Types of Questions:

Questions to open communication and creativity…

•          What do you think about…?

•          What options do you see…?

•          What are the pros/cons…?

•          How does the rest of the group feel?

Discovery questions –

•          What are your goals in developing this system/enhancement?

•          What critical problems, issues, or opportunities initiated this project?

•          What is the most important business goal of the system/enhancement?

Confirmation questions –

•          How will you recognize success?

•          Are we in agreement with how I’ve described this?

Evaluation questions -

•          Will the system/enhancement make the customer or you be more efficient? How?

•          What will the new system/enhancement accomplish that is not currently accomplished manually or with other systems?

•          Will the system/enhancement change the way you are doing things now? QA

Put yourself in the customers’ place:

Imagine yourself learning the user’s job

•          What tasks would you need to perform?

•          What questions would you have?

•          Who all performs this task?

Questions could begin with:

•          What else could…….

•          What happens when….

•          Would you ever need to…..

•          Does anyone ever…..

Try to bring out the user’s assumptions

•          What features or characteristics is the user expecting to be included without  having said so?

Walk through the processes that users follow to make decisions when performing tasks to extract the underlying logic.

•          Use Flowcharts, Activity Diagrams, Process Mapping

•          Decision Trees

•          Mind Mapping

10 Key Principles, and how Agile Development fundamentally differs from a more traditional Waterfall approach to software development, are as follows:

1. Active user involvement is imperative
2. The team must be empowered to make decisions
3. Requirements evolve but the timescale is fixed
4. Capture requirements at a high level; lightweight & visual
5. Develop small, incremental releases and iterate
6. Focus on frequent delivery of products
7. Complete each feature before moving on to the next
8. Apply the 80/20 rule
9. Testing is integrated throughout the project lifecycle – test early and often
10. A collaborative & cooperative approach between all stakeholders is essential

How to implement Scrum in 10 easy steps:
- Step #1: Get your backlog in order!
- Step #2: Estimate your product backlog
- Step #3: Sprint Planning/clarify requirements
- Step #4: Sprint Planning/estimate tasks
- Step #5: Create a collaborative workspace
- Step #6: Sprint!
- Step #7: Stand up and be counted!
- Step #8: Track progress with a daily burndown chart
- Step #9: Finish when you said you would
- Step #10: Review, reflect, repeat…