Design Template by Anonymous

Agile Sprints

What Are Sprints?

In Agile web design, sprints function like mini-projects within the overall development. Lasting 1-2 weeks, they involve the entire team working towards a specific goal, like designing a key website section. High-priority tasks are chosen from a larger list, and everyone estimates their effort. This focus on achievable goals and adaptability allows the team to iterate quickly, ensuring the most impactful aspects are addressed first and adjustments can be made based on progress and learnings.

Preparation (Before the Meeting)

1. Review Team Availability:
• Identify any team member vacations, planned absences, or external commitments.
• Ensure everyone is aware of their current workload and potential conflicts that could impact their capacity during the sprint.


2. Establish Team Velocity:
• Analyze past performance. Review the number of backlog items completed in previous sprints of similar duration.
• Calculate average velocity. This provides a rough idea of the team's overall output, aiding in setting realistic goals for the upcoming sprint.


3. Prioritize Backlog:
• The product owner, with input from the team, prioritizes backlog items based on their:
• Value: Importance to the product and stakeholders.
• Urgency: Need for the feature in the current stage of development.
• Complexity: Estimated effort and potential risks associated with the item.
• Refine acceptance criteria. Ensure each backlog item has clear and measurable criteria for its completion.

Sprint Planning Meeting

1. Review Previous Sprint (15-30 minutes):
• Briefly discuss what the team successfully completed.
• Address any difficulties encountered and lessons learned.
• Identify any outstanding tasks or improvements for future sprints.


2. Set the Sprint Goal (30 minutes):
• Based on prioritized backlog items, the product owner suggests a high-level objective for the sprint.
• The team collaboratively discusses, clarifies, and refines the proposed goal to ensure it's achievable, measurable, and aligns with the product vision.


3. Refine Backlog Items (60-90 minutes):
• The team chooses a set of backlog items that contribute to the sprint goal.
• Discuss any ambiguities or uncertainties within the chosen items.
• If necessary, large backlog items might be further divided into smaller, more manageable tasks.


4. Estimate Efforts (30-45 minutes):
• The team collaboratively estimates the effort required to complete each selected backlog item.
  Common techniques include:
• Story points: Assigning numerical values based on relative effort (1 point = easiest, 5 points = most complex).
• T-shirt sizing: Assigning sizes like "small," "medium," or "large" to represent effort level.
• The team openly discusses estimates, addressing any concerns and potentially revising them to ensure alignment.







5. Refine Sprint Backlog (30 minutes):
• Based on the team's combined capacity and the estimated effort for each item, assess the feasibility of completing the chosen backlog items within the sprint timeframe.
• If necessary, the team might remove or reduce the scope of certain backlog items to ensure a balanced workload that can be realistically achieved.


6. Identify Dependencies (15 minutes):
• Identify any tasks that rely on the completion of others.
• Discuss how to address these dependencies and avoid delays


7. Address Risks and Concerns (15 minutes):
• Discuss any anticipated challenges or risks that could hinder progress during the sprint.
• The team collaboratively identifies solutions or contingency plans to address potential issues.

Wrap-Up

Confirm the sprint backlog and ensure everyone is clear on:

• The final list of selected backlog items.
• The acceptance criteria for each item.
• The overall plan and timeline for the sprint.

Daily Stand-up Meetings

Daily stand-up meetings typically last up to 15 minutes and are meant for the team to go over:

• Share progress updates.
• Identify any roadblocks or emerging issues.
• Adapt plans as needed throughout the sprint.

Example

Sprint 1: Develop the core website structure, navigation, and basic design layout.

Sprint 2: Focus on building key functionalities like contact forms or e-commerce features.

Sprint 3: Refine the design based on user feedback, potentially including adjustments to color scheme or content placement.