Beginner Tips for SAFeⓇ Scrum Masters During Sprint Planning
As a SAFeⓇ Scrum Master, you cannot always be 100% sure that all your sprints will be successful, but you sure can try your best to make sure most are. And behind every successful sprint, there needs to be effective methodical and practical planning on everyone’s end, including the Scrum Master’s. A successful sprint can repurpose and restructure the involved Agile teams into not only a more obstruction-free successful path but also set a grand standard for future sprints promising progress.
How to Prepare For Your First Sprint Planning?
When you are planning for your first sprint with a new scrum team your first priority must be preparing your backlog. Hold prior meetings to help establish the items on the product backlog if necessary. Your second concern must be to ensure your team member’s availability for the planned sprint. Make sure if they are completely ready and equipped to work the sprint goals and activities. During your first sprint planning, make sure you and the team detail out the what, how, who, and the inputs and expected outcomes for your sprints.
Once you’ve gone through your extensive SSMⓇ training you will have all you need to know about successful Sprint Planning. And if you haven’t, the best platform to help you prepare for your first and many oncoming sprint sessions, and help you become a successful SAFeⓇ Scrum Master is none other than KnowledgeHut.
Tips for an Effective First Sprint
Not Setting Boundaries
An ineffective SSMⓇ will simply stand by and not facilitate the progress of the current sprint which can lead to its ineffectiveness. A scrum master is responsible for coaching the product owner and the involved team to work the current sprint and within the set ‘timebox’. Don’t stand by and let items spill into subsequent sprints which were committed to the ongoing one.
Do Not Overwork the Team Members
As a SAFeⓇ Scrum Master, you are required to aid a successful sprint which means the completion of the planned product backlog items. However, for subsequent successful sprints, you cannot push the team members too hard into completion. If one or more team members experience burnout, it will too affect your chances of a successful sprint. Even facilitating too many planned sprints can lead to burnout, and you want to avoid that.
Not Taking a Stand
Since you are the one responsible for organizing the sprints, you need to maintain the perfect balance between the product owner and development teams. Make sure an overeager product owner doesn’t end up complying with all the demands of the stakeholders, piling the stress onto the team members. Take a stand as and when you feel it’s needed.
Scheduling Shorter Sprints
Want to set the perfect sprint rhythm in your organization? The best way to approach it is by prioritizing shorter sprints with immediate goals on the top of the list. It’d be even better to set a routine time frame for your sprints so that team members can expect beforehand when the next sprint will be and remain prepared. Availability of each member is important and you need to be sure one and all can dedicate their time accordingly.
Good luck with your first Sprint. Coordinate with the product owner and make sure the list isn’t overcrowded as it is your responsibility to make sure the assigned backlog items are finished within the set time.
