Agile Meeting Cheat Sheet.pdf

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team All roles needed to get a story ‘Done’including business SMEs Should Have: Sponsor, Key Stakeholders This Initial meeting can take 4 hoursProduct Vis

This cheat sheet is a guide (using many Real World practices and tips from Agilepractitioners) on how to prepare and execute effective and successful Agile meetings.There are 6 levels of planning in Agile, this cheat sheet covers some of the Visioningactivities in level 3 in addition to all the primary Agile meetings in levels 4,5,6 (ReleasePlanning, Iteration Planning and Daily Planning)

We would love to hear your feedback, suggestions and how this information has helpedyou Please send your comments to our team at info@agilityhealthradar.com We hopeyou find this resource to be valuable on an ongoing basis for your meetings! - Sally andthe AgilityHealth team

Plan team building activities fornew teams

Learn and practice 'Visual Modeling'.A picture of their vision is worth a1000 words so vision by drawing!Visioning artifacts may include:(High Level Process Diagram, UseCase Diagram, UI Flow, Personas)Prepare PO for being positive,inspiring and upbeat during thissession

Emphasize the concept ofGeneralizing SpecialistEngage everyone in defining theirTeam Norms

Prepare short demos of any toolsthat will be used if applicableFor the Product Owner to provide a clear overview of the vision, strategy anddeliverables, roadmap desired and perform initial team forming activities Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team (All roles needed to get a story ‘Done’including business SMEs) Should Have: Sponsor, Key Stakeholders

This Initial meeting can take 4 hoursProduct Vision Box

Measures of Success (release level acceptance criteria ‘Done’)Visioning Artifacts (such as: High Level Process Diagram, Use Case Diagram,UI Flow, Personas)

Product Roadmap (what will we deliver by when?)Project/Release Risks and Constraints

Team Roles and Expectations (including being Generalizing Specialists)Consensus on Team Norms (working agreements)

Consensus on Execution Process and Tools

Meeting Purpose and NormsTeam Introductions

Overview of the VisionProduct Vision Box ExerciseHow Will We Measure Success?Visioning Artifacts

Design the Release RoadmapProject/Release Risks and Constraints (Hard dates,costs or risks)

Team Roles and ExpectationsConsensus on Future Team NormsConsensus on Process and ToolsAction Items and Closing

Input: Bring in output fromVisioning session

Input: Have PO and Analystprepare an initial backlog

Prepare visuals for Storywriting guidelines

Meeting Norm: Discuss theWhat not the How

Meeting Norm: Whenbrainstorming don't evaluateUse post-it notes, indexcards for brainstormingSetup room for teamcollaboration

For the PO and team to collaborate on building and prioritizing the backlog ofstories for the upcoming one or two releases.

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team (All roles needed to get a story ‘Done’including business SMEs)

Should Have: Key Stakeholders

(Remember to invite departments who help setup the foundation for your teamduring the Foundation/Non-Functional story writing portion)

Could Have: SponsorThis meeting can take 4 hours – several days depending on release size

Prioritized Product Backlog (Themes, Features, Stories)Foundational, Spikes and Change Management Stories*Storymap*

Updated Roadmap

Meeting Purpose and NormsReview Story Writing GuidelinesPO Presents their Initial Story BacklogTeam and PO write functional stories (by Persona,Story Map, Brainstorming)

Identify Risk/Spike StoriesIdentify Foundational/Non Functional Stories,Change Mgmt

Prioritize/Rank Order the Backlog (Dependency,Risk, MoSCoW, H-M-L, Kano)

Update Release Roadmap (R1, R2, R3, )Consensus, Action Items and Closing

Don't forget a Dependencytrumps business valueSpikes are stories designed tomitigate risk or prove a solution

Input: Product Vision Box andRelease Goals, ConstraintsInput: Story Cards printed out fromprevious work

Meeting Norm: 'Just Enough'details to size the storyMeeting Norm: Focus on relativitynot precision

Keep reminding the PO that thisplan will evolve

Ask the team if they have all theright skills they need

Protect the team from outsidepressures and ensure PO has thesame mindset

For the PO and the team to collaborate on building an initial guiding plan (numberof iterations, estimated velocity, release themes, dates) that provides an initialrelease plan and foundation for how the team will deliver on the vision.

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team (All roles needed to get a story ‘Done’including business SMEs)

Should Have: Key Stakeholders and SMEsCould Have: Sponsor, Managers

This meeting can take 4 hours – 1 day+ depending on release sizeInitial Release Plan (knowing it will change)

Estimated Team VelocityTarget Release DatesEstimated Release Size (Iterations) and or Points DeliveredInitial Cost Estimates*

Meeting Purpose and NormsEstablish Story Definition of ‘Done’Review Story Sizing GuidelinesSize Each Story

(T-Shirt Sizing, Planning Poker, Complexity Buckets)Determine Iteration Length

Calculate Number of IterationsDetermine Est Initial VelocityPlan for Iteration 0, Buffers and TeamVacations/Holidays

Calculate Number of Points (best case, realistic,worse case)

Develop Rough Cost Estimates *Share Agile Guidelines for Grooming Consensus, Action Items and Closing

Shared team members usually aremultitasking, get strong

Protect the team fromovercommittingFor the Team and other departments such as Infrastructure, Security, DBA (anydepartment that helps setup the foundation for the team) to plan out thefoundation/setup work needed before a team can execute their first successfuliteration.

The ScrumMaster, Team, Technical Leads/Architects, Foundation SMEs ShouldHave: Infrastructure, Security, DBAs and/or any supporting departments

This meeting can take 1 – 2 hrs

Iteration 0 Stories in Ranked OrderTask List for Iteration 0

Team Team Consensus on Iteration Plan

Meeting Purpose and NormsReview Release Plan

Review Initial Backlog of Foundational and NonFunctional Stories

Discuss Dependency, Spikes, RisksSelect Stories for this IterationBreakdown Tasks

Review Agile Process Basics (for new folks) (planning,daily standup, review, retrospective)

Team Capacity PlanningConsensus, Action Items and Closing

Schedule this early, shortly afterthe current planning meeting

PO should work closely withsponsor to confirm alignmentInput: Stakeholder's

needs/expectationsInput: Release Plan

PO should reach out tostakeholders and get inputFor the PO and a subset of the team to plan ahead the upcoming stories andelaborate the detailed acceptance criteria as preparation for the next Iterationplanning session.

Product Owner, Business Analyst, Tech Lead, TesterCould Have: ScrumMaster, SMEs, Sponsor*

Plan for about 2 hours per week (depending on the complexity of the stories)

Confirmation of stories for the next iterationDetailed requirements (acceptance tests, UI Mockup*, Process/ActivityDiagram*, Behavior Driven Development tests*, Sample Test Data*)Technical risk mitigation action items

Meeting Purpose and Norms

Confirm Stories for Next Iteration

Elaborate the Stories (Start with screen mockup or process diagram(something visual) then define clear acceptance testsand business rules)

Discuss Potential Impediments and Action Plan toManage Them

Consensus, Action Items and Closing

Tech Lead should foresee technicalimpediments

Input: Pre-Planning Work (StoryElaboration)

Input: Backlog and Release Plan

FOCUS on quality and detailedacceptance criteria

Try BDD Format 'Given When Then '

Use 'real' scenarios and data toconfirm acceptance test

understandingUse "Yesterday's Weather" forteams that always overcommitProtect the team from PO or Mgmtpressures - remind of SustainablePace

For the PO and the team to plan the current iteration/sprint by agreeing on targetstories, confirming acceptance criteria, confirming expectations, breaking downthe work into tasks and confirming capacity and target completion goals

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team (All roles needed to get a story ‘Done’including business SMEs)

Should Have: Shared members (allocated for short duration work during thissprint)

This meeting can take 2 - 4 hours (the more you improve pre-planningthe faster this meeting goes! Start with 4 hrs then scale down whenfeasible)

Prioritized Stories for this IterationAcceptance Criteria for Each StoryStory Elaboration Artifacts

Story TasksSprint Goal/Theme (what goal/objective are we trying to accomplish?)

Meeting Purpose and NormsRe-Plan any ‘Not Done’ Work from PreviousIteration (if prioritized by PO)

PO Presents Top StoriesPO/Team Defines an Iteration Goal/ThemePO Clarifies Each Story’s Details

Team May Resize or Slice StoryTeam Breaks Story into TasksTeam Sizes Each Task

Team Reviews CapacityPO/Team Consensus on Iteration GoalTeam Updates their Wall/Board*Action Items and Closing

Review standup team normscreated by the team

Input: Visible task wall orelectronic task wall

Encourage creative ways for teamto reward themselves for followingtheir norms

Stand with the team not in front ofthem

Address dysfunctional behavior

Listen for hidden impedimentsImprove standup meeting qualityduring retrospectives

For the Team to communicate with each other daily on progress, impediments,dependencies and foster a culture of shared responsibility and visibility.This is not a status report meeting to the ScrumMaster or Mgmt!

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The TeamShould Have: Shared members from other areas who have active tasksCould Have: Sponsor, Managers, Stakeholders (they can attend to observe butthey can not speak during the standup)

15 Min Anything longer is a sign of dysfunction

Everyone has a chance to share their progressImpediments list updated and owner identifiedParking lot items for post standup discussion

Review Standup Norms

What did I complete yesterday?What am I working on today?Here is what is stopping/slowing mePerson/Task Based Standup (standard):

What is remaining to get this Story ‘Done’? (ETA?)Who can help with this Story?

What impediments does it have?Alternative Standup – Story Based: Walk thewall/board starting from highest priority/rankedstory and answer:

Parking Lot for Post Standup Conversations

Limit stakeholder participation to asmall number

Spend time planning ahead for thenext few iterations/release

PO Should come in with a goal inmind 'I want to accomplish x'Input: Current Product Backlog andRelease Plan

Schedule this as a standing 1- 2 hrmeeting each week

For the PO to groom the backlog by adding, removing, reprioritizing, rewording,slicing and planning ahead for stories so that the backlog and release plan arealways reflecting the desired future state.

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, Business Analyst, Tech LeadCould Have: anyone else that could contribute to the grooming effortCould spend 2+ hours per week (depends on complexity and volatility ofbacklog)

(The story elaboration/ pre-planning meeting described earlier is sometimesalso referred to as Grooming)

Updated BacklogUpdated Release Plan *Updated Roadmap *Emerging Risks and Mitigation Strategy*

PO states his/her goal for this session

PO and participants review the backlog andidentify areas for improvement

writes new storiesslices existing storiesupdate story wordingmove stories up or down in priorityPO grooms the backlog:

PO reviews upcoming iterations and plans ahead fornext goals

derive realistic future goals

Invite sponsor andcommunicate to themimportance of attendingSchedule 30min - 1hr toprepare / rehearse for Demo

Only demonstrate storiesthat are 'Done

Non software stories can alsobe demonstrated/reviewed

Keep the meeting upbeat,positive, fun

Part 1 (the Review): For the PO to review all the stories and confirm acceptancecriteria have been met PO accepts or rejects the story as ‘Done’ (typicallyperformed one day before the demo)

Part 2 (the Demo): For the PO and team to showcase to the Sponsor and otherStakeholders what they have completed in this iteration, solicit their feedbackand celebrate success.

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The TeamDemo Should Have: Sponsor, Stakeholders, ManagersDemo Could Have: Anyone interested in seeing the team’s progressThe Sprint Review could take 1 – 2 hrs

The Demo could take 1 hr with 30 - 40 min prep

PO accepts or rejects storiesPO and team showcase completed functionalityInput/feedback from sponsor and stakeholdersSprint Review:

PO Thanks Everyone for AttendingDocument Feedback and Action Items

Set the context for a healthyopen retrospective throughteam norms

Input: Action items fromprevious retrospective

Address team dynamics notjust process

Celebrate success, try theappreciation game

Try different flavors of gamesfrom retrospectivewiki.org Engage everyone, watch for'going through the motion'participation

MUST follow through withimprovements!

For the PO and the team to dig deep into their processes, team dynamics anddeliverables so they can celebrate success and identify improvements Aretrospective must result in concrete action items for the next iteration.Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The Team

Could Have: anyone the team wants to invite to contribute, observe or listen tothe team and help address their impediments or share their success

This meeting can take 1 – 2 hrsUpdate on action items from previous retrospectiveCurrent list of Working Well items

Current list of Needs Improvement Action items for top improvements selected for next iteration Output from Retrospective Exercises (Examples: team radar, force fieldanalysis, anonymous Top 5, appreciation game, mad sad glad, happinessmeter)

Read: Agile Retrospectives – Making Good Teams Great

Meeting PurposeDiscuss Effective Retrospective Norms Team Identifies a Focus Area

Gather Data (see the list of exercises above)Group Releated Items on the Wall/Retro BoardCircle and Name the Groups

Vote for Top X Groups/AreasRoot Cause Analysis

Brainstorm Top SolutionsCreate Action ItemsAdd to Iteration PlanCreate Big Visible Chart (could be a virtual chart)Meeting Retrospective, Closing

Prepare the team for a healthyopen retrospective throughteam norms

Input: Growth Items fromprevious retrospective

Dig deeper into dynamicsand org growth areasCelebrate success

Keep growth plan to amanageable and actionable listProtest any private textualresponses/comments

MUST follow through withimprovements through iterationFor the Team to have a deep-dive strategic retrospective that focuses on thetop areas that affect team performance/health and develop an actionablegrowth plan.

Product Owner, ScrumMaster, The TeamCould Have: anyone the team wants to invite to contribute, observe or listen tothe team and help address their impediments or share their success

This meeting can take 2.5 – 3 hrs Repeat once a quarter/releaseCompletion of the TeamHealth Radar assessment

Analysis of the results Facilitation of ‘real’ team conversationsTeam Growth Plan with actionable deliverables for the next quarterOptional: Follow up recommendations on custom training, coaching, orspecific growth portal content to review.

Meeting Purpose and Norms*Review Previous Growth Items progressIntroduce the 5 TeamHealth DimensionsTake Assessment

10 min Break (Review Results)Analyze and Discuss Radar Results (together as ateam)

Review Textual ResponsesFacilitate a ‘Real’ & Open ConversationBuild the Team’s Growth Plan (together as a team)Add ‘Organizational’ Growth Items (together as ateam)

Meeting Retrospective and Closure