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February 15, 20238 min read

How to Conduct Backlog Refinement (Grooming) Meetings Effectively

A backlog refinement (grooming) meeting is an effective way of keeping the product backlog up-to-date and making the sprints more productive. Find out more on the top tips to conduct effective backlog refinement meetings.In Scrum, the product backlog is the important to-do list that drives focused teams, timely deliveries, and quality products. A product backlog is designed by the Product Owner at the beginning of the project, which helps the Scrum team estimate the required efforts and plan sprints accordingly. As…
February 9, 20237 min read

How Product Owner and Scrum Master Can Contribute to Effective Product Backlog Management

The product backlog is of mutual interest to the Product Owner and Scrum Master, as it is the key to quality product deliveries. Here are a few tips that can help the Product Owner and Scrum Master contribute to effective product backlog management.In Scrum software development, the Product Owner and Scrum Master are the two main roles for effective software development. They both work with the goal of developing the best quality product by following the Scrum principles. Although they both have different roles to play in the project, yet…
February 6, 202310 min read

7 Signs your Product Backlog is a Mess & How to Fix It

The product backlog is key to having more productive sprint sessions. However, a product backlog can easily turn into a messy backlog by simple mistakes. Here's a look at 7 signs to identify if your product backlog is a mess.Many organizations are starting their Scrum journey to have iterative-based project development, which is much needed in today's competitive era. This means that they will face a lot of troubles before they get experienced with the Scrum methodology. One such trouble they will face is a messy…
January 22, 20238 min read

Async Poker vs. Planning Poker – Which Fits Ideal for Scrum Teams

Async Poker and Planning Poker are both widely used estimation techniques that provide consensus-based accurate estimates. Find out more about both these techniques and their differences in this article.The decades-old traditional project management methodologies are becoming less common now as the trend is shifting toward more iterative and feedback-based project management. Scrum is one such methodology that many organizations, especially software firms, are using nowadays. There are many…
January 6, 20236 min read

Why Is Scrum So Popular?

Scrum is undoubtedly the most popular Agile project management methodology owing to its simplicity and promising results. Find out more about it in this article.It is well known that Scrum stands as the most loved Agile methodology. So, how did a well-known rugby term become one of the most popular software development philosophies of all time? The word "scrum" comes from the action that rugby players do when they huddle and try to get the ball from the…
January 4, 20237 min read

What Can Go Wrong Without Estimating in Agile Planning?

Teams that estimate in Agile-based project development find it helpful to have a shared understanding of the required efforts. However, some teams also don't think estimation is that important. So, let's discuss the key role estimation plays in Agile planning.With the new digitalized and competitive era, organizations have to come up with new ways of managing and executing projects to meet customer expectations and remain ahead of the competition. Owing to that, many organizations are shifting towards Agile-based project development that focuses on…
December 1, 20226 min read

What Can a Team Miss Without Estimating the Product Backlog Items?

Estimation of product backlog items helps the team to plan and manage the prioritized list of work more accurately. However, can a team complete the obligations of the project without estimating the product backlog items? Let's find out in this article.In Scrum, estimation helps in the proper planning, management, and estimation of the efforts required to implement, test, and deliver the project. Estimation of product backlog items is carried out by the team members going to work on the project to have a shared understanding of the project…
October 28, 20226 min read

How Effective is Remote Product Backlog Estimation in Scrum?

Remote product backlog estimation is a rescue for distributed and remote teams that cannot conduct on-premises estimation sessions. In fact, it can also address challenges with on-premises estimation. Find out more in this article.The product backlog is a list of prioritized tasks that the Scrum team is meant to work on in the next few weeks/months. Most Scrum teams estimate the product backlog to have a better view of the required efforts, the targeted goals, and customer expectations. The common practice of doing product…
October 23, 20229 min read

How to Estimate Story Points in the Simplest and Easiest Way

Story points estimation is widely used among Scrum teams to estimate the product backlog items ahead of sprint planning to have a better view of the required efforts. Keep reading this article to learn how to estimate story points in the easiest way.In project management, planning before execution is key to timely delivery. Every project has some uncertainties and hurdles that the team does not realize until it either discusses them beforehand or faces them during project development. Therefore, it is highly recommended to properly scope and…
October 18, 20227 min read

Why it is Essential to Estimate Product Backlog?

Product backlog estimation helps a team have a better understanding of project needs, align priorities, discuss challenges, and have effective team discussions.It is hard to find a Scrum team that can deny the importance of product backlog for effective and timely delivery of a project. The product backlog includes all the features, but it is more than just being a to-do list. A clear product backlog with the right estimation is one of the best time…
September 21, 20228 min read

Affinity Estimation vs. Planning Poker – Let's Explore

Affinity Estimation and Planning Poker are both effective techniques to estimate user stories. Follow this article to learn the working principles, use cases, and other comparison elements of both these techniques.Organizations across the globe are today using Agile methods and techniques in their project development cycles. Agile helps organizations set a customer-oriented, feedback-driven, and iterative development model that leads to faster release and better-quality products. Agile-based development…
September 2, 20226 min read

Relative Estimation vs. Absolute Estimation – Which One is Right for Scrum Teams

Relative estimation delivers comparison-based estimates, while absolute estimation delivers fixed estimates. So, what suits well for Scrum teams? Let's find out in this article.Estimation is an integral part of any project work. The end goal of estimation is to know the efforts required to complete a certain set of work. When done rightly, estimation helps in determining the timeframe, feasibility, and similar other insights. Moreover, estimation also encourages…
August 5, 20227 min read

Everything You Need to Know about Dot Voting Estimation Technique

Dot Voting estimation technique is an easy and quick way of prioritizing items using dots without going into deep discussions. Find out all the details about Dot Voting in this article.Estimation is the core part of the Scrum framework that helps teams to prioritize tasks and estimate the required efforts. Scrum teams mostly do estimates at two stages. The first stage is estimating the product backlog, while the second stage is during sprint planning. There are different…
August 1, 20229 min read

5 Alternatives of Planning Poker Estimation Technique

Estimation is an essential activity for agile teams to have a mutual understanding of the product backlog and become more committed to the work. Keep reading to learn about the 5 alternatives of Planning Poker estimation technique.Planning Poker is one of the most widely used estimation techniques in agile projects. Its consensus-based estimation, driven by a fun and easy gamified approach helps teams accurately estimate their product backlogs. Although agile teams around the world are using Planning Poker, still there are…
July 22, 20227 min read

The Bucket System Estimation Technique – A Detailed Guide

The Bucket System estimation technique is a simple, fast, and effective estimation technique for large product backlog items. Find out more in-depth details about this technique in this article.Agile methodology is seeing unprecedented popularity among organizations no matter what industry they belong to. Agile eradicates the traditional way of product development and implements a more iterative-based development approach. One stage in agile-based development is "estimation", which plays…
July 18, 20226 min read

Affinity Estimation - What, How, and Why

Affinity Estimation is a relative estimation technique that empowers agile teams to quickly, easily, and efficiently estimate a large number of backlog items. Find out more on Affinity Estimation in this article.Estimation of product backlog items is an important stage in agile-based development. Estimation helps the team and key stakeholders to get a better view of the upcoming work and the required efforts. There are multiple techniques available today to estimate product backlog items. Organizations…
July 8, 20229 min read

8 Tips New Scrum Teams Must Know Before Proceeding

Teams that are new to Scrum must take the proper time to grab the basics of the Scrum framework and adhere to its core principles to set a solid foundation and then gradually master it. Find out more tips for new Scrum teams in this article.Scrum - The Most Popular Agile Methodology Scrum is an Agile development methodology that relies on teamwork to carry out iterative-based incremental development processes. The project is broken down into small prioritized development cycles (called sprints) that are completed on an incremental…
June 24, 20226 min read

Why Should You Use Async Poker to Estimate a Product Backlog?

Async Poker or Asynchronous Planning Poker is the powerful evolution of the Planning Poker estimation technique that makes estimation straightforward for remote, distributed, and co-located agile teams.In the present globalized corporate system, there are many agile teams that don't share office space, even not the time zone. In fact, some teams are so far from each other that they just get just one hour as the shared office time. That one hour is mostly utilized for stand-ups and other updates…
June 17, 20226 min read

10 Planning Poker Tips & Tricks

Planning Poker is a simple and fun way to estimate user stories. Scrum teams can elevate their Planning Poker sessions by following some key tips and tricks.One of the great aspects of agile software development is its emphasis on effort estimation. A product backlog is difficult to prioritize if the team is unaware of the efforts required to complete user stories. Planning Poker is one of the most widely used estimation techniques due to its simple…
June 10, 20229 min read

Scrum Master vs. Project Manager – Let's Discuss

A Scrum Master is more focused on coaching Scrum Team to implement Scrum principles, while Project Manager plays a leadership role for timely project completion.Both Scrum Master and Project Manager role seems to be the same, i.e., to manage the team, but they are not synonyms of each other. They both are distinct and have plenty of differences. On a bigger picture, consider the Project Manager as a leader who plans the execution of the project. On the…