Facilitating Iteration Execution
The iteration rhythm
The Scrum Master facilitates the events that keep the iteration moving: iteration planning, backlog refinement, the daily stand-up, the iteration review (delivered as part of the System Demo), and the retrospective. Coordination beyond the team happens through ART Sync, which combines the Scrum of Scrums with the Product Owner sync.
Concepts to name
- Iteration planning produces an iteration goal set against the team's capacity, with stories that meet the Definition of Done.
- Daily stand-up is a 15-minute team planning conversation focused on the iteration goal and impediments - not a status report upward.
- Iteration review is a working demo of the increment with stakeholders, feeding the System Demo.
- Retrospective produces a small number of owned improvement actions that are tracked.
- Flow and WIP limits, built-in quality, and visibility of iteration goals against PI objectives.
- Impediment tracking and escalation, using metrics such as velocity and predictability to inform - not police - the team.
Traps
- Describing the stand-up as the Scrum Master collecting status to report to management.
- Treating the iteration review as a slide deck or a status meeting; it should demonstrate working software.
- Assuming the System Demo happens only at PI end - it occurs every iteration.
- Retrospectives that generate a long wish list with no owners or follow-through.
- The Scrum Master solving every impediment personally instead of building team capability.
Rule of thumb
Limit the retrospective to one or two improvement actions and make the Scrum Master accountable for following through. A short list that actually changes behaviour beats a long list that is never revisited.