Specific questions about Scrum in practice
Hello. I have been working in a Scrum team for about 2 years and now I am educating myself properly about Scrum. I have read the latest Scrum Guide and resources preparing for the PSM I exam. I have a few questions about various topics that I haven't been able to find answers to in those materials so I was hoping to find answers from a reliable source. I will be grateful for any support.
- How should we order tasks that are dependent on each other in a sprint? Let's say that task 1 has to wait for task 2 to be completed before we can start working on it. Do we order task 1 right under task 2 or maybe leave some space between them as we probably won't be able to start working on task 1 right away?
- Can different teams share the same Scrum Master just like they share the same Product Owner?
- My understanding is that sprint durations should generally speaking be the same and it is best when Scrum events happen at the same time and place. However, what if a sprint goal becomes obsolete and we have to cancel the sprint? Should we make the sprint shorter so that the sprint planning is scheduled at the usual date (for example every two wednesdays)? What if the day we usually have sprint planning is a day off?
- The sprint backlog should show the current state of the work in a sprint. Should the work outside the project be included to improve transparency? Let's say that one of the developers attends a training or needs to recruit a new member to the organization but not our team. Should the work of the Scrum Master or Product Owner that are not developers be included as well?
How should we order tasks that are dependent on each other in a sprint?
The Developers should order and organize the Sprint Backlog so risk to the Sprint Goal is minimized. That's it, although it is a continuous and ongoing process.
Can different teams share the same Scrum Master just like they share the same Product Owner?
There's no rule against it, but just because something is possible does not mean that it is a good idea. Bear in mind that in Scrum shared people are sharing a commitment.
Should we make the sprint shorter so that the sprint planning is scheduled at the usual date (for example every two wednesdays)? What if the day we usually have sprint planning is a day off?
Do the right thing so any dependencies are being managed, including any integration dependencies with other teams. If there are no dependencies, you could start a new Sprint right away.
The sprint backlog should show the current state of the work in a sprint. Should the work outside the project be included to improve transparency?
The work on a Sprint Backlog should provide transparency over the work the Developers need to do to meet their Sprint Goal. Is the work you are describing necessary for this commitment to be met?
1-Basically the P.O(with help of devs)should order the product backlog considering this dependencies,devs should also consider these dependencies while organizing the sprint backlog.
These dependencies can be shown with maps and arrays.
2-Yes a SM can be in more than one team,even in teams that are working in other products.
3-SPrints should last less than one month,and in the vast majority of time they last 2 weeks.
So in the rare case that it had to be cancelled,start another immediatelly(lets say one of 19 days as an example),so It will last more than the traditional two weeks and will make your calendar come to normality.
4-Sprint backlog can only be selected from the Product backlog,In the product backlog there are items related only to the product,So something that is related to the company but not to the product should not be included,but you have to be aware in the sprint planning that you won´t have this dev for one or two days in the sprint,so your capacity is reduced for this sprint and this have to be considered while selecting what is going to be in the sprint backlog.
errata:Sprints should last at most one month.