Scrum – A Deep Dive Into The Framework

Hey there Current and Future Friends of Mintun Media!

We’ve been making BIG changes, and we KNOW you’re going to love it! 😉

Mintun Media has been implementing a new process when it comes to our workflow. We are using the Scrum Development Process in our web designing process.

“Why should we care?” you ask…

Imagine this: You ask us to design an excellent website for you. Our team spends a significant amount of time planning out what the website will look like, any funky features, and a step-by-step framework for the entire project from start to finish. Surely nothing can go wrong. Am I right?

Once plans are laid out, our team will start to work on the website. We would make slight adjustments to the plans whenever errors or problems occur. There might be some bumps in the road, and we eventually came out with the final website. We start testing the website and realize that some of the plugins we are using no longer serve their purpose. Unfortunately, we can’t make many changes because the deadline is coming.

We set a meeting with you to review the website. Once everyone has arrived, you look at the website and with disappointment. This is not quite what you want and it’s not the vision you have that represents your company. 

What Went Wrong?

The model we use in this situation is the Waterfall Development Model.

A traditional model gives us a bird’s eye view of our project from start to finish. However, there are many cons to this.

Despite the extensive time of intricate planning, you often realize too late that your plans are more expensive than expected. With a tight deadline, you expect to reach each milestone, causing a lot of stress in case of any problems or delays.

Even if you reach the deadline in the nick of time, you may discover that your end product could have been a lot better than it was. This type of model may also bring the wrong product if the market demand or technology has changed since the original development of the product. It doesn’t provide a lot of opportunities for you, the customer, to give feedback throughout the development process because everything has already been predetermined. 

What Could Have Been Done?

The best common used agile methodology for project management is the Scrum Development Process. It is an iterative and incremental agile software development process where the team self-organizes to solve a complex problem.

What makes Scrum Development Process so different from our previous model? 

It involves fewer plans while still being able to accomplish more. The work is divided into 1 week cycles which we call Sprints. A typical scrum project will have sprints that last from 2 weeks to 3 months, with each sprint sequentially building on the work of the previous sprint. It allows for less documentation and time planning and creates more flexibility when it comes to design. Giving the customer the ability to provide feedback and guidance throughout the build process so that they get exactly what they are looking for.

Sounding like this works for your timeline? Reach out to our team today to discuss what your goals are for your business!

The Dream Team!

With a badass methodology, you’ll need a badass team to ensure you’re on the right track with your project needs. A dream team, composed of three essential roles, will work as one dedicated team in the constant delivery of functioning products while receiving continuous feedback from all members. The three roles are:

  • The Product Owner – This person is responsible for defining the features needed and bringing in the bright ideas intended for the product. They are the ones that will keep the team accountable for your vision.
  • The Scrum Master – This person acts as the “Servant Leader” to the entire team. Their main goal is to protect the team and the process, running meetings to ensure that everyone is working together accordingly to achieve the features and ideas required by the product owner.
  • The Development Team – These are the developers, testers, writers, and any other role that helps in the development of the product. The development team can play multiple roles. Some may go from developer to tester to writer, as the project requires.

What’s In the Scrum Development Process?

There are four critical items in every scrum process. Like when you’re packing your essentials for travel, you need to make sure you’ve packed these scrum essentials in your suitcase to ensure the best possible outcomes for your project:

  • Product Backlog – these are the goals for the end product and how to achieve them. It includes a prioritized list of features known as “user stories” and constantly evolves and changes priority with every sprint.
  • Sprint Backlog –  The sprint backlog aims to identify the items from the product backlog that the team will work on during the sprint. Our team will estimate the size and timeline that we need to complete each “user story”. We will then work on these user stories for the next sprint.
  • Definition of done – To ensure that all needs are met by the end of the sprint, the team must define what is counted as “Done” for clarity.
  • Burndown Chart  – This will include all team members’ tasks, define what needs to be done, who is currently doing it, and what is already done with the task in every sprint.

Communication is Key!

Rania Al Abdullah once said: “We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.

The most significant benefit with this process is the loop of communication that is created between YOU, the customer, and the team that is actually creating your website. Here are four essential ceremonies that significantly improve the final product:

  • Sprint Planning – The product owner, scrum master, and development team meet to discuss the user stories and estimate the tasks required for the sprint EVERY WEEK.
  • Daily Stand Up – Sadly, this isn’t a comedy session! A stand-up is a brief meeting where all members meet to discuss.
    • What they have completed since the previous meeting.
    • What they’re currently working on.
    • Is anything blocking project progress or requires assistance?
  • Sprint Review – Once a sprint is complete, all team members will meet again, and the development team will demonstrate the completed product to the product owner.
  • Retrospective – The entire team will reflect on the process and what they can do to improve it going forward.

Trust in the Scrum Development Process!

The scrum development process is a highly effective framework for developing and launching products and services in a concise time. The idea of this process is to divide it into small chunks so each task can be done separately but still lead toward the desired outcome. There are three phases of the scrum process:

  1. Sprint Planning – This phase plans for what will be built during the sprint, using the product backlog and/or the sprint backlog.
  2. Daily Stand-up Meeting – This phase ensures that members are on track for their goals for that day.
  3. Review & Retrospective Meeting – This phase deals with assessing how well the current sprint went and handle any issues before proceeding to the next sprint.

Continue to repeat these phases from the beginning until the product is feature complete. After completing several sprints, you’ll soon end up with the final product that all team members approve of! Meaning that the design and features the product owner wants are present.

Since we have been implementing this new methodology, we know we can cater to your wants and needs. On-time and 100% satisfaction guaranteed!

With Scrum, you won’t ever feel like you’re out of the loop or wasting your time with Mintun Media. Reach out to us today to discuss how we can make it happen! You’ll be alongside us as we build, review, and improve your DREAM website.