This document introduces an approach called "Agile @ Home" that adapts Agile principles and practices from software development to managing a household. It describes stakeholders like the Product Owner and Scrum Master, ceremonies like sprint planning and daily stand-ups, and provides an example scenario of a family applying these concepts to organize tasks and goals over multiple sprints. The goal is to bring structure without stress by iteratively planning and tracking progress on priorities.

1. AGILE @ HOME
RAGHUNATH SOMAN

2. CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Stakeholders:
 Product Owner
 Scrum Master
 Scrum Team
 Agile Ceremonies:
 Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog
 Daily Scrum Meetings
 Burndown
 Deliverables
 Sprint Retrospective
 Example Scenario

3. INTRODUCTION
 Agile is an incremental, iterative methodology used widely in software industry.
 Agile @ Home is a proposed approach to bring in the best practices of this methodology into
our daily lives.
 Objective is not to make our family life a formal, mechanical process, but to bring in a
structured approach to get things done without causing undue stress.

4. STAKEHOLDERS

5. PRODUCT OWNER
 In Agile @ Office, Product Owner creates the product backlog.
 In Agile @ Home, Product Owners are primarily responsible for
guidance and monitoring.
 They should ideally be the senior-most member of the family.
 They can also be someone from outside the immediate family; but
someone whom the family trusts and respects; and looks up to for
advice.
 They should help Scrum Master to resolve conflicts.

6. SCRUM MASTER
 Senior member of the family
 Role can be rotated among two equally senior-members (husband
/wife) after every few sprints
 Responsible for tracking progress of all tasks

7. SCRUM TEAM
 All members of the family unit, except infants 
 May need to be coached by Scrum Master on Agile processes
 Preferably not more than 7 members under one Scrum Master.
 ‘Pair working’ concept can be used: two folks working on a big task

8. AGILE CEREMONIES

9. PRODUCT BACKLOG
 Just as in Agile at Office, this is the most important step.
 All the stakeholders (PO, SM and ST) sit together and brainstorm about
everything that family wants to achieve, in the short-, medium- as well
as long term.
 This should be done periodically, at least once a year.
 Sets expectations clear, brings everyone on same page.

10. SPRINT PLANNING & SPRINT DELIVERABLES
 During Product Backlog, all stakeholders decide on time-boxed unit for
a sprint.
 Recommended time-box is minimum one month and maximum three
months.
 At start of every sprint, all stakeholders agree to select a chunk of
product backlog.
 Each family member picks up the tasks at granular level.
 Each family member commits himself/herself to the selected task.
 Each family member specifies exactly what they will deliver at the end
of the sprint

11. DAILY SCRUM MEETINGS
 DSMs are a crucial part of Agile @ Office.
 For Agile @ Home, they can be held either at breakfast or dinner, when
SM and ST are available.
 In case, it is not possible for SM and all ST to meet at a common time,
SM must interact with each family member and keep track of progress.

12. BURNDOWN CHARTS
 Stakeholders can decide on a mechanism to track the progress.
 Some approaches to track progress:
 Verbal updates
 Note pad/Diary
 Sticky notes on refridgerator
 Kanban boards
 Excel sheets…

13. DELIVERABLES
 Agile @ Office focuses on ‘working software’ at end of each sprint.
 Agile @ Home focuses on significant, measurable progress on each
task. It can be:
 A tangible, physical product
 A recommendation for a specific product/item
 A ‘SMART’ plan for a long-term activity

14. SPRINT RETROSPECTIVE
 All family members share their updates, preferably at a common
meeting.
 Completed activities are discussed and agreed upon as DONE.
 Unfinished items are moved to the next sprint backlog.
 Sprint Retrospective should preferably be clubbed together with next
Sprint Planning.

15. EXAMPLE SCENARIO
 Stakeholders:
 Grandparents: Product Owner(s)
 Wife: Scrum Master
 Husband, daughter and son: Scrum Team
 SM and ST visit PO for product backlog.
 Husband wants to plan a North India trip in December
 Wife wants to start a jewellery shop
 Daughter wants to go abroad for higher studies after her Masters degree
 Son wants the long-promised gaming console
 The stakeholders decide on the sprint duration: 2 months

16. EXAMPLE SCENARIO
 Each team member picks up tasks at granular level
 Husband will identify holiday destinations and overall budget required
 Wife to analyse feasibility of jewellery shop in the locality
 Daughter to identify admission requirements and college names
 Son to compare Sony PS3, Nintendo and Xbox and come up with final
recommendation
 All the stakeholders decide on priorities
 Since admission dates are close by, daughter’s admission is top priority.
 Wife’s shop is a potential source of future income, hence next on list.
 The gaming console was promised long ago, hence is included.
 Last is the vacation plan.
 Over the period of sprint, the SM and ST have discussions over dinner.

17. EXAMPLE SCENARIO
 After 2 months (sprint exit), all stakeholders meet.
 Daughter is ready with short-listed college names and admission details. The
discussion is done and she will start with admission process in next sprint.
 Wife informs that her analysis indicates that jewellery shop is not feasible due to
presence of big brands in local vicinity. Hence idea is dropped. But there is much
scope for a boutique. This will be analysed further.
 Son specifies Xbox and provides reasons (many gaming titles, etc.)
 Husband informs that finances are not sufficient to meet all above requirements
and the vacation; hence the vacation plan is moved to general backlog with a
provision for an abroad trip to visit the daughter.
 Sprint planning is done for the next sprint… and the cycle repeats.

18. THANK YOU!