A Not So Quick Guide on Agile Development I Wish I Had 5 Years Ago!

Ever felt like learning Agile is like trying to cook a gourmet meal when you can barely boil water? That's me. On my New Year's bingo list was "master a dish." If my wife is reading this, I’ve started… if she’s not, well, I still have no idea where to begin.

So, for anyone trying to be a Product Owner or work within an Agile environment, here's what you need to know. SHOOT! What I wish I knew. Especially since "Agile" is now a buzzword like "innovation" from people who still think social media is secondary to print and TV.

Why Agile?

Think of Agile like the Swiss Army knife of development—versatile, efficient, and ready for anything. Agile is a mindset. It's about breaking big, scary projects into bite-sized tasks so your team can chew through them one at a time.

Planning a Sprint

Sprint Planning:

Sprint planning is like prepping for a big dinner party. You need to make sure you have everything you need, but you don’t want to overdo it. Let's break it down:

Goal Setting:

• Laser Focus: What’s the one dish you absolutely must have perfect by the end of this sprint? Maybe it’s the main course or the dessert. Whatever it is, keep it focused. Think of it like deciding the centerpiece dish for your dinner party. You don’t want to say, “We’re having food.” You want to say, “We’re having a perfectly roasted turkey.”
• SMART Goals: Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of saying, “Make good food,” say, “Cook a turkey that's golden brown and juicy within 4 hours.” Clear, right?

Sprint Duration:

• Two-Week Magic: Typically, sprints are two weeks long. Why two weeks? It’s the Goldilocks principle—short enough to stay flexible, long enough to get meaningful stuff done. Imagine you’re planning a multi-course meal. Two weeks is the perfect amount of time to prep, cook, and serve up something delicious without getting bogged down in too much planning or execution.

Creating and Prioritizing Backlog Tickets

Your backlog is like your recipe list for the meal, but here’s the kicker—it needs to be prioritized. Here’s how to make it fun and effective:

Prioritize Like a Pro:

• High Value First: Focus on what delivers the most value first. Think of it like prepping your essential ingredients first when cooking. Turkey, spices, and stuffing go in first. That fancy garnish? Maybe later.
• MoSCoW Method: Use the MoSCoW method—Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have. It’s like deciding what to prep. Must-haves are your essentials. Should-haves are nice but not critical. Could-haves are if you have extra time. Won’t-haves? Leave them out.

Detailing Your Tickets:

• Clear Descriptions: Each ticket should have a clear, detailed description. Think of it like a recipe card. You need to know exactly what ingredients you need and what steps to follow.
• Acceptance Criteria: Define what “done” looks like. It’s like knowing when your dish is perfectly cooked. No guesswork—just clear, measurable criteria.
• Estimate Time: Give an estimate for how long each ticket will take. It’s like planning how long each part of your meal will take so you don’t overcook the turkey or undercook the potatoes.

Example of a Ticket

When creating a ticket, clarity is king. It's gotta be actionable, specific, and bite-sized. Let's break it down with a little analogy: Imagine your project is like preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Your backlog tickets? They’re the individual recipes for each dish.

Agile Ticket Template:

Title: What’s the dish? (e.g., "Make Mashed Potatoes")

Description: Describe the dish. (e.g., "Create creamy mashed potatoes with butter and garlic.")

Acceptance Criteria: What's the expected outcome? (e.g., "Potatoes should be smooth, buttery, and enough to serve 8 people.")

Priority: How important is this dish? (e.g., "High priority - Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes is incomplete!")

Estimation: Time and effort required. (e.g., "2 hours")

Roles in Agile

1. Product Owner: The visionary. They own the product backlog, prioritize the tasks, and ensure the team is working on the most valuable items. They communicate the product vision and requirements to the team.

2. Project Manager: The organizer. They focus on timelines, resources, and ensuring the team meets their commitments. They handle the logistics and help remove blockers so the team can stay focused.

3. Scrum Master: The coach. They facilitate meetings, keep the team aligned with agile principles, and help remove any impediments. They ensure the team follows the agile process and continuously improves. Now, let’s be real—often the Project Manager and Scrum Master are the same person. But hey, some teams like to do things differently. What do I know? I’ve only been doing this for a short time.

4. Development Team: The builders. This includes developers, designers, testers—everyone who is hands-on creating the product. They self-organize and determine the best way to accomplish their tasks.

Grooming the Backlog

Backlog grooming is like weeding your garden. You gotta keep it neat and organized. Regularly review and update your backlog. Remove what's not relevant anymore and prioritize the rest.

Imagine your product backlog as a lush garden. When you start, it's full of potential—like a garden full of seeds. But just like any garden, if you don’t tend to it, things can get messy real quick. Weeds start popping up, plants grow wild, and soon, it’s a jungle out there. Here's how to keep it looking like the Botanical Garden (RVA).

1. Regular Reviews: Just like you wouldn’t wait months to pull weeds, don’t let your backlog sit unattended. Schedule regular grooming sessions. Weekly, bi-weekly—whatever fits your team’s rhythm. Get in there and pull out anything that doesn’t serve your project anymore.

2. Prioritize Like a Pro: In your garden, the tomatoes might be more important than the daisies. Same with your backlog—some tasks are mission-critical, others can wait. Rank your items based on value and urgency. Make sure your team focuses on the tomatoes (high-value tasks) first.

3. Clear Out the Junk: Got old, irrelevant tasks sitting around? Time to compost them. If it’s not adding value, it’s adding clutter. Archive or delete anything that’s no longer relevant. You don’t need old, outdated tickets crowding your garden.

4. Detailed Descriptions: Your team needs to know exactly what’s expected—just like you need a plan to grow those prize-winning roses. Ensure every backlog item is clear, detailed, and ready for action. No vague “grow something here” tasks. Be specific.

5. Collaborative Grooming: Backlog grooming shouldn’t be a solo activity. Get your team involved. They’re the ones doing the work, so their input is crucial. Plus, it keeps everyone aligned and engaged with the project goals.

6. Adjust and Adapt: Your garden needs different care in spring than in fall. Likewise, your backlog needs to evolve. Regularly update priorities and estimates based on feedback and progress. Agile is all about being flexible and responsive.

Dealing with Blockers

Blockers are those nasty speed bumps that slow you down. Here’s how to handle them:

1. Identify Quickly:

Think of daily stand-ups like your morning coffee chat—essential for kicking off the day. These quick meetings (usually 15 minutes max) are where you identify blockers. It's like catching the flu early—better to nip it in the bud before it spreads and takes down the whole team.

2. Communicate:

If you find a blocker, speak up! Imagine you're in the kitchen and someone accidentally spills oil on the floor. You don't just stare at it and hope it goes away. You shout, “Hey, we’ve got a spill!” and get everyone involved in fixing it. Same with blockers—let the team know ASAP so they can help clean up the mess.

3. Solve or Escalate:

You’ve got two choices when dealing with a blocker: solve it or escalate it. If you can fix it yourself, go all in. Be the superhero who swoops in and saves the day. But if it's something beyond your control—like the oven breaking down or needing approval from the head chef—escalate it to someone who can handle it. Think of it as calling in the cavalry when the kitchen gets too hot.

Fun Cooking Analogy for Handling Blockers

Imagine your project is a high-stakes cooking competition. Your team is trying to whip up a Michelin-star-worthy app. Now, a blocker is like running out of a key ingredient. Here’s how you handle it:

1. Identify Quickly:

You’re in the kitchen, whipping up a storm, and realize you’re out of olive oil. Do you wait until the dish is ruined to mention it? Nope. You shout, “Hey, we’re out of olive oil!” right then and there. That’s your daily stand-up—catch the problem early so you can fix it without ruining the dish.

2. Communicate:

Everyone in the kitchen needs to know there’s a problem. If you don’t say anything, someone might waste time looking for olive oil that isn’t there, or worse, ruin the dish with the wrong ingredient. So, you let the team know ASAP, “We’re out of olive oil—what’s the plan?”

3. Solve or Escalate:

If you can fix it yourself, do it! Maybe you have a backup stash of olive oil in your locker—problem solved. But if it’s something bigger, like the oven breaking down, you escalate it to the head chef. They’ll call in maintenance or make an executive decision on how to proceed.

Handling blockers efficiently is key to keeping the momentum going and the stress levels low. Agile is all about flexibility and responsiveness, so make sure your team is always ready to tackle any obstacle that comes your way.

The Agile Triangle: Money, Time, Scope

Let’s talk about the Agile Triangle. It’s like juggling three flaming torches while cooking a complex dish. The three sides are:

Money (Budget): How much you can spend.

Time: How fast you need to deliver.

Scope: What features you’re delivering.

Here’s the catch—you can only optimize two sides of the triangle. Want it fast and cheap? Scope takes a hit. Want it with all the bells and whistles on a tight budget? It’ll take time. Fast and feature-rich? Open your wallet wide.

Fun Cooking Analogy for Agile

Imagine planning a gourmet dinner party with friends. Here’s how agile fits in:

Backlog: Your recipe list. It details all the dishes you want to serve.

Sprint Planning: Deciding which dishes to prepare this weekend.

Tickets: Each dish is a ticket. "Roast Turkey" is a high-priority ticket; "Make Fancy Garnish" might be low.

Daily Stand-ups: Morning check-ins. "Are we on track? Any spills?"

Blockers: Ran out of olive oil? Handle it quick—either fix it yourself or call the grocery store for delivery.

Roles:

• Product Owner: Decides which dishes are worth preparing (high priority).
• Project Manager: Keeps track of the time, ingredients, and makes sure everyone’s ready to cook.
• Scrum Master: Ensures everyone knows the plan, keeps morale high, and clears any kitchen obstacles.
• Development Team: The chefs and sous-chefs who get you to your culinary masterpiece.

Agile is all about staying flexible, prioritizing effectively, and keeping the momentum going. Just like a gourmet dinner party, you’re in for an adventure, but with the right approach, you’ll reach your culinary destination faster and have more fun along the way.

Happy developing! Let's cook up some amazing apps.