Agile is an SDLC that was invented to deal with the need for frequent release of a software.

Agile SDLC is extremely popular with those companies who have a need to release new versions of software every few weeks. This few weeks could be 2, 4 or 6 weeks (sprint cycle). Agile is also an iterative SDLC (just like Prototyping, Spiral, and RUP). Agile relies less on formal and extensive documentation (Like Use Cases (are done in Waterfall model), like detailed project plans) and relies more heavily on team verbal communication and collaboration, independent thinking of IT team and on physical proximity of end users, business team, developers and QA (so it is quickly done). There is minimal documentation!

SCRUM (or Agile) is characterized by frequent releases (say every 2,4,6 weeks. This is called a sprint cycle). Sprint cycle is one iteration of SCRUM SDLC (How often do you release software?). SCRUM is also characterized by daily (24 hours) stand-up meetings (people are expected to stand and generally not expected to sit). These meetings are informal and very quick (hoping not to last more than 10-15-20 minutes max). They happen early in the morning. Say 8:30 am!

Product Backlog: The requirements (which are documented as user stories in SCRUM) are
listed in a document called Product Backlog (Just a simple MS Word document or MS Excel spreadsheet). In SCRUM, the requirements (user stories) are not explained in great detail (unlike Use Cases). The user stories are just simple English statements of what a user can achieve from the software.

E.g., User Stories (which go into a product backlog) for Expedia.com web site (assuming it is using SCRUM/Agile as its SDLC) will look like this: 1) As a [Customer], I want to [be able to book tickets] so I can [travel]! 2) As a [Customer], I want to [be able to search favorite destinations] so [I can make up my mind where to go and relax]! 3) As a [Customer], I want to [be able to choose my seat on my confirmed flight] so [that I can get my choice of window, aisle or middle seat]! 4) As a customer, I want to be able to cancel a reservation so that I dont have to pay for a flight that I am not taking any more! 5) As a Customer, I want to be able to choose my meal options so that I can eat what I want. 6) As a [Corporate customer], I want to [be able to book multiple passengers on flights] so [I can make reservations for large parties easily] 7) As a *Corporate customer+, I want to *be able to pay for my flight using company voucher+ so *I dont have to use my own card]

TERMS THAT DONT EXIST IN SCRUM WORLD!

So, in a SCRUM/Agile environment, we dont talk about BRDs and FSDs and use cases. Dont talk about Project Manager in SCRUM environment! Dont talk about JAD sessions here (The word JAD sessions evokes ideas of detailed requirements hashing out it doesnt belong in SCRUM).

In SCRUM,

you will say

I was writing user stories and putting them in the product

backlog. SCRUM developers can take the above 5 user stories and create the behavior in the software independently (developers dont need detailed requirements in use case scenarios). SCRUM developers have to be of a different breed (sense of ownership; should be able to work with minimal supervision; minimal handholding; minimal directions) than Waterfall developers! What is a sprint? A Sprint is a fixed amount of time (2 weeks, 4 weeks or 6 weeks) in which an agile (SCRUM) team decides to deliver the new features (user stories) of an application. What is a sprint backlog?
The sprint backlog is the list of work (user stories) the team must address during the next release (Sprint). Sprint backlog is a subset of product backlog. We take those user stories from product backlog which we want to implement in this particular sprint.

Meetings in scrum
[edit]Daily

Scrum

Each day during the sprint, a project status meeting occurs. This is called a daily scrum, or the daily standup. This meeting has specific guidelines: The meeting starts precisely on time. All are welcome, but normally only the core roles speak The meeting length is set (timeboxed) to 15 minutes The meeting should happen at the same location and same time every day
[11]

During the meeting, each team member answers three questions: What have you done since yesterday? What are you planning to do today? Any impediments/stumbling blocks?

It is the role of the ScrumMaster to facilitate resolution of these impediments, although the resolution should occur outside the Daily Scrum itself to keep it under 15 minutes. [edit]Backlog

grooming: storytime

The team should spend time during a sprint doing backlog grooming. This is the process of: estimating the existing backlog using effort/points, refining the acceptance criteria for individual stories, and breaking larger stories into smaller stories. Meetings should not be longer than an hour Meeting does not include breaking stories into tasks The team can decide how many meetings are needed per week. [edit]Scrum

of Scrums

Each day normally after the Daily Scrum. These meetings allow clusters of teams to discuss their work, focusing especially on areas of overlap and integration. A designated person from each team attends.

The agenda will be the same as the Daily Scrum, plus the following four questions: What has your team done since we last met? What will your team do before we meet again? Is anything slowing your team down or getting in their way? Are you about to put something in another teams way? [edit]Sprint

planning meeting[12][13]

At the beginning of the sprint cycle (every 730 days), a Sprint planning meeting is held. Select what work is to be done Prepare the Sprint Backlog that details the time it will take to do that work, with the entire team Identify and communicate how much of the work is likely to be done during the current sprint Eight-hour time limit (1st four hours) Product Owner + Team: dialog for prioritizing the Product Backlog (2nd four hours) Team only: hashing out a plan for the Sprint, resulting in the Sprint Backlog At the end of a sprint cycle, two meetings are held: the Sprint Review Meeting and the Sprint Retrospective [edit]Sprint

review meeting[14]

Review the work that was completed and not completed Present the completed work to the stakeholders (a.k.a. the demo) Incomplete work cannot be demonstrated Four-hour time limit [edit]Sprint

retrospective[15]

All team members reflect on the past sprint Make continuous process improvements Two main questions are asked in the sprint retrospective: What went well during the sprint? What could be improved in the next sprint?

Three-hour time limit

What are daily stand-up meetings? Developers, Business Team, BA, QA: meet for 15-20 minutes! Sharp at 8:00 am (e.g.) (SCRUM teams start early). Everyone is on time! Latecomers are given a rubber chicken to hang around their neck if they are late. They pay $1/minute late and put in a jar for being late and the money goes towards Pizza Party!

Who is a SCRUMMASTER (like Lord Ganesha)? A Scrummaster is a role that exists to facilitate the work of other team members! Scrummaster removes obstacles from the paths of other team members (Say a developer has to create code for printing shipping labels! But, he is not able to deliver

the code by today because the vendor providing that software is not delivering their code on time. So, the scrum master will call up the vendor and ask why the software is not here on time. The vendor will say Your Finance team hasnt released a PO yet. The scrummaster will then go to the Finance team and the Finance manager will say the Technology Manager hasnt authorized yet! The scrummaster is doing the run around. Not the developer) ! Scrummaster conducts daily stand up meetings! But, Scrummaster should not be confused with a Project Manager (There is no such term Project Manager in a scrum team). A Scrummaster does not own anyone or anyones work! Project Manager tends to have superior powers than regular team members! A scrum team is very flat, very democratic, no one reports into a scrum master! YOU COULD BE A SCRUMMASTER (AS A BA) PRODUCT OWNER: Product owner is the business owner (business team)! Product Owner is like the product manager! Product owner is the one who decides what features (user stories) are needed! Who owns and maintains Product Backlog? Product Owner! You, as a BA, could very well be the product owner!

What is a Sprint Review meeting? (This meeting happens before the software is released on public production website).
Review the work that was completed and not completed Present the completed work to the stakeholders (a.k.a. the demo) Say sorry for Incomplete work that we cannot demonstrate! Four hour time limit

What happens if 10 user stories were promised to be delivered in this sprint? And, only 8 were delivered! What will happen to the 2 user stories that got left behind? Is it necessary to do in the next sprint or should we add those 2 user stories back to the product backlog and do prioritization for the next sprint all over again (without keeping in mind that these 2 poor user stories got left behind and should get special privilege in the new sprint). Answer: These 2 user stories DO NOT get special privilege. They are weighed against other user stories all over again and they may or may not be a part of next sprint! In SCRUM, one thing is non negotiable! The Sprint Cycle! The release date! Sky could fall but no extension is granted to the Sprint delivery date! And, one more thing is non negotiable! Sprint backlog can never get new stories added to it that were not in the sprint planning meeting! Shika: These new user stories that the business team suddenly realized have to be done have to be added to the product backlog. This way, the craziness of sudden scope changes does not impact the current sprint but only the product backlog!

AGILE TOOLS for project mgmt..

SCRUMWORKS, RALLY, JIRA Some SCRUM organizations (not all of them) like to use tools to manage their SCRUM project. E.g., use a tool to document the user stories. This tool will provide (mostly a web based interface) where the product owner can document user stories. The tool will let the product owner create a product backlog. The tool will provide a way for the product owner (PO) to chop up the product backlog into Sprint backlog. Then, each user story is broken down into tasks. Tasks are assigned to the pigs. Rather than doing all this work in MS Word, a company may use a SCRUM tool like JIRA to document all this work (user stories, product backlog, meeting minutes, sprint planning notes, sprint review notes)! With JIRA (or any other SCRUM tool), it is very easy for the team to see the SPRINT BURNDOWN CHART visually (no one has to draw it. Tool draws it for you).