Team Norms

01 October, 2023

READ TIME - 10 MINUTES

Introduction:

Team norms are a set of agreed-upon guidelines and expectations that govern the behavior and interactions of team members. These norms are essential for fostering a productive and harmonious working environment. They serve as a framework for collaboration and ensure that all team members are on the same page regarding their roles, responsibilities, and communication. I am sharing the team norms with my professional experience, which I strive to follow. Remember, these norms I follow do not mean you have to follow them strictly; you can adapt them for your team as per what works best for you.

Product Backlog :

The Product Backlog will be created by the Team Leader in collaboration with the Product Owner.

Sprint Planning:

Maintain a two-week duration per sprint.

Conduct a meeting with the team to plan the sprint.

Discuss and prioritize Product Backlog items with the team.

Assign Sprint Backlogs for every team member during the sprint planning meeting and set deadlines.

If necessary, break down User Stories into smaller tasks and estimate effort.

Daily Scrum / Daily Standup:

Every team member attends the Daily Standup.

Schedule the Daily Standup at a convenient time for the team, such as 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM GMT +6.

Each team member provides an update on their work from yesterday, plans for today , and any blockers or challenges they face.

The Daily Standup is a short meeting that facilitates communication and keeps everyone informed about the progress and impediments.

Sprint Review Meeting:

Hold a Sprint Review Meeting with team members at the end of each sprint.

Review the Backlogs/Tickets of the current sprint and demonstrate the working functionality, if applicable.

Gather feedback from stakeholders, address questions or concerns, and make adjustments to the product backlog, if necessary.

Sprint Retrospective:

Conduct a Sprint Retrospective meeting after the Sprint Review Meeting and sprint demo.

Reflect on the sprint and the team's performance.

Discuss successes, areas for improvement, and lessons learned.

Identify action items to implement improvements in the next sprint.

Communication:

---

Daily Standups :

Utilize a communication tool such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, or face-to-face for conducting Daily Standups.

Use the "What You Did Yesterday / What You Did Today / Blockers" format during Daily Standups for updates.

Utilize project-specific channels for each project to ensure clear and organized discussions.

Further details will be provided using B-Scrum (to be determined).

Weekly In-Person Standups:

Once a Week

Conducted via Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp, or face-to-face meeting.

Bi-Weekly Sprint Planning :

Conducted via Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp, or face-to-face meeting.

Requests for access or other general questions.

Use the access-requests-and-questions channel.

Tag Md. Saddam Hossain(Team Leader) Always.

Use the project-name channel (Note: The name will be the project you are working on).

Conversation :

Utilize the General channel for informal chat and discussions among team members.

Escalation for issues, questions, comments:

Use Jira/Azure DevOps tickets for specific questions or comments related to User Stories or tasks.

Tag Saddam Hossain(Team Leader) for assistance Always.

For urgent requests, use Microsoft Teams, Skype or WhatsApp.

Response Timeframe :

Commit to replying to questions and comments on the same day.

If an issue, question, or request requires more detail :

As needed, schedule meeting requests via Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp, or face-to-face meetings.

User Story/Task Points:

Assign point values to user stories/tasks based on the estimated effort:

1 point: A couple of hours (2 to 8 hours)

2 points: 1 day to 2 days

3 points: A couple of days (maximum 4 days)

5 points: 1 week

8 points: 2 weeks (For stories or tasks estimated as 8 points, break them down into smaller stories or tasks)

Note:

Hours are not fixed and depend on the weekly contract hours.

Ensure that the original estimate is defined for every task, along with the corresponding story points.

Team Norms will be updated by the Owner or Team Leader.

Agile Scrum Meetings Agenda:

Sprint Planning: Plan, prioritize, and assign tasks for the upcoming sprint.

Daily Standup: Provide progress updates, share plans, and discuss challenges.

Sprint Review: Review completed tasks, demonstrate functionality, and gather feedback.

Sprint Retrospective: Reflect on the sprint, identify improvements, and share lessons learned.

Weekly In-Person Standups: Regular meetings for updates, progress discussion, and issue resolution.

Connection:

End in-person meetings with a Question of the Day.

Thanks!

---