Business can happen at the speed of light in today's fast-paced world. Agile project management with scrum moves in tandem with high-velocity speed, organizing product and project management to conform to today's often fast-paced standards. Product owners must rely on backlogs and sprint planning to keep progress moving forward more efficiently, if not faster, than ever before. The scrum methodology essentially emphasizes creative and adaptive teamwork in solving complex problems, according to the Harvard Business Review. [1]
Plan the Agile Whiteboard Layout
Begin with a product backlog and list everything the project needs according to importance. As the project proceeds, add or edit items in the backlog, as needed. The scrum board layout depends on the creation of the backlog, which gets fleshed out later with tasks and assignments. A simple grid layout keeps the management of the scrum board organized and easy to follow and update for brief daily meetings.
How does the beginner get started designing a scrum task board? Here’s a checklist for getting a handle on it.
1. Consider the size of the development team as well as the scrum board location. Some scrum masters prefer white boards made of porcelain while others prefer lighter magnetic boards.
2. The type of board matters, among other factors. For example, will your board move locations, or does your team congregate around it? Options include wall-mountable and free-standing white boards.
3. Remember to keep a good supply of erasable markers on hand in several colors to help distinguish various tasks. Use these to mark the grid lines and to also make notes on the whiteboard.
Plan the Sprints
The backlog awaits, and the time comes to choose the first set of tasks. Call a sprint-planning meeting and engage the team in selecting tasks to complete in the first sprint. The stage also includes team responsibility assignments for each item. Also announce a time limit for the sprint, which customarily runs a month or less in the Agile model. Development team members need access to self-stick notes for use in daily planning and updating their tasks on the scrum board.
Some potential categories for the whiteboard layout include: To Do, Doing, Quality Check, Done and Blocked. Each team member takes responsibility to move tasks to the appropriate categories. If the scrum master sees self-stick notes in the “Quality Check “or “Blocked” columns, that's a cue to check the work and to also talk to the team member. Resolving a blocked task might be something as simple as a purchase that needs approval.
Sprint Every Day
Consider taking about 15 minutes every day for team members to touch base in a daily scrum meeting. Each team member needs to report on work accomplished the day before and the work planned for the current day. If any team member knows of a problem preventing that day’s progress, this meeting is the time to say so. At the end of the sprint, bring the team together again to present the completed tasks for review. Ask for feedback and suggestions for improving the scrum process. Is there a way to be more efficient? Do team members need additional scrum supplies?
With the tasks for the first sprint successfully behind you, it is now time for the new sprint plan. The team must choose new tasks and sprint ahead.
If you use agile project management with scrum, you must remember the backlog and the sprints. Scrum is about efficient organization and breaking a really big project down into manageable tasks, otherwise known as the backlog or the ultimate to-do list. Good project managers know that saving time while saving money makes good sense, and scrum is the framework that makes it all possible. You’ll know that it is working because your team will be coming up with more new ideas and getting those ideas in front of your customers faster than before. That’s the goal, reports Fast Company. [2]
The simple grid design of a scrum board makes daily meetings flow seamlessly and quickly as everyone involved knows the design and the plan. Team members use the self-stick notes and erasable markers to keep their tasks up-to-date, and managers can see at a glance exactly where the project stands.
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