The popularity of Agile is ever-increasing and with it, misconceptions, and mistakes about it. As a premier Agile training provider, we have put some of the common mistakes that are made whilst integrating Agile into operational and project work processes. This will help you get the most out of the Agile approach.
Daily Scrum meeting will make you Agile
This is a common misconception in Agile. It is not enough to only hold daily Scrum meetings. To get the most out of it, you need to stick to the core principles of Scrum. The purpose of holding daily Scrum meetings is to review the progress of the team and plan the next step forward. These meetings enable the team to recognize obstacles they might find on their way as they progress with the project and the best ways to deal with them. However, Scrum only helps to facilitate the process, but it is not going to make your organization Agile.
Expecting the project manager and the Scrum master to be the same
This is the most common mistake. You must not assume that a Scrum master and the project manager or the lead developer is the same. The role of the Scrum master is to coach and also facilitate his team whilst the work of the project manager is to manage the project. The Scrum master provides advice and guidance to the product owner and his team on matters relating to the Scrum framework.
Creating a huge Scrum team
This is another huge mistake in Agile that most organisations are guilty of. It is not important to have a very large Scrum team for reaching your project goals. You need a small team, but one that is dedicated, skilled, resourced, and empowered. The team needs to collaborate and closely work together to keep themselves organised. So, create a team that you can manage easily instead of having an unorganised, huge team.
Thinking that documents are not required in Scrum
The Agile approach makes it clear that it gives more value to complete functionality and not documentation. However, this does not mean that you are not required to document anything. Before the introduction of Agile, organisations had to document everything including technical specifications, requirements and test plans. With Agile, you do not have to document everything, but the things that are of extreme value to your firm, such as your source code and architecture. So, when you decide to document, you need to keep Agile’s principle in mind and select the things that are valuable for the product and needs to be written down. Some documents are also required for governance purposes even in Agile projects.
Getting the product backlog wrong
If you get the product backlog wrong, you can potentially set the entire development of the product off course. You cannot afford to make this mistake in Agile. You need to pay a lot of attention during the initial information gathering stage. This will help you to develop a strong foundation for the rest of the phases that are going to follow.
You need to try and avoid these mistakes when you are thinking of integrating Agile to the usual working practices of your organisation. To know more about Agile course and how best to integrate it with your daily workflows, you can connect with Training Creatively’s team of professionals. We offer tutor-led virtual, self-paced e-learning online, and classroom weekly and weekend courses.
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