Question 1

What is agile/scrum and do I need it?

Accepted Answer

Time-boxed work cycles with planning, execution, review, and retrospective. Creates rhythm and predictability. Light agile helps most teams. Heavy scrum can slow small teams.

Question 2

How long should sprints be?

Accepted Answer

2 weeks is most common. 1 week for fast iteration. 3-4 weeks for larger pieces. Find what gives enough time to complete meaningful work without losing focus.

Question 3

How do I run sprint planning?

Accepted Answer

Review what's ready to work on. Team commits to what they can complete. Break down big items. Protect the commitment—don't overfill. Timebox the meeting itself.

Question 4

What's a sprint retrospective?

Accepted Answer

End-of-sprint reflection: what went well, what didn't, what to change. Most valuable ceremony for improvement. Keep it safe and action-oriented. 30-60 minutes.

Question 5

Do I need a scrum master?

Accepted Answer

Not formally for small teams. Someone should facilitate ceremonies and remove blockers. Can rotate responsibility. Dedicated role for larger teams.

Question 6

How do I calculate sprint velocity?

Accepted Answer

Points/tasks completed per sprint. Average over 3-5 sprints for baseline. Use for capacity planning, not performance measurement. Velocity varies—that's okay.

Question 7

What about bugs and interrupts during sprints?

Accepted Answer

Build in buffer (10-20%). Critical bugs may require swapping out work. Track interrupts to improve planning. Some teams have dedicated bug duty rotation.

Question 8

How do I handle work that spans sprints?

Accepted Answer

Break into smaller pieces that fit sprints. Use milestones for multi-sprint features. Work in progress across sprints is okay if controlled.

Question 9

Should I use story points or hours?

Accepted Answer

Points: relative complexity, team calibrated. Hours: intuitive but often wrong. Points abstract away individual speed variations. Many teams skip both and just count tasks.

Question 10

What's the difference between agile and waterfall?

Accepted Answer

Waterfall: plan everything upfront, execute sequentially. Agile: iterative, adapt as you learn. Most software teams use agile. Some work (contracts, hardware) may need waterfall elements.

Question 11

How do I do agile with remote teams?

Accepted Answer

Async standup updates (Slack, tool). Video for ceremonies. Good documentation. Clear sprint boards. Timezone-aware scheduling. Remote agile works fine.

Question 12

What ceremonies are actually necessary?

Accepted Answer

Minimum: planning and retro. Standups help but can be async. Demo/review for stakeholder alignment. Skip ceremonies that don't add value—agile should be pragmatic.

Question 13

How do I avoid agile becoming bureaucratic?

Accepted Answer

Keep ceremonies short. Only track what's useful. Adapt process to team needs. If something's not helping, change it. Agile means flexible.

Question 14

Which tool is best for sprints?

Accepted Answer

Linear: modern, developer-focused. Jira: powerful but complex. Shortcut: balanced. Notion: flexible but DIY. Pick based on team size and complexity needs.

Question 15

How do I introduce sprints to a team that hasn't done them?

Accepted Answer

Start light. Short sprints (1 week) to build habit. Focus on rhythm before process. Retros to tune the approach. Explain the why. Expect adjustment period.

I need to run agile sprints for product development

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