Getting to Know the Four Agile Events from the Scrum Method

Agile methodology is one of the widely popular systems for software developers. Over the last few years, the methodology has spread across other computing fields as well as project and product management. One of the key reasons for the rapid advancement of the Agile methodology is the constant need for communication between team members, especially the different meetings that they schedule to exchange opinions and overcome problems. These meetings are also known as Agile events, which are part of the Scrum framework.

An Agile event is the most prominent in one of the most popular Agile frameworks – Scrum. Scrum is flexible and the meetings held at the end of each sprint allow team members to share updates and cultivate transparent and productive communication. Statistics show that around 71% of U.S.-based companies are using Agile to manage their products.

There are a total of four Agile events , and all of them can be implemented through the Scrum framework. Continue reading to learn about the four Agile events in more detail and how they promote regular communication and a problem-solving mindset across the development teams.

What are Agile Events?

An Agile event is a meeting practiced among Scrum teams. Scrum team members update one another on the progress of their project and discuss potential issues that have arisen since the last sprint. These meetings help evaluate how successful the team and project are. Teams use it to view potential problems from a logical standpoint and find solutions that will allow the project to advance.

Agile events can be further broken down into four rituals that Scrum and Agile teams use. These four rituals occur during the length of one Scrum sprint, and they include:

• Sprint planning
• Daily stand-ups
• Sprint review
• Sprint Retrospective

Scrum meetings allow the Scrum master, product owner, and the development team to discuss the project, plan the Sprint, give feedback, and much more.

Even though Agile events are just regular meetings between team members, product owners, and Scrum masters, they discuss the project in-depth and figure out strategies to improve it.

Why are Agile Events Important?

Every Agile event has its importance in the Sprint. They play an important role in promoting effective communication, transparency, and collaboration within the Agile teams. Here’s why Agile events are important:

• They promote collaboration
• Communication is enhanced
• Promoting accountability
• Continuous iterative improvement
• They help align with customer needs

Agile Events Roles and Responsibilities

In Scrum, there are certain roles and responsibilities that participants get. The roles within a team may change as Sprints change too, but some roles stay the same from the start to the deployment of the final product.

Agile (Scrum) roles are not the same as job titles. Job titles are there regardless of what project you work on, while your role in a Scrum development team depends on your responsibilities in that team. With that in mind, an Agile team consists of three key roles detailed below.

Scrum product owner

Scrum product owners oversee the creation of the product backlog based on the customer’s vision and requirements. Product owners collaborate with the development team to bring the client’s requirements forth and transform them into a scalable product.

Additionally, the product owner is in charge of ensuring that the team is delivering value and quickly adapting to changing demands and requirements of stakeholders. Their responsibility is not only to understand the vision of the stakeholders but also that the development team is aligned with that vision as well as the value they bring.

Some of the key responsibilities of a product owner include:

• Defining product backlog: The product owner creates and defines the product backlog which includes a list of user stories, features, and requirements.
• Setting product vision: Communicating the product vision to the development team, stakeholders and other relevant parties is one of the most important tasks a product owner should perform. This helps define the product’s direction, and long-term goal as well as identify who the ideal customers are.
• Collaborating with stakeholders: The product owner is the primary point of contact with stakeholders and other important entities associated with the product. They gather feedback, address concerns, and add stakeholders’ touch to the overall product development.
• Validating deliverables: The product owner thoroughly checks the work the development team completed and validates whether it meets the defined acceptance criteria and quality standards. Finally, they accept the work and forward it on.
• Providing continuous feedback: The product owner is an important part of Agile events. They provide feedback, make all the important decisions, and adapt the product backlog based on decisions made during the meetings.

This role requires a combination of domain knowledge, business mindset, communication skills, and the ability to adapt and make informed decisions based on the performance of the team. They’re the bridge that merges the development team and stakeholders.

Scrum Master

Simply said, the Scrum master helps hold the whole project together. They ensure that the scrum and Agile principles are implemented properly and that the product owner can effectively define value and adjust the backlog.

They are in charge of facilitating and ensuring that the Scrum principles are implemented, and that the development team practices them religiously. Scrum master is more than a manager, it’s a role that is a servant-leader and facilitator, as well as coach. Some of the Scrum master’s responsibilities are shown below:

• Scrum framework and process: Scrum master ensures that the team understands the Scrum framework and Agile principles and follows them. They educate the team about all the important Scrum practices, artifacts, and rituals and ensure the team follows the plans outlined in the meetings.
• Team facilitation: The Scum master is a facilitator and cultivates effective collaboration and communication between the team members. The primary objective is to remove any inefficiencies or obstacles that may hinder the development process. They make sure the team is motivated and empowered in a way that allows them to make decisions while promoting continuous improvement within the team.
• Mentoring: Coaching and mentoring are two responsibilities that every Scrum master should have. Their responsibility is to guide the development team through Agile principles and adapt them to changes. They teach collaboration and help them implement different Scrum values like artifacts and others.
• Progress tracking: Scrum master also helps the development team establish the metrics and tracking mechanisms. These mechanisms help measure progress allowing for more transparency about the project development and its performance. Agile metrics include velocity, burndown charts, and cycle time, and they support continuous improvement and making data-driven decisions. The team’s progress also needs to be transparently communicated to stakeholders, which is why Scrum Master is there.

Scrum masters help the team establish Agile values and mechanisms which will help the project development. It’s a critical role without which agile teams wouldn’t exist. They are the advocates that promote transparency, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.

The Development Team

The development team is a team of people that work on the project. Initially, they were only software developers, given that is the industry where Scrum and Agile are used the most. However, the development team has been redefined.

Simply put, a developer in the development team is a person equipped with the right skill set and toolkit which enables them to complete the work specified in the project. The responsibilities of the development team include:

• Deliverables: The development team is responsible for delivering work at the end of each sprint.
• Transparency: The development team often meets up for the daily standup meetings which are part of the Agile events detailed below. These meetings ensure transparency among the development team members, which is one of their key responsibilities.
• Delivering value: The development team turns product backlog into valuable increments. The team members collaborate to design, develop, test, and integrate different features of the product.
• Self-organization: Even though there are Scrum masters and product owners that are in charge of leading roles and channels between the team and stakeholders, the development team is self-organizing and accountable for their commitments. They need to ensure that all the items from the sprint backlog are completed.
• Cross-functional collaboration: The development team is cross-functional. That means that the team is equipped with all the necessary skills to see the project development from the beginning to the end. They have the necessary expertise to deliver the product increment. Each team consists of individuals that have different skills such as coding, testing, designing, marketing, writing, and others. As part of their collaboration, the team will exchange their knowledge and combine their skills to succeed.

The development team transforms product backlog cards into valuable increments to achieve sprint goals. They are a vital part of Agile events and continuously strive for improvement to deliver high-quality products.

The Four Agile Events of Scrum

Below, we detailed the four Agile events, who they involve, and what you can expect from their outcome.

1. Sprint Planning

Sprint planning is a collaborative meeting that initiates each sprint. Depending on which exact framework you’re using, the parties involved in this meeting include the development team, the Scrum master, and the product owner.

This meeting lasts around one to two hours and the product owner or Scrum master will define the goals the team will focus on in the upcoming sprint. The team reviews the items from the product backlog and pulls the most important items for this Sprint.

The goal of this Agile event is to introduce everybody on the development team to the final objective of the sprint and what specific things they will focus on during the sprint.

2. Daily Stand-up Meetings

The second Agile event includes daily meetings held by the development team to update one another on what they’ve been working on. Oftentimes, the Scrum master (if the team has one) and the product owner will also be present so that they can update the stakeholders about what’s happening with the projects.

This meeting is important because every member of the development team answers three important questions:

• What did I accomplish?
• What will I work on next?
• Are there any issues that are blocking my progress?

Stand-up meetings are invaluable because they promote transparency, alignment, and quick problem-solving, which is important when working on fast-paced projects. The team members will be able to coordinate their efforts while being informed about the overall progress.

3. Sprint Review

During this Agile event, the development team will receive feedback on what they’ve been doing. However, what’s different about this meeting than the others is that the stakeholders such as management and clients will be present at this meeting because they’ll be the ones providing feedback to the development team.

The sprint review validates the performance and provides valuable insights for both the stakeholders and the development team.

The team and product owner will be able to have a better understanding of the stakeholders’ needs and can address the potential issues and refine the product backlog based on feedback received.

4. Sprint Retrospective Meeting

After the sprint review, the sprint retrospective meeting occurs. In this, the development team, product owner, and/or Scrum master look back on what was done during the Sprint and review the feedback.

The goal of this meeting is to adapt the team’s processes, as well as identify areas of improvement. Then, they will make a plan that will enhance the overall productivity of the team and the quality of work. This way, the team will refine their practices and address any bottlenecks that took place during the Sprint.

The Agile event cadences enable all team members, as well as the product owner to constantly exchange valuable information about the current Sprint. While Agile events occur mainly in Scrum teams, Lean frameworks such as Kanban can greatly benefit from these meetings.

What is the Most Important Agile Event?

Each Agile event is important in every stage of the product development process. However, at certain stages, some events are more important than others.

That said, the Sprint retrospective meeting can be considered the most important Agile event because it helps the development team process the feedback they received while looking back on what they did well, and what can be improved in the next Sprint.  

Conclusion

Agile events provide a structured framework that promotes collaboration and continuous improvement. But, Agile principles are not only limited to Scrum and other Agile frameworks. Lean frameworks like Kanban can also benefit from Agile events to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Embrace the power of Agile events with Kanban Zone! Try out today and streamline your tasks, visualize your work, and optimize your processes for effective delivery while applying the four Agile events to manage your projects. Check out our Scrum templates to assist you in conducting your Agile events.