It is quite common (and important) to define the ways of working for a new team. Many of the teams I work with use Scrum. So, I have been using the following google slides presentation or equivalente Miro and Mural templates to go over the team ways of working and document it.
Ways of Working activity
Defining the ways of working for a new team is of utmost importance. In this context, let’s delve into our team’s specific Ways of Working (WoW), which includes aspects like cadence, meetings, product backlog, sprint backlog, DOR (Definition of Ready), DOD (Definition of Done), and team responsibilities, all of which are essential for ensuring our team’s efficiency and alignment.
Step by step:
1. Explain the first aspect
Start by cadence, then meetings, then product backlog, and so forth.
2. Group alignment
Talk about, decide and take notes for the WOW for each aspect.
3. Move to the next aspect
Go aspect by aspect for all WOW aspects. Please adjust the aspects for your context.
I have run this activity using different software. I have used Shared Google slides, Miro and Mural. Below you can find text and links to templates for running your WoW session.
Ways of Working (WoW) for a SCRUM TEAM
Below, you’ll find a comprehensive breakdown of the key components of our WoW (Ways of Working) for a Scrum team. Please refer to this guide to gain insights into the various aspects critical to a Scrum team’s operations and productivity.
- CADENCY
- MEETINGS
- PRODUCT BACKLOG
- SPRINT BACKLOG
- DOR (DEFINITION OF READY)
- DOD (DEFINITION OF DONE)
- TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
Please fill up / change the <marked items> for your team context.
Cadency
- We will work with Sprints of <one week>
- Any changes in the team or in the work backlog are informed in the weekly planning meeting
Meetings
- Daily meeting: every weekday from <10 to 10:15 CET>
- Weekly planning meeting: every Monday from <10:30 to 11:30 CET>
- Weekly review meeting: every Friday from <10:30 to 11:00 CET>
- Weekly retrospective: every Friday from <11:0 to 11:30 CET>
Product Backlog
- We will follow the product backlog order, as per <LINK: e.g. Lean Inception Mural>
- The product backlog has items of higher level of abstraction (such as features and epics) which still need more clarification before considering Ready to be worked on. These higher-level items might change as per business changes and user feedback.
Sprint Backlog
- We use DoR (Definition of Ready) to inform an item is ready for development, so it enters the Sprint backlog
- We use DoD (Definition of Done) to validate the work on the item is complete (done!) so it leaves the Sprint backlog
- The Sprint backlog is defined in the Sprint planning meeting
- Our Sprint backlog is available at <LINK: e.g. Jira>
DoR (Definition of Ready)
The work item …
- is represented by a User Story
- is covered by acceptance criteria
- is mapped to an interface (when necessary)
- dependencies are identified (if any)
<please adjust to your team definitions>
DoD (Definition of Done)
the work item …
- delivers an increment of the product
- complies with the established acceptance criteria
- is documented for use
- adheres to the coding and technical standards
- maintains product performance indices
<please adjust to your team definitions>
Team responsibilities
- <PERSON> is the primary person of contact to ask about any changes in the backlog and the direction of the product
- <PERSON> is the primary person of contact to ask about any technical aspect about the product
- <PERSON> is the primary person of contact to ask about any project / process improvement:
<please add to your team definitions>
On Google Slides
>> download/copy the Scrum WoW google slides presentation for your usage
Feel free to copy, to use, to share and to change this content, but please keep a link to caroli.org/en/scrum-ways-of-working , so other people find it as well as the future updates.
More activities
I have used these activities on isolated workshops as well as part of an agile team inception. You find more inception activities here.
>> This content is part of a series on inception activities.
