Anti-Pattern: SCRUM Backlog as Refrigerator of Agile Software Development

 

This is a well known ant-pattern of software development with SCRUM. I call it the backlog refrigerator. I choose that name because of the same behavior of backlogs and refrigerators. Both accumulate old things nobody need and blocks space for more useful things. 

Following points that you use your back backlog as refrigerator and not as backlog:

1. Backlog counts more then 50 items
2. Some items celebrating birthday (are older then one year)
3. Multiple duplicates
4. Slim description tasks where nobody can't remember the reason creating it

How to solve it

1. Remove every task that is older then 4 weeks without inspecting it. Why? It's much easier to recreate a task instead of holding and discussing it. 
2. Next step is to avoid such kind of backlog refrigerator. Therefore you have to re-thing what should in your backlog. My advise, only user stories and only for two sprints. This keeps the development team focused and keeps your backlog in size.

 

PS: These advises works for your frige and your backlog.

SCRUM Beyond: Nano Demo an efficent Technique

 Every agile developer knows the three long meeting at the Sprint change: Review, Retro and Planning. As an improvement to keep the development cycle short, shorter then the spring length is to introduce a so called Nano Demo. In the Nano Demo the developer presents the in the last days finished tasks to the product owner or to the users. You can do the Nano Demo periodic every two or the three days. The Pro of the Nano Demo is the meeting is realy short 5 to 10 minutes. The developers need no preparation time and the feedback loop is very close. That gives immedently feedback to developers without any delay. A second positve aspect of the Nano Demo is the better motivation of the developers by the close feedback.

Summary:

Nano Demo is a efficent Review technique used to improve SCRUM.

1. 5-10 minutes short
2. every two or three days or two time in a week
   

PRO:

1. Close feedback cycle
2. No Preparation from the developer side needed
3. Keep meeting effort short
   
4. Improve developers motivation
   

SCRUM doesn't support Innovation

Most of the leading Software Development Companies using SCRUM today. Many of these companies are also associated with innovations. Now, many people assume that SCRUM is the reason of innovations, but this assumption is wrong. SCRUM is neutral it does not support or inhibits innovations. To support the generation of innovation you need other methods like 3M's 80/20 Rule or others.

1. SCRUM is an ideal environment for code monkeys.
2. SCRUM does not support innovations. There are other ideas need for being an innovating company.
3. SCUM are a capable company environments to keep innovators.

Pro Tip: After 20 years, the book "The Knowledge-Creating Company" from Nonaka and Takeuchi is still my favorite book about innovation and knowledge.

Part 1: What is wrong with SCRUM?

Since I started with XP, I mean eXtrem programming not Windows XP, I'm a big fan of agile software development.

I see many different companies as freelancer. Currently in the most companies I worked for SCRUM is the weapon of choice. There is no discussion to use it or not. SCRUM is the up to date way of scalable software development. The software development is scalable not the software. But in reality most companies have open or hidden problems with SCRUM. But why? SCRUM is easy, many good books are written about it you can hire SCRUM coaches What should could go wrong?

To make a long story short, every thing in SCRUM process can go wrong and it goes wrong. Believe me. But why did this happens, SCRUM is not complex and easy to understand. The answer is the people doesn't match to the SCRUM process. What? I believe that many experienced developers can't understand what it means SCUM doesn't match the people. But in one of the next post of the coming series What is wrong with SCRUM?, I try to explain it.

But not only the humans are source of trouble also SCRUM itself has some disadvantages that could be slow down the software development.

1. Growing technical debt
2. To high feature development speed

For booth problem exists ideas to solve them. In the following posts I will describe the problems and ideas to solve them.