Scrum - Commitment and Prioritisation

SCRUM
Commitment and
Prioritisation

Scrum is a powerful approach to effectively
book project results. It keeps costs and time
manageable and provides practical solutions to
build functionality in a flexible way.

Moreover, the method is transparent and very
understandable. Within Maxcode we use
Scrum in our projects since 2009 and we’ve
created an environment to optimally apply it.

Duration, cost and functionality

Scrum makes a project manageable, yet flexible:
• Fixed duration due to clear agreements about the
duration of a Sprint (a development period) and the
number of Sprints.
• Cost Control by agreeing on a certain capacity per
sprint.

The short-cyclical nature of Scrum adds to the
flexibility. The team is working on the current
Sprint, while the Product Owner (customer
representative) freely makes changes for future
Sprints.

Functionality can expire, it can be replaced by
other, become more or less important, or it can
receive another interpretation than initially
foreseen, as a result of detailing.

The short duration of Sprints makes it possible
to regularly show results and avoid too long a
continuation in a wrong direction.

To smoothly manage this flexibility,
Scrum depends on some basic rules.
We’ll highlight two of those rules.

1. Only the development team estimates the
amount of work and determines how much
work fits into a Sprint.

2. The Product Owner determines on behalf of
the stakeholders the development sequence of
the functionality (The Stories in the Product
Backlog).

Consequently, the achieved results are variable,
but very predictable by applying the rules.
Moreover, the key functionality is built first.
Correctly applying the rules prevents
undesirable effects on cost, time or quality.

Maxcode interprets these rules by:
1. Actually offering the team the chance
to commit.
2. Helping the Product Owner prioritise.
Flickr user Thomas Heylen

Commitment
Flickr user Jim Larrison

Scrum uses the term 'commitment'. The team
will endeavour to achieve a certain quantity of
functionality in a Sprint. The team gives this
commitment or devotion.

If you want the team to be accountable for
performance or if members should be able to
address each other on performance, the
amount of work should never be imposed by
pressure or desire.

Excessive workload leads to errors. The danger
of a negative spiral is at hand: More pressure,
more mistakes, more irritation, more errors,
etc.

Prioritisation
Flickr user Lars Plougmann

Besides commitment, prioritisation is an
important component. In Scrum, this means
maintaining a Product Backlog, which records
the to-be-built functionality (expressed in
Stories), in desired order.

An experienced team does this by asking
critical questions about specific functionality
and by composing understandable (not too
technical) Stories.

The Product Owner needs to do a lot in the
short period of a Sprint (usually two weeks).
Every Sprint he needs to evaluate the results
and ensure that the order and detailing for at
least the coming Sprint is ready in time.

At Maxcode, personal responsibility is
key. We create an environment that
suits the above described way of
working.
Flickr user EG Focus

Scrum at Maxcode
Flickr user Florent Darrauilt

We directly involve the full team in the
preparation of a proposal. First, a general
description of what needs to be developed is
written. A user model identifies different users
and roles.

Only after this has been agreed with the
customer, the Stories are composed and
assessed. We encourage team members to
take a critical look at the order of these Stories.

From the moment we hand over the proposal
to the customer, the Product Backlog becomes
his responsibility. Is it clear enough? Is the
order in line with the priorities of the
customer?

During the project, the team constantly checks
whether the most relevant aspects are handled
first. They challenge the Product Owner to
make choices if needed.
This creates a good consultative structure, sets
the focus to the most relevant first and gives
the project the cadence it needs.

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Maxcode
Deliver your next finance or ehealth application.
Maxcode is an IT service company building tailor made applications
for the European market. We focus on financial and healthcare
industries. Maxcode is located in The Netherlands with offices in
Romania, and the Republic of Moldova. We are a modern company
and a reliable partner for our customers and employees.
Koninginnegracht 19
2514 AB Den Haag / The Hague
The Netherlands
info@maxcode.net

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Scrum - Commitment and Prioritisation

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