What Agile Velocity Means To Your Agile Team?

If we want to define Agile Velocity, then it can be simply defined as the method of measuring the efficiency of the agile team. For majority of the purposes, this definition serves well however at some places, it creates confusion regarding which one to consider while measuring the team’s velocity.

This Confusion Is Because There Are Two Ways To Define Agile Velocity:

• Agile Velocity measures the functionality a team delivers in the sprint
• Agile Velocity measures the team’s ability to convert ideas into functionality

Both may sound the same but underneath both are different.

An Example:

When you swim, you measure how much you travelled. This shows your velocity. This means if you travelled 2 kilometers while swimming, your velocity is 2 kilometers per hour. 

But, let’s say the water in the sea was flowing at the speed of one kilometer per hour against you while you were in. So, here, we can say that your velocity is to swim 3 kilometers per hour. So, here the confusion occurs: Is your velocity 2 km or 3km per hour?

As per the first definition, its 2 and as per the second definition, its 3; this remains false if we compare Agile Velocity as per the second definition where functionality is measured. 

Here, no new functionality is delivered. So, no points are earned. It depends on what velocity definition you are considering, whether you take it as an idea to transform ideas into functionality or whether you see how much they deliver within the given sprint. 

For most of the teams, both of the definitions yield the similar value. The difference lies in the values for those teams that are involved in bug fixing or doing large amounts of refactoring.

Which one is Better?

None of the both differences is always better as compared to the other. Both are equal on their own. What you are using for your team depends on the purpose of measuring the velocity and what you expect your team to do in the future.

If you wish to have the same future as it is today, then the first method of Agile Velocity is right for you. This means it will only show you the time your team spends in the bug fixes. Then velocity, for you, will be a means to measure the progress.

On the other hand, if you wish to have a different future as compared to the present, then for you, second velocity definition will apply where you will measure the team’s ability to convert ideas into the functionality. The velocity in your team will depend on how many ideas are actually transformed.

In a nutshell:

From this entire discussion, note that you must be clear with the team about the definition of Agile Velocity. Explain them what velocity means to you. So, whenever they recall the term “velocity”, they know what it means to you.

This will help them to perform accordingly and it will also make it easy for you to measure the team’s progress as you have now already set the performance measurement parameters.

In Agile Scrum Master Certification: Difference between Agile and Scrum

In IT industry, Agile and Scrum are used as project management tools. This is the reason Agile Scrum Master Certification training is in demand nowadays. Even today, there’s confusion between how they are similar or they are different. Here, in this blog; we have discussed the difference between Agile and Scrum.

Agile Scrum Master Certification: Let’s Look At These Differences Here:

Agile is a set of guiding principles that uses iterative approach for software development whereas Scrum is a particular set of rules that are followed while practicing Agile Software development.

Agile:

Agile training speaks to different programming advancement approaches that have been affected by iterative and gradual improvement, which incorporates Extreme Programming (XP), Rational Unified Process (RUP), Scrum, and others.

As a result of coordinated efforts among the several Agile cross functional team, agile process offers an environment where ongoing changes take place.

Through Agile methodologies, a disciplined project management approach is developed that encourages certain best practice which in turn delivers high quality software.

Waterfall and Agile, both methodologies are completely contrasting in nature.  In the former, all requirements are first listed out and documented before the actual project development begins. While in Agile approach, requirements are like the actual software development advances within single iteration.

This approach provides flexibility in accepting the changes in the requirements and priorities of the business.

The Agile Software Development Process in Scrum Course aligns with the concepts of Manifesto. This greatly reduces the development costs and time. Agile Training helps the companies to create the right business product.

Benefits of Agile Scrum Master Certification are as follows:

      Benefits to Customers:  In the old project management techniques such as waterfall , high value features are developed  and delivered in longer cycles as compared to the Agile approach which enables delivery within short cycles. As a result, development requests of customers are fulfilled quickly.

      Vendors’ Benefits: The Agile allows the vendors to focus on the development effort of high –value features, reduce the overheads and boost efficiency.

      Quality:  With Agile Software Development, there are regular inspections of the Agile working product, with testing integrated at any iteration as it develops throughout the lifecycle. This retains the product quality and allows the product owner to make required adjustments whenever a quality issue arises.

Scrum: 

It is a subset of Agile, a simple and flexible Agile methodology for Software development. The Scrum is simple framework that is designed to address complex problems of a project and offer a creative high value product.

Values That Separate Scrum From Agile Are As Follows:

Simplicity:

The project development in Scrum is done in sprints, i.e. 1, 2 and 3 weeks in a length. The scrum team includes:

        

•        Product Owner
•        Scrum Master
•        Development Team

In the traditional Agile and waterfall model, when technical and business requirements are documented and detailed. This results in endless documentation.

In case, any change is required, the team can quickly adjust before the next sprint.  Here, the business owners get a chance to change their minds and quickly the development team becomes flexible to adapt the changes.

The powerful attribute of Scrum methodology is the ability to accommodate change.

Find Communication between user and company and it takes place on a weekly-daily basis according to the agile sprint schedule. This close communication and collaboration in a crucial factor, promoting the success of the Scrum methodology.

The Scrum Team Achieves Collaboration In These Ways: 

• Product owner, Scrum Master and the development team work closely on daily basis.
• Work plan meetings are arranged. This creates convenience for the development team to plan their work in a proper manner depending on their previous experiences.
• Arrange daily scrum meetings and where the Scrum Development team can work completed. Its future prospects, and deals with issues if any.
• Along with every sprint review, the team is able to identify its drawbacks, is able to examine the work and then suggest better techniques to avoid such mistakes in next sprint. 

Apart from these, there are many more differences between these two which we will discuss some other time. This is it, for now. Get Agile Scrum Master Certification to know these methodologies in depth.

In a nutshell:

Agile and Scrum are known today as the best project management methodologies. You can try them. If you require any kind of Agile Scrum Master Certification training, you can visit Lean Agile training institute.

The Role Of A Scrum Master After Taking Scrum Master Advanced Training

All those belonging to the industry are very well aware of the term “Scrum Master” as well as their responsibilities. There are different hard and soft skills required to become a Scrum Master.  However, there’s still a question: What’s the role of a Scrum Master Advanced Training?

How’s the entire work day of a Scrum Master is like? How does their day change while engaging with more teams?  Let’s take a look in the working day of a Scrum Master.

The Day Of A Scrum Master:

After taking the Scrum Master Advanced Training from any of the well-known institutes such as Lean Agile Training, you might be wondering what work these Scrum Masters actually do.  The answer to this question is here.

Responsibility of A Scrum Master:

Mr. SM was a Scrum Master in a well-known organization. His daily routine consisted of delivering value by removing hassles. This makes the progress systematic.  Experts in the industry define Scrum Masters as “an individual who believes in power and abilities of the people as well as its team”.

The entire work is to boost the team and prepare them for their long term success.  Hence, the main task of Scrum Masters like Mr. SM is to work the entire day with the teams, take them to a treat, etc. It is training with fun.

Some Other Examples Of How They Lead The Team Is:

Ensuring that the process is accurate for the team to work:   Good workers need systems like Scrum to enhance their efficiency.  Scrum masters work together with the team to find a proper solution for the problem in Certified Scrum Toronto.

This doesn’t mean that the final answer must be Scrum. To mix it up; instead of waiting for a planned Sprint Review or a team creating an experiment driven learning.

Team Protection:  Scrum Masters become masters after successfully completing the Scrum Master Advanced Training and then they protect the team by protecting stakeholders and make them understand the new way of working.  The agile is completely different.  Team empowerment is present and there’s no need of any manager to delegate the tasks.  Here, project planning is extremely different.

The reason is focus shifts from the plan to the result.  Instead of interacting with team members, the leaders work directly with the Project Owners to prioritize the project.  This change in shift takes time.

It is Scrum Master’s task to keep on educating stakeholders to elevate the new terrain.

 Arranging Scrum Ceremonies:  Like Mr. SM, there are many Scrum Masters who arrange for a timely meeting known as Scrum Ceremonies for their team members to make them aware of the project goals and ensure that the team is working on the track.

The scrum master must be prepared for the meeting by having the foresight to identify the potential issues that are to be discussed in the meeting. They must also be aware of the activities to be conducted for the team to address the current issues then offering them the guidance to find an appropriate solution.

Here, we have discussed just a few tasks that a Scrum Master has to do. Hence, if you take the Scrum Master Advanced Training, make sure first you understand the role of a Scrum Master properly and then dig deep into the field only if you feel you can wholeheartedly carry out the job.

Professional Scrum Master: (PSM I) evaluation is also available for anyone who wants to confirm the depth of the knowledge of the picturesque framework and its application. Those who pass the evaluation will receive industry-approved PSM I Scrum Master Advanced Training and certification, which will show their original level of Scrum Mastery.

It is not necessary to take a course and if you think that you already have a high level scrumptious knowledge, how to understand the scrum guide and how to apply the scrum within the chronic teams, you have the option of taking a straight PSM is. However, such courses are available that help you prepare for evaluation and gain a strong understanding of the scrum. Depending on your role, either the 2-day Professional Scrum Foundation or the Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training and Course is highly recommended.

Prepare for Assessment

Assessment is difficult; Preparation is necessary to achieve the passing score. Reading the scrum guide and taking an open assessment alone is not usually sufficient and we recommend reviewing the content below:

• Assessments include topics of many focus areas defined by professional focus competencies.
• Many questions ask you to think or interpret meaning from the scrum guide and how you implement the scrum within a scrum team.
• The PSM I suggest reading lists the focus areas that can be selected during the assessment in Scrum Master Advanced Training.
• There are several additional resources to help you prepare for the PSM I assessment in the Scrum Master Learning Path.
• Find a list of existing business Agile Scrum Master Certification holders here or see a breakdown on how many people hold the certificate.
• Stay tuned with us for more such informative blogs about Scrum and Agile.

Tips to Become the Scrum Master Your Team

As a scram master, do you ever feel like you are not doing all this for your team? Are you doing the basics of the job, yet do you think you can do more?

This is a very important question. Each of us has blind spots which prevent us from seeing some things which we can do to better our teams.

In my work with great Scrum Master Advanced Training, and people who may not be great yet, but are working to get there, I have identified eight things that often remind people to become a Scrum Masters. The teams which require are required.

Keep Calm First:

Embrace the effectiveness of all important pausing, the ability to silence. When you are tempted to speak, then wait for others in that awkward situation for others who follows a complex question or thought provocative comment. You do not need all the answers.

And when you are calming yourself mentally, remember to actively listen. Before the team member speaks, oppose the temptation to make a mental answer. Instead, while someone else is talking, give your thoughts to your thoughts. When they are finished, think before answering. There is nothing wrong in keeping quiet while deciding how to respond.

Believe me when I say that to become a fully autonomously, self-organizing team, your team needs your silent comments, so your silence is more than that.

Feed Your Inner Responsibility To Junkie

However, a Scram does not take responsibility for the success of the Master Project - but this fee remains with the team - a scrum takes the responsibility of the team to adopt and practice the scheme.

I often compare the Scrum Master Advanced Training and the Scrum Master role of an orchestra conductor. Both should provide real time guidance and leadership to the talented collection of those people who come together to make something which none of them can make alone.

Or as the Boston Pope's conductor Keith Lockhart says, "People believe that when you become a conductor, you join a Napoleon cheese - you want to stand on that big box and erase your power. I am not a power junkie, I'm a responsible person. "

So to make your team a scram master according to your team's needs, the second suggestion is that you feed junk to your inner responsibility. Your responsibility is to make team members best. And one part of doing this is to become the best you can be.

Master In The Art Of Checking

Third, the Scrum Masters should be aware of what is happening with the team without crossing the line in the micromanagement. To do this, they should be able to check without feeling it that they are checking.

While checking and checking may seem similar, they are actually quite different. Scrum Master Advanced Training and Scrum Masters who do not just ask about progress; they provide real support in removing any obstruction or distraction that is interrupting that progress. They avoid incriminating persons at all costs. And, perhaps, most importantly, they ensure that the problem is given to the team to give full autonomy to the team.

Investigating is very different. When you check a person, you look like a plan - did the programmer finish the changes last night as he had said? Did the tester automate the tests as promised or run it manually "once more"?

Checking about status-type information is being investigated. No problem. But to further include the offer to help in the removal of any obstacle from progress, to include the offer.

To be a scrum master like your team, need and practice to check the art of unchecked.

Show To The Team

When their teams look good, the Scrum Masters look good. As such, they do whatever they need to help the team achieve their goals. And when the team achieves something extraordinary, great screen masters ensure that all people in the organization pay attention in Scrum Master Advanced Training.

Good Scrum Masters also help their teams celebrate their success. There is no need to do festivities on a large scale. You do not need to play Rolling Stones in your retrospective. (But if you do, please invite me, please.)

Food is always a great way to celebrate. I brought bagel, homemade cookies (yes, I can cook), or everyone's personal favorite morning drink. The afternoon time is very good to go together in movies. I once bowled a team, which was an explosion because the street showed the speed of each ball. We paid more attention to the fact that the number of pins knocked on.

You helped the team to achieve their success. And it is very important but they have achieved it. Make sure that they and others - recognize that fact and respect it.

Ways to Measure The Agile Velocity Of Your Teams

Velocity is a simple way to measure the rate at which Scrum teams deliver business value. What project managers must keep in mind about Agile Velocity will be discussed here. Before, we move further; let’s understand what Velocity is?

Agile Velocity:

In short and simple terms, Agile Velocity can be considered as the amount of work your team does in a particular period of time. This can be measured in person hours, number of tasks completed, points collected, or any other units of measurement that can be used for work estimation.

Teams work constantly on the tasks that are on their plate. Velocity is measured as per the number of tasks done per day. The average of these daily velocities over the course of week can be used to estimate the work, a team can do in the long run.

It is equally useful in Scrum. All digital projects work towards a definite schedule. Velocity in Scrum is referred to as total of person hours completed. Knowing velocity, team members can calculate the amount of hours required to complete a project.

The time calculated to complete a project in this manner is mostly accurate.

How is Agile Velocity beneficial?

Teams using Agile usually focus on two levels of completion: either incomplete or complete i.e 0% done or 100% done.  But, sometimes, the task is only 70 - 80% complete. Hence, it is not considered in velocity.

You can plan the team’s velocity at their one and half of team’s total available time. Measuring the Agile Velocity can aid into effective visibility of project progress and status. It is believed that this will stabilize the project life in case the team planning or amount of hours taken to complete the project varies. It makes project planning easy.

Those new to Agile Software Development can select the initial velocity using available information. As days pass by, they will know how velocity can be measured and adjusted.

Velocity can simplify and accelerate the entire project planning and estimation, status tracking and reporting process.

How to track Agile Velocity?

Velocity charts are used to track the Agile Velocity. These are used by most of the project management platforms. These charts assist in visualizing the amount of value delivered. It also enables you to predict the amount of work done by the team in different phases.

So, does this mean Maximum Velocity = Maximum Productivity? Well, let’s check the validity of this statement:

Does Maximum Velocity = Maximum Productivity?

Maximizing Velocity may sometimes mean minimizing productivity. Forcefully trying to increase velocity can lead to less productivity. The aim is to have accurate Agile Velocity not maximum velocity.

There are various tools used to measure the velocity accuracy. These are also used to have visibility across all of your teams in one place. You can reuse the velocity data to measure the health of your product.

In a nutshell:

To know more about Agile Velocity, You can get in touch with us at Lean Agile Training. Knowing it properly will help you achieve more. Master Scrum and Agile and bring your company to the next level.

Agile Velocity Is Not a Measure of Productivity

If trying to give a small and simple definition, then Agile Velocity is the amount of work your team gets in a given time.

Agile development does not necessarily lend itself like a dashboard and report to the beloved by the managers. Some metrics in Agile Velocity seem very little in terms of its production team's plan. Given this lack of usable information, it can again tempt the purpose Agile Velocity as a measure of productivity. After all, this is a measure of the capacity of the team, so it is thus that changes over time can be used to indicate the overall change in productivity?

The problem with this approach is that Agile Velocity is a planning tool rather than a specific measurement. This is an estimate of the relative potential that varies with time, and these changes do not necessarily indicate a change in productivity. This is an arbitrary measure which is wildly different among teams. There is no reliable means of converting it into generalized data which can be used for meaningful comparison.

What you measure in Agile Velocity, You get

Given that Agile Velocity is such an arbitrary measure, which is easy for the game. By equating Agile Velocity with productivity, you create a "distorted incentive" to optimize velocity at the cost of developing software. Consciously or not, teams will try to demonstrate an increase in productivity by massaging them upwards. Even worse, they can start cutting corners to distribute things with short story points. This could lead to the creation of a technical debt that could work productivity in the future.

If you distribute burn-down charts to senior management, then you see the same behavior. Each sprint, the progress line magically starts intersection with the distribution target. The size of the line can be wildly different, but in some way can be slower in the second part of the sprint to meet the speed or slow speed.

Agile Velocity is a measure of the amount of work that a team can do. This is not the same as measuring the value or effect of this work. Velocity can actually be relatively stable in a successful and well-established team because the amount of raw effort available for each sprint remains constant. In this case, putting pressure on the Agile Velocity of artificial will only accomplish perverted estimates.

Can You Actually Measure Software Productivity?

Productivity is determined by seeing the input and output of any activity. Measuring the input for software development is quite easy, but in fact it is difficult to measure the output in any consistent way.

A raw, quantitative measurement, like the number of rows of code, does not provide a proper direction. It depends on wildly changing factors like coding style, development language and implementation approach in Agile Training. It can also be counter-intuitive as well written code which takes time in crafting often requires less lines of code.

Systems based on function points or relative complexity can give slightly better fare, but they are still much correlated to the code that is being written instead of the value being distributed. They can add a lot of overhead in the process of Agile Development in the case of collecting and interpreting data.

Are Professional Results Enough?

If you measure productivity by Agile Velocity you will see a statistical improvement. It is not similar to successful development. Ultimately, the tight process should establish a continuous reaction loop between development teams and commercial references. A more meaningful solution to success should be taken into account and focus on the benefits of real world rather than intangible measures or generalized indicators.

The problem is that these measures vary wildly between teams comparing any kind of cross-team, but all are impossible. Web teams will not constantly measure the real world because web teams can focus on increasing visitors and conversions, while infrastructure teams can have more technical goals around throughput and heritage.

A leap of confidence is necessary here because team productivity cannot be substantially reduced to normalized score. The teams should collect their own data and measure their productivity to manage their continuous improvement. The possibility of focusing on concrete benefits is likely to be echoed with teams and provide something for them to work collectively. It will provide a more consistent measure over time, because in reality the world profits are less prone to variation due to the structure or development approach.

Metrics are not a bad thing, but are wrong.

Metrics are not just a management enjoyment. They help you identify problems; decide on corrective action or how to develop in the future. However, it is difficult to reach a productivity measure, which can be applied appropriately across the board for software development. By satisfying the hunger of on-going management for reports and dashboards, you take the risk of creating meaningless overhead and distorting the development.

Agile Velocity | Estimating Initial Agile Velocity

Agile Velocity is a very simple, powerful method to accurately measure the rate that the Scrum Development Team provides consistent selling value. To calculate your agile team pace, add superior features to successfully delivered features, user stories, requirements, or backlog items.

Before completing the first repetition, there are some simple guides to estimate your team's initial pace (see approximate), but then you should use global, historical steps for planning facilities. Soon, the momentum is usually settled and the closest and long-term planning of your clever plans are very much supported by the accuracy and credibility of both. Agile delivery cycle is very small so the momentum starts quickly and the project can be approved at the very beginning and then depends on improving the project forecast.

Understanding of Advanced Scrum Master Training and Agile Velocity

In case you are hearing the phrase "Agile Development" frequently around the office USA, it's no delight. More and more businesses are turning to this system that uses regular feedback and is adaptable to the changing tides of a given task in Scrum Master Advanced Training.

In its core, Scrum Development includes software development methodologies involving this adaptable concept. Included Such as.

- Scrum

- Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

- Amazingly

- Serious Programming (XP)

- Active Way Systems Development Method (DSDM)

- Lean Development

Frequent revision of deadlines and expectations is vital to the agile process in Scrum Coaching. Alternatively than the traditional (or "old school") methods of managing a project, where what was done wasn't able to be undone, as it was uncovered too later in the project, Lean Agile Training takes a frequent opportunity and obstacles a Scrum Software implementation has and bends to accommodate it in an affordable manner. Planning, assessment and integration throughout the project are necessary for a project's success in Agile Scrum Master Certification.

The Team's Position:

Rather than the old school method the place that the project manager required the helm, ran the meetings and barked out orders, Agile allows groups to collaborate. Decisions are made as a group, be it natural or processed to ensure visibility and open communication.

Previous, Present and Future:

Lean Agile Training has been slow to be implemented in software system development worldwide most in USA and Canada, although certain components have recently been utilized for a little while Scrum Master Agile Velocity. Because more businesses begin to see the us dollars and time wasted by using a more rigid task and job management approach, more are turning to Agile Techniques and Scrum practices as a way keep up to date, be well-informed, defend against pitfalls and keep assignments on time and under budget Scrum Coaching.

Lean Agile is the main of Payton Asking, a good that offers Agile Scrum Master Certification project management, business talking to and Scrum coaching. This individual brings ten years of experience in technology to his project management asking.