What does it mean to work in SPRINTS?
In “standard”, non-agile project development we tend to:
1) plan & specify ahead each work item for at least next few quarters;
2) execute work plan by challenging next project milestones;
3) be frustrated that we have to change our plans due to things that we do not have direct control of;
4) delay project delivery date due to resolving change of scope/requirements /business purpose
5) overworking our crucial team members to finish work exatcly on delivery date
On the other hand in Scrum (agile framework) there is a very specified period of time (not longer then 1 month) called Sprint that is a “heartbeat” of a product development. Sprint is a time “container” for all Scrum events (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Retrospective, Sprint Review).
Why working in sprints in beneficial for developers?
Working in Sprints gives us a chance to:
1) plan precisely (according to present requirements) ONLY work that has to be done to obtain Sprint Goal during every Sprint Planning session; (no waste of time to plan everything 6 months ahead)
2) inspect current situation during daily scrum meeting to check if there is anything that is blocking us from obtaining Sprint Goal;
3) look at things that went wrong during last Sprint during Sprint Retrospective; (which demands honesty and openness) ;
4) show results of work done in Sprint during Sprint Review (it gives a chance to adapt quickly if we delivered something that is not exactly covering current needs)
5) not overwork our team members (sprints are giving us a chance to find optimal pace of work for sustainable, high quality value delivery).
If you want to know more about Agile frameworks in software development have a look at a few articles about them in our Knowledge Base !
