One of my main responsibilities as an AWS Project Manager at Triumph Tech is to ensure that our sprint ceremonies are run smoothly and effectively. In this post, I will describe the process that I follow to conduct sprint ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.

First, let’s talk about sprint planning. This ceremony is held at the beginning of each sprint and is an opportunity for the team to plan out the work that will be completed. During sprint planning, we start by reviewing the backlog and identifying the items that we want to prioritize for the sprint. We then discuss the details of each item, including the scope, acceptance criteria, and any dependencies or blockers.

Next, we work together to estimate the size of each item using our team’s estimation methods. This helps us to understand how much work we can realistically complete during the sprint. We also review any capacity constraints, such as team members who may be unavailable due to vacation or other commitments.

Once we have a clear understanding of the work that needs to be done and the capacity of the team, we can create a sprint plan. We also identify any risks or challenges that may impact our ability to complete the work, and come up with a plan to mitigate these risks.

After sprint planning, we hold regular standup meetings to check in on the progress of the work. These meetings are typically short, lasting no more than 15 minutes, and are an opportunity for team members to share what they worked on the previous day, what they plan to work on today, and any challenges or blockers they are facing.

During the sprint, I also hold ad-hoc review meetings with the team to assess our progress and identify any areas where we need to adjust our plan. This allows us to course correct if needed and ensure that we are on track to meet our sprint goals. This combination of formal scheduled meetings and ad-hoc reviews gives us plenty of constant communication to keep us on track and solve problems before they affect the project. It’s a great way to get ahead of potential blockers and remove them.

Finally, at the end of the sprint, we hold a retrospective to reflect on what went well and what could be improved in the next sprint. We start by reviewing the work that was completed during the sprint and assessing whether we met our goals. We then discuss any challenges or issues that arose during the sprint and come up with actionable items to address these challenges in the future.

Overall, conducting sprint ceremonies is an important part of my role as an AWS Project Manager at Triumph Tech. By following a structured process for planning, tracking, and reviewing our work, we are able to deliver high-quality products on time and meet the needs of our customers.

Scott Truesdell, Project Manager