Agile Scrum Master Planning Prompt

Overview

This prompt helps Scrum Masters create effective frameworks for leading agile teams, facilitating ceremonies, and driving continuous improvement.

Scrum Framework Fundamentals

Three Pillars of Scrum

Transparency: Visible progress and impediments
Inspection: Regular assessment of progress
Adaptation: Adjusting based on feedback and learning

Scrum Values

• Commitment: Team commitment to goals and processes
• Courage: Addressing difficult issues and challenges
• Focus: Concentrating on sprint goals and priorities
• Openness: Transparent communication and feedback
• Respect: Valuing each team member’s contributions

Key Roles

Product Owner: Vision, prioritization, stakeholder management
Scrum Master: Process facilitation, impediment removal, coaching
Development Team: Self-organizing, cross-functional delivery

Sprint Planning

Sprint Planning Agenda

1. Sprint Goal Discussion (30-60 minutes)
   ├── Review product backlog items
   ├── Discuss sprint goal and objectives
   └── Team commitment and buy-in

2. Task Breakdown (60-90 minutes)
   ├── Decompose PBIs into tasks
   ├── Estimate effort and complexity
   └── Identify dependencies and risks

Sprint Goal Template

"We will [achieve what] by [doing what] to deliver [value] for [stakeholders]"

Capacity Planning

Team Capacity = Available Hours × Focus Factor
Available Hours = Total Hours - Non-productive Time
Focus Factor = 0.6-0.8 (accounts for meetings, interruptions)

Daily Scrum

Daily Scrum Format

What did you do yesterday?
What will you do today?
Are there any impediments?

Timeboxing: 15 minutes maximum

• Stand-up Format: Physical or virtual standing
• Three Questions: Keep focused and actionable
• Impediment Focus: Identify and escalate blockers

Alternative Formats

• Walking Meeting: For distributed teams
• Written Check-ins: For asynchronous communication
• Problem-Solving Focus: When issues need deeper discussion

Sprint Review

Sprint Review Structure

1. Sprint Summary (10 minutes)
   ├── Sprint goal review
   └── Completed work demonstration

2. Stakeholder Feedback (20-30 minutes)
   ├── Product Owner feedback
   ├── Stakeholder questions and comments
   └── Feature requests and suggestions

3. Metrics Review (10 minutes)
   ├── Velocity trends
   ├── Quality metrics
   └── Sprint retrospective preview

Demo Best Practices

• Working Software: Only demonstrate completed features
• Stakeholder Focus: Tailor demo to audience needs
• Time Management: Keep within allocated time
• Feedback Collection: Structured feedback gathering

Sprint Retrospective

Retrospective Formats

What went well?
What could be improved?
What will we commit to changing?

Popular Retrospective Techniques

• Start/Stop/Continue: Simple action-oriented format
• Sailboat: Visualize what propelled or dragged the team
• Starfish: Categorize improvements by action type
• Timeline: Review sprint events chronologically

Action Items

Specific: Clear, actionable improvements
Measurable: Quantifiable success criteria
Achievable: Realistic within team constraints
Relevant: Addresses identified problems
Time-bound: Specific implementation timeline

Backlog Management

Product Backlog Refinement

Definition of Ready (DoR):
├── Acceptance criteria defined
├── Estimated by team
├── Sized appropriately for sprint
├── Dependencies identified
└── Business value understood

Definition of Done (DoD):
├── Code written and reviewed
├── Unit tests passing
├── Integration tests passing
├── Documentation updated
├── QA approved
└── Product Owner acceptance

Story Point Estimation

Fibonacci Sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21
Planning Poker: Collaborative estimation technique
Relative Estimation: Compare to previously completed work
T-Shirt Sizing: XS, S, M, L, XL for quick estimation

Metrics and Reporting

Key Scrum Metrics

Velocity: Story points completed per sprint
Sprint Burndown: Work remaining over time
Release Burndown: Epic progress toward release
Cumulative Flow: Work in progress visualization

Quality Metrics

Defect Density: Bugs per story point
Test Coverage: Percentage of code tested
Code Quality: Technical debt and complexity
Customer Satisfaction: NPS or CSAT scores

Predictive Metrics

Forecasting: When features will be delivered
Confidence Intervals: Range of possible completion dates
Velocity Trends: Team productivity over time

Impediment Management

Common Impediments

• Technical Debt: Accumulated maintenance burden
• Resource Constraints: Limited access to tools/people
• Process Bottlenecks: Inefficient workflows
• Communication Gaps: Misalignment between teams
• External Dependencies: Waiting on other teams/vendors

Escalation Process

1. Team Level: Can the team resolve it?
2. Scrum Master: Facilitate resolution
3. Management: Escalate to leadership
4. Organization: Process or policy changes needed

Team Development

Tuckman’s Model

Forming: Team formation and orientation
Storming: Conflict and role clarification
Norming: Agreement on processes and norms
Performing: High-performance collaboration
Adjourning: Team dissolution or transition

Team Building Activities

• Team Charters: Define team norms and agreements
• Cross-training: Knowledge sharing and skill development
• Celebration: Recognize achievements and milestones
• One-on-One Coaching: Individual development conversations

Scaling Scrum

Scrum of Scrums

Daily coordination between teams
Product Owner synchronization
Impediment escalation processes
Cross-team dependency management

Large-Scale Frameworks

• LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum): Multiple teams on one product
• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework): Program-level coordination
• Nexus: Framework for scaling Scrum
• Spotify Model: Tribe and squad organization

Tools and Technology

Scrum Tools

Jira: Issue tracking and agile boards
Azure DevOps: Integrated development platform
Trello: Simple kanban boards
Monday.com: Work management platform

Communication Tools

Slack/Microsoft Teams: Team communication
Zoom/Google Meet: Video conferencing
Miro: Visual collaboration
Confluence: Documentation and knowledge sharing

Continuous Improvement

Kaizen Mindset

Small, incremental improvements
Regular reflection and adaptation
Data-driven decision making
Experimentation and learning

Improvement Backlog

Process Improvements: Workflow optimizations
Technical Improvements: Tool and automation upgrades
Team Dynamics: Communication and collaboration enhancements
Skill Development: Training and certification opportunities

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution Styles

Collaborating: Win-win solutions
Compromising: Partial satisfaction for both parties
Accommodating: Satisfy other's concerns
Competing: Win-lose approach
Avoiding: Postpone or withdraw from conflict

Mediation Process

1. Private conversations with involved parties
2. Understand each person's perspective
3. Identify common ground and shared goals
4. Facilitate collaborative problem-solving
5. Agree on action steps and follow-up

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Communication

Product Owner: Daily/weekly updates on progress
Management: Sprint reviews and metrics reports
Customers: Demo participation and feedback sessions
Other Teams: Cross-team coordination and dependencies

Communication Planning

What: Key information to share
Who: Target audience for each message
When: Frequency and timing of communications
How: Medium and format for delivery
Why: Purpose and expected outcomes

Risk Management

Risk Identification

Technical Risks: Technology or architecture challenges
Schedule Risks: Timeline or deadline pressures
Quality Risks: Defects or performance issues
Resource Risks: Team capacity or availability
External Risks: Vendor or market dependencies

Risk Mitigation

Prevention: Actions to reduce risk probability
Contingency: Plans for if risk occurs
Monitoring: Regular risk assessment
Escalation: When to involve leadership

Performance Coaching

Individual Coaching

Strength Identification: What team members do well
Development Areas: Skills needing improvement
Goal Setting: Specific, measurable objectives
Progress Tracking: Regular check-ins and feedback
Celebration: Recognition of achievements

Team Coaching

Process Improvement: Workflow optimization
Collaboration Enhancement: Better team dynamics
Skill Development: Training and knowledge sharing
Motivation Building: Engagement and satisfaction

Remember, effective Scrum Mastery requires balancing servant leadership with technical expertise, fostering a culture of continuous improvement while delivering value consistently.