There are ways to evaluate the health of software, which can differ significantly from other more linear, and sometimes automated, approaches to software testing. What sets these techniques apart, which fall under the general heading of “exploratory testing,” is that they provide an avenue to leverage the autonomy, skill and creativity of a tester to...Read More

In Agile software development, team members often make a rough calculation of the relative value, number, quantity, or extent of something that they might work on. In Scrum, it is particularly common for teams to perform estimation, so that they have an understanding of the relative size of things that are on their to-do list,...Read More

In Agile software development, there is a thought process where it is possible to decompose an entire product or service into smaller components of value. A common term for each small unit of value is a user story, and an epic is relatively big user story that needs to be broken down into smaller parts....Read More

There is a system of thought which holds that after forming a hypothesis, it is possible, in certain contexts, to test one or more assumptions on which the hypothesis is based. For instance, in Scrum, empiricism holds that knowledge is based on experience, and that decision-making should be based on what it is possible to...Read More

Agility is the ability to respond to new information and changing needs while still focusing on creating value for customers and stakeholders. As opposed to slower methods of operations and planning, agility puts the customer first by focusing on the efficient delivery of solutions to meet customer needs. Since the world changes often, the ability...Read More

An Agile Mindset is a set of thoughts, beliefs and values embracing a state where we accept the need for constant learning and openness to changing needs. A Mindset is a set of thoughts and beliefs forming the way we respond to different situations and make sense of the world around us. Agile embraces the...Read More

What is a Sprint Retrospective? A Sprint Retrospective is a regularly scheduled event where members of a Scrum Team reflect on their way of working, as part of the inspect and adapt process, in a spirit of continuous improvement. Some Agile practitioners consider the Sprint Retrospective to be the most important of the five Scrum...Read More

What is a Sprint Review? There is a meeting that occurs at the end of a Sprint, in Scrum, where one or more Scrum Teams provide insight to stakeholders into work that they completed during the Sprint. For software teams, it’s preferred for most of the time, and the conversation, to be devoted to a...Read More

What is Backlog Refinement? Many Agile teams have conversations where they seek to explore high-priority work items in their Product Backlog, such that they’re ready to be worked on with little to no additional conversation. Scrum teams often refer to this kind of conversation as Backlog Refinement or Backlog Grooming, where their short-term goal is...Read More

What is Sprint Planning? In Scrum, a meeting that initiates an iteration (Sprint), where members of the Scrum Team collaborate to agree on outcome(s) for that Sprint, and select work items that help achieve the outcome(s). What’s the Benefit? The primary benefits of Sprint Planning are that it helps ensure members of the team all...Read More