In a recent webinar series, I presented the unique CIPSA framework and the associated CIPSA certification. This is the only certification in the world with hands-on, practical applicability for both Scrum at Scale and Kanban at Scale.
Certain questions came up about the dos and don'ts while using the CIPSA Scrum Framework using the MS Project Agile software tool. Let’s understand them.
You can watch the concluding part of the webinar series here.
The Dos
Do # 1: Make liberal use of MS Project Agile custom fields.
MS Project Agile comes with a number of custom fields related to text, number, flags and others. You can take advantage of this. For Scrum at Scale, while using multiple teams, make liberal use of custom fields in place of typing yourself every time.
Example: Team custom field for Resources.
Important Note: The CIPSA framework can be used with other software tools, which provide scaling capabilities. It's not tied to one specific tool at all.
Do # 2: Segregate resources across multiple Scrum Teams.
This applies to both Scrum and Kanban teams. You can segregate the resources with the help of built-in or custom fields based on their groups. But always remember, it’s a single CIPSA team!
Example: Grouping PO group. PO stands for (Team) Product Owner.
Do # 3: For every Individual Scrum Team, have a separate Scrum Board view.
In MS Project Agile, there are many Board Views to manage your Scrum projects at Scale. There are views such as Sprint Planning Board view, Sprint Planning Sheet view, among others. For Scrum at Scale, you should have separate views for your individual Scrum teams.
However, the collective Scrum board view for the entire CIPSA team will be one.
Again, many software tools provide separate board views for individual Scrum teams. They can be definitely used with the CIPSA framework.
Do # 4: For every Individual Scrum Team, have separate tables and filters.
For Scrum at Scale using the CIPSA Scrum Framework, there will be commonalities among the individual Scrum teams, but there will also be differences. Because individual team choices can differ.
Don’t consider all teams to be equal and give flexibility with respect to tables and filters.
Do # 5: Have fully-dedicated CIPSA Scrum team members.
One of the characteristics of successful Scrum teams is to have fully dedicated team members, who are 100% available. The CIPSA Scrum Team Members should be 100% available.
The Don’ts
Don’t # 1: Don’t go scaling without a strategy.
Scaling and strategy go hand-in-hand. If you don’t have a strategy, but are still scaling, it’s unlikely to succeed. If you don’t have a strategy, then you also don’t need the roles of Chief Product Owner (CPO) and Principal Scrum Master (PSM).
Don’t # 2: Don’t hire people for skills, but for attitude.
It is the attitude, first and foremost, which will determine the altitude for Scrum at Scale. You need people who have the capacity to build, take a lot of pains and setbacks. It’ll happen during the initial period.
Don’t # 3: Don’t forget to nurture talent.
Nurture talent and have one-to-one meetings with key people. It’s very important, but rarely done. This is really needed as Agile development demands intense collaboration and trust.
Don’t # 4: Don’t use the wrong software tool to scale your Scrum projects.
The CIPSA Framework supports both Scrum and Kanban. It also is capable of taking any software tool which can handle scaling.
If you’re especially using the CIPSA Scrum Framework, then choose the right software tool, which can scale. MS Project Agile is capable of handling Scrum at Scale and provides sufficient features to do so. Hence, this tool is specifically used.
Don’t # 5: Don’t have too many tools. The lesser, the better.
The focus of Scrum at Scale is also delivering working software or working products. The focus is not on having multiple tools. In fact, the fewer the number of tools, the better.
If you use 5 or 10 tools to manage, it’s not really Agile!
Get CIPSA certified – Heavy on practice, yet light on your pocket
The CIPSA framework is not only the simplest possible framework in the world, but also practical, hands-on and in-depth. It’s very light on your pocket.
This certification is not in thousands of dollars… not even hundreds. With less than a hundred dollars, you can become a CIPSA. As the above section headline says: it’s heavy on practice, but light on your pocket.
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To find out more about the CIPSA Scrum Framework, you can download the CIPSA Framework Guide. It’s free to download.
For in-depth understanding with hands-on scaling, be a CIPSA certified professional.
Certified In Practical Scaled Agile
- Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) Course – Practical and Economical
Mastering MS Project Agile
- Mastering MS Project Agile Course – Hands-on, In-depth
