You will learn how to set the stage and provide clear boundaries within each ceremony. Heck, this practical knowledge will help you in any meeting, not just Scrum. With this knowledge you will get the team to collaborate with each other and with you. Target audience: Fresh and experience scrum masters wishing to acquire additional tools and skills and agile coaches leading organizational change.

3. Mail:
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Follow me:
anat@practical-agile.com
+972(54)4653155
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5. Some Working Agreement
If you want to be here - act like you want to be here

6. Some Working Agreements

9. Comfort Zone
Panic Zone
Learning Zone

11. Comfort Zone
Panic Zone
Learning Zone

13. Comfort Zone
Panic Zone
Learning Zone

14. This is my Life :)

15. FACILITATION

16. FACILITATIONFACIL

17. Facilitation Definition
The act of helping other people
to deal with a process without
getting directly involved in the
.process, discussion, etc.

18. Respect the sticky note
One item per sticky, use a sharpie

19. EXERCISE
Let’s Form Teams

20. TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is facilitation?
Basic facilitation principles
Scrum ceremonies facilitation
Offshore tools
Traps and pitfalls

21. 4 Principles to start with:
EnthusiasmBoundaries
Time
BoxingBe prepared

22. Be Prepared
Six critical questions:
Create a setting for success
1) Purpose 2) Outcomes 3) Decisions
4) Questions 5) Impact 6) Set the Stage

23. Time Boxing
Allocate a certain amount of time to an activity in advance
Visual
Plan in advance
Focus
End time box: hard vs. soft (recommended: maximum 45
mins)
Some will say: “We all live in time box determined by death”

24. How would you prepare for this kind
of meeting?

26. Boundaries
Give you a sense of self
You are able to decide how you want to be treated by others
You are able to make decisions that serve and support you
Help prevent double bind situation
Why?
Some will say: “Freedom with Boundaries”

27. Boundaries
DoD (Definition of Done)
DoA (Definition of Awesome)
Working Agreements
Sprint / Release
Examples:

28. Consensus ! No Democracy
Hell Yes! O.K
No Way!
New Idea

29. Build the ultimate working
agreements

30. Working Agreements:
The team starts and end the day together
Being on time is critical
The team stay 100% committed and 100% focused, no
interruptions (1 interruption == 1 joke)
All wireless devices on silent mode
Pointing Fingers has no place
No veto power from outside the team
No silent objectors. Don’t have silent disagreement
What I say in the room stays in the room

32. Enthusiasm
It’s contagious
If you are not enthusiastic - how can you expect it from
others?
You are the “salesperson” - do you believe in what you are
selling?
Reduce cynicism
Why?
Some will say: “Lead by example”

33.
TILL YOU MAKE IT!
Option #1: Fake it

34. What it feels like
Option #2: Learn

35. SCRUM PROCESS OVERVIEW
3 Roles:
Product owner
Scrum Master
Team
4 Ceremonies :
Sprint Planning
Daily
Sprint review
Retrospective
3 Artifacts:
Product Backlog
Sprint Backlog
Burndown Charts

36. PUZZLE SCRUM

37. Game Rules
3 Roles:
Product owner = I am
Scrum Master = alternate
2 teams
Iteration = 5 days
1 day = 8 mins
For each meeting:
Be prepared
Time box
Simulation

38. Product Backlog
Refinement = Grooming

39. Puzzle Backlog
1. Door
2. Right wall bottom
3. Front Wall 2 windows
4. Left wall
5. Back wall
6. Roof

40. Some questions
First iteration:
Who sets the reference point?
How do they set the reference point?

41. Puzzle Backlog
1. Door
2. Right wall bottom
3. Front Wall 2 windows
4. Left wall
5. Back wall
6. Roof - 2 SP

42. Be Prepared
Why are we spending our valuable time together?
Get ready for the next 2-3 sprints
Clarifying: Identify ambiguity, learning, dependency
Estimation: It might impact the priority
Splitting: If needed
Purpose:

43. Be Prepared
What does success look like?
All refined PBIs can be “Done” by the Development Team within
one Sprint
There enough PBIs “Ready” for selection in the following Sprint
Planning
The people (or representatives) who will do the work make the
final estimate
The team members have clear understanding on each PBI:
business value & ranking
The product owner has clear understanding on the selection
between different trade-offs
Outcomes:

44. Be Prepared
What do we need to decide?
Who should participate?
Which method of estimation to use?
Decisions:

45. Be Prepared
What are the questions we need to answer while we are
together?
Is everyone participating actively?
What is our reference point? If not what do we do?
Do team members understand the PBIs in the level they
need?
How do we handle identified unknowns and
dependencies?
Questions:

46. Be Prepared
How do I/we want people to feel at the end of this
meeting?
Excited (or at least engaged)
Committed
Achievable
Time worth spent
trustful
Impact:

47. Be Prepared
Where? How? Accessories?
White board
Presenter
planning poker cards
Recommended: sitting in a circle so everybody will be
able to see everyone else (comfortable)
Set the Stage:

48. Time Box
Up to 5% out of the sprint cycle
Should we split?

49. …more then one team works on the same backlog?
…there are a lot of unknowns?
…big gaps in business knowledge?
…no quality expertise?
…PO (or someone else) tries to influence the estimation all the time?
…everyone is talking at the same time?
What should you do if..

50. Option #1: Wisdom of crowds
1. The item to be estimated is read to all
2. Attendants ask clarifications for the item
3. Each person selects a card and displays it for all
4. The final estimation is the average of all participating people
5. Handle next item

51. Let’s go..
1. Door
2. Right wall bottom
3. Front Wall 2 windows
4. Left wall
5. Back wall
6. Roof - 2 SP

52. Very Fast
Option #1: Wisdom of the crowds
Biased towards authority and
experience
Not optimized for learning
Unknowns, dependencies and
risks can be overlooked
Recommended when PBI is easy and familiar to all

53. Option #2: Planning Poker
1. Each person gets a deck of cards (Fibonacci)
2. The item to be estimated is read to all
3. Attendants ask clarifications for the item
4. Each person selects a card and puts it on the table facing down
5. When everyone is done, cards are exposed
6. If the estimations does not match, a short discussion is held:
Highest and Lowest estimators speak first. Then return to step 4
7. Handle next item

54. Complete view of the PBI
Focus on shared learning
Identify risks
Encourage honesty
Expose team problems
Option #2: Planning Poker
Slow
Hard to facilitate
Hard to engage all team
members
Requires one shared goal
Recommended when team is multi-disciplinary

55. Facilitating Planning Poker
1. Question #1:
“Is there any one that did not select a card?”
2. The Highest and Lowest estimators speak first
3. Always make sure the discussion is relative to a reference. Not
disconnected from the scale
4. Question #2:
“Did you learn something new?”
5. Question #3:
“Is there any work that needs to be done in order to make this
PBI ready for the next sprints? “

56. Option #3: Silent Sorting
1. The item to be estimated is read to all
2. Attendants ask clarifications for the item
3. Handle next item
4. Put all the cards, in a line (small to large) with at least one item as a
reference
5. Participants silently take turns to do one of the following actions:
‣ Add item to the the sorted list
‣ Move one item within the sorted list
6. When no one is moving any item - we succeed

57. Let’s go..
1. Door
2. Right wall bottom
3. Front Wall 2 windows
4. Left wall
5. Back wall
6. Roof - 2 SP

58. Fast (might be longer than
Wisdom of crowds)
Easy to facilitate
Option #3: Silent Sorting
Can be biased towards
authority and experience
Can get to a deadlock
Might create multiple
reference points
Unknowns, dependencies and
risks can be overlooked
Recommended for teams in high level of maturity

59. Facilitation Silent Sorting
Estimation
1. Nobody talks
2. Comparing to older reference point (do not start from scratch
every time)
3. If we hit a deadlock, stop and start talking

60. HOW NOT TO FALL ASLEEP

61. EXERCISE
Coaching vs. Facilitation

62. Planning

63. How do you do it?
Part 1 Part 2
Be prepared
Purpose
Outcomes
Decisions
Questions
Impact
Set the stage
Time Box
Boundaries

64. Planning Part 1
Be prepared
Purpose What can be delivered? Who takes what?
Outcomes 3-5 stories per team
Decisions Sprint goal and which team will take each PBI?
Questions
Do we have any PBIs in risk?
Do we have any dependencies ?
Impact Empowered, trusted
Set the stage
Each PBI written on a sticky note ordered based on rank and
placed on the wall
Time Box Up to 15 minutes
Boundaries
Standing Up
Only the team select which story to take

65. …we have two teams working on the same backlog?
…one team wants to take priority 1,2 and 3?
…one team wants to take priority 1 and 2?
…priority 1 and 2 are coupled?
What should you do if..

66. Planning Part 2
Be prepared
Purpose How are we going to achieve sprint goal
Outcomes Sprint backlog
Decisions
Design, UI, Api's, integration, main test case, dependencies
what will be displayed in review
Questions
What do we need to do in order to bring this item to done?
Can we take another story?
Impact Committed, responsible
Set the stage Open space, sticky notes, fun, strategy
Time Box
As much as needed
Every 1.5 hours - 15 mins break
Boundaries
At least two people on each PBI
Everyone will know what all tasks mean
Each task is less than a day

67. …one team member is an expert in one domain. However, there
is no work to do in that domain?
…the team doesn’t know how to splits PBIs into small tasks?
…the PBI requires learning of a new area?
What should you do if..

68. Planning part 1:

69. Planning part 2:
Are you ready to plan how to build a
house?

70. Are you ready to build a house?

71. Daily Scrum

72. Please Download and open Kahoot:
Daily

73. The scrum master / manager / team lead
Randomly
Recommended: Based on priority
Who Starts?

74. Daily - option #1: Focus on Achievements
3 Questions:
1. What have we accomplished since the
last daily
2. What will we accomplish until the next
daily
3. What are my/our impediments

75. Focus on progress
Easy to facilitate
Encourages interaction with
the Scrum board
Daily - option #1: Focus on Achievements
Boring
Sometimes feels like micro
management
Does not focus on sprint goal
Sometimes Scrum board is
only updated once

76. 3 Better Questions:
1. What have we learned since the last
daily
2. Who needs help
3. How do we handle the blockers
Daily - option #2: Focus on shared learning

77. Focus on shared learning
Encourages teamwork
Recognizes blockers or hidden
work
Daily - option #2: Focus on shared learning
Hard to execute (sometimes
people become zombie)
Hard to facilitate
No interaction with the Scrum
board
Does not focus on sprint goal
Easy to forget updating the
Scrum board

78. Daily Probing Questions
Progress:
1. Is any of our work hidden?
2. Are the next user stories blocked in some way?
3. Are there user stories that we can unblock?
4. Which user stories are moving slowly?
5. Are there any bottlenecks in the queues (WiP is exceeded)?
6. Is anyone assigned to too many tasks?
7. Should we act on user stories owned by absent team members?

79. Daily Probing Questions
Looking forward:
1. Is there a demand for backlog refinement (grooming)?
2. Are we clear about what's next?
3. Are we doing everything we can to minimize waiting
time?

80. Daily - option #3: Game
Challenge the team with a game:
One team member observe the daily stand up from aside
If she/he is able to identify a problem that others didn’t notice
she/he wins!
The winner can select one challenge that all team members
must do and take a short video of that (e.g. dance crazy)

81. …people look and talk only to the scrum master?
…each person works on a different story?
…people are bored?
…the PO / Dev manager / CEO talks?
…people skip the daily ?
What should you do if..

82. EXERCISE
Daily Scrum From Hell

83. Are you ready to start building a
house?

84. Minimal context switch
Encourage people to go and eat together
Tip: Do the daily before lunch time

85. Sprint Retrospective
‘The greatest enemy of great is good enough’

87. Retrospective simulation
Now I am the scrum master…

88. Retrospective Model Example
Opening (2-5 minutes)
Data collection (15-25 minutes)
Generate insights (15-25 minutes)
Decide what to do (15-25 minutes)
Closing (2-5 minutes)

89. DOT VOTING
Common practice: 3 dots per person
If there are more than 10 issues:
Dots = #issues/3 (round up)

90. If you have to do offshore teams..
Real time board
Lino
Go reflect
Do not!
But if you must :

91. Sprint Review
Show & Tell
Bazaar Review

92. What would you do if..
1. Resistance:
“I have already been in 3 agile training”
“Nothing of what you saying makes any sense”
“They are all liars”
2. Scrum-But:
“So Scrum Master is like a TL”
“We are already good. No need for retro”
“Not everyone is needed in the daily”
3. Changing subject:
“The previous training I have been to was horrible”

93. Ground Rules
1. Be calm
2. Avoid arguing
3. Be curious
- Ask questions
or:
- “Great question, what you would do in this situation”
- “Great question, Naama what would you have done?”
4. Listen
Tip:
For each activity split to group of 2-4 people

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95. “THE VALUE OF
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THE USING OF IT”
Thomas Edison