If you’re getting started with Agile, you’ve probably heard
a lot of terms and may not know what they all mean. This post will define the key Agile terms and
have you speaking like an Agilista in
no time.
- Agile:
A conceptual framework for undertaking software projects. Agile
methods are a family of development processes, not a single approach to
software development
- Agile
Coach: The team facilitator is called the Agile Coach or Scrum Master.
Their job is to implement and manage the Agile/Scrum processes in the
project. Scrum masters serve a facilitator role and their authority is
mostly indirect.
- Scrum:
Scrum is a lightweight agile method for software development. Scrum is
named after the Scrum in rugby, which is a way to restart the game after
an accidental infringement. It is based on the adaptive methodology of
software development
- Sprint
/ Iteration: A sprint is defined as a 2-5 week increment of software
development activities that delivers working software and the end of the
increment.
- Product
Owner: The customer for whom the project is being performed is termed
the product owner. This person is knowledgeable of the business and is
responsible for prioritizing the work that the team will tackle in each
sprint
- Sprint
Planning: Is a pre sprint planning meeting attended by the core agile
team. During the meeting the Product Owner describes the highest priority
features to the team as described on the product backlog. The team then
agrees on the number of features they can accomplish in the sprint and
plans out the tasks required to achieve delivery of those features. The planning group works the features
into User Stories and assigns Acceptance criteria to each story.
- Daily
Standup/Scrum: Each day the Scrum Master leads the team in the Daily
Scrum Meeting. This meeting designed to provide status on the progress of
the sprint. Each team member speaks to three questions: what did I do
yesterday, what did I do today, and what impediments got in my way?
- Sprint
Review: Each Sprint is followed by a Sprint review. During this review
the software developed in the previous Sprint is reviewed and if necessary
new backlog items are added.
- User
Stories: A user story is a very high-level definition of a
requirement, containing just enough information so that the developers can
produce a reasonable estimate of the effort to implement it
- Product
Backlog: Acts as a repository for requirements targeted for release at
some point. These are typically high level requirements with high level
estimates provided by the product stakeholders. The requirements are listed on the
backlog in priority order and maintained by the product owner.
- Burndown:
A burndown chart is a simple visual tool for measuring and managing sprint
progress. Visually, a burndown
chart is nothing more than a line chart representing remaining work over
time. Burndown charts are used to
measure the progress of an agile project at both a micro and macro level.
- Sprint
Backlog: At the beginning of each sprint, the team has sprint planning
with an end result being a backlog of work that the team anticipates
completing at the end of the sprint. These are the items that the team
will deliver against throughout the duration of the sprint
- Team
Velocity: It is a relative number which describes how much work the
team can get done per sprint
- Retrospective: A team meeting to review lessons learned.
It is based on the principles of applying the learning from the previous
sprint to the upcoming sprint.
Once you learn these terms, you will be able to communicate
with agile team members in their language and will be on your way to delivering
working software one sprint at a time!
