional rejuvenating to recommit to their goal and to their team members. The Scrum Master can facilitate by ensuring the team understands the idea of collective responsibility and commitment to deliver a functional software at the end of each sprint.

With the entire team commited, members who finish their tasks early can assist those lagging behind, ensuring that every team completes their tasks punctually.

Effective Problem Solving

Scrum isn’t strictly about developing any product. Instead, it motivates the team to focus on evolving a product that satisfies the client’s most significant value priorities, as identified by product owners.

Cultivating Transparency

Transparency and openness amid team members and management provide momentum to the Scrum team.

Scrum Masters incite individuals to seek help, reveal obstacles, and appreciate those who assist others and resolve problems. Concurrently, Scrum Masters comprehend the effects on the team of individuals remaining idle or disregarding problems.

Outcome of Scrum

By incorporating the aforestated soft skills, the pace of the Scrum team will noticeably increase. Consequently, clients will admire the timely outcomes and will be able to address potential issues promptly.

The team will manage to deliver valuable software features quickly and contribute to altering business conditions.

Recommended Reads

• Distinguishing Differences: Kanban Vs Scrum Vs Agile: A Comprehensive Comparison
• A Comprehensive Beginners’ Guide to Agile Scrum Methodology: An Overview for Software Developers and Testers

About Author: J.B. Rajkumar is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) boasting vast experience in the Agile/Scrum framework. His roles have comprised Corporate Trainer, Project Lead, QA Manager, and QC Manager. He has successfully implemented Scrum in multiple projects of his current organization.

He is a recurrent speaker on Agile/Scrum at international conferences, academic institutions, and software industries. He provides training in Scrum and Agile Testing. Currently, he is associated with Automation Practice, one of the global top MNCs.

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