Agile Ceremonies Explained

The Agile philosophy has revolutionized how software is developed by favoring collaboration and communication over process and documentation. While the specifics of how agile is implemented can vary from team to team, there are a number of core agile events, dubbed agile ceremonies, that are essential to the success of any agile project. 

In traditional project management, events such as status updates, team meetings, and reviews were used to keep everyone in the loop. However, these events were often seen as a waste of time by team members. Agile ceremonies are different. They are short, focused, and meaningful to the team.

This article will provide an overview of these Agile ceremonies, explaining what they are and why they are important.

First, a few fundamental definitions.

What are Agile Ceremonies?

Within agile development, a ceremony refers to a structured, regular gathering designed to uphold effective work practices and ensure task completion. These gatherings involve agile project team members, serving to synchronize everyone on project advancement and guarantee the unified pursuit of the common objective.

Agile ceremonies have their origins in the software development principle of «agile iteration», which is the practice of dividing a project into small, manageable pieces and then completing each piece one at a time. The agile software development approach was first introduced in the early 2000s, and it quickly gained popularity among software developers. 

Agile ceremonies usually last a short duration, and typically involve all members of the agile team. During an agile ceremony, team members typically use a whiteboard or flipchart to brainstorm ideas and track progress. Current trends in agile ceremonies include using digital tools such as WebEx or GoToMeeting to facilitate remote team meetings, as well as using «information radiators» such as Kanban boards to provide a visual representation of work. 

Why are Agile Ceremonies often referred to as «scrums»?

Agile ceremonies are usually referred to as «scrums» or scrum ceremonies because they are attributed to the scrum framework of development which is one of the most popular types of agile software development methodologies, where a lot of teamwork and coordination is involved. The word «scrum» is popularly used in the game of rugby to describe the nature of the ordered formation of rugby players. As a sport, rugby requires a lot of quick thinking and coordination between players. Similarly, agile development requires teams to work together, quickly and efficiently in order to complete the task at hand.

The word «scrum» is also used to describe a chaotic situation or circumstances. This can often be the case when dealing with complex projects that need to be completed in a short amount of time. In these situations, it's important for everyone to be on the same page and working together as effectively as possible. 

Agile ceremonies are sometimes compared to military debriefings. However, unlike military debriefings, which are typically led by a superior officer, agile ceremonies are typically led by the team's project manager or Scrum Master. 

Common Types of Agile Ceremonies

Agile software development companies and teams can create as many agile ceremonies as they wish, but there are four scrum ceremonies that are most common: Sprint Planning, Daily Standup, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.

Each ceremony is different, but they all serve the same purpose of helping agile teams to promote a sense of purpose and rhythm.

Let’s now take a look at each of these four agile ceremonies:

1. Sprint Planning

Sprint Planning is a meeting that occurs at the beginning of every sprint (a timebox of usually 1-4 weeks) where the team determines what tasks they will complete during the sprint. This is perhaps the most important ceremony in Agile, as it sets the course for the upcoming sprint. 

The purpose of a sprint planning meeting is to ensure that the team has a shared understanding of the tasks that need to be completed during the sprint. 

During sprint planning, the attendees will discuss the important items of the Product Backlog that need to be handled during the sprint and how they fit into the main goal. The team will also estimate the time required to complete each task. Sprint planning is essential for ensuring that the team is on the same page and has a clear plan for the sprint. Without sprint planning, it would be very easy for the team to become bogged down or fail to meet their objectives.

A well executed sprint planning ceremony should answer three questions: what value should come out of the sprint, what work will be accomplished during the sprint, how will the work get done. The focus is on getting every member of the team to understand the goals of the sprint and how they will be attained. 

Participants: The entire Scrum Team (Scrum Master, Developers, Product Owner), advisors invited by the scrum team

Duration: 8 hours max for one month sprints, shorter sprints can take less time

Stage: At the beginning of a sprint

Key tasks:  Discuss the purpose of the sprint, developers select items to work on during the sprint (sprint backlog), developers break the selected items of the sprint backlog into smaller daily tasks

2. Daily Standup

Daily Standup is a meeting that occurs every day where each development team member updates the rest of the team on what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any blockers or issues they are facing.

The purpose of daily standup ceremonies is to ensure that the team is always aligned and aware of the project's status. The standup also allows team members to identify any potential risks or issues that could impact the project's success. 

The information from each team member is shared with the rest of the team so that everyone is always up-to-date. The daily scrum meeting is an essential tool for ensuring that the project stays on track and that all developers are working towards the same goal. It fosters fast decision-making, eliminates the need for elaborate meetings. Important to note though that these quick scrum meetings should not restrict developers from holding their own discussions during the day and adjust accordingly. 

Participants: The scrum team’s developers

Duration: 15 minutes. 

Key tasks: Every working day during the sprint

Key goals: Review progress towards the sprint goal, produce an actionable plan for the next working day. 

3. Sprint Review

Sprint Review is a meeting that occurs at the end of every sprint where the team demonstrates to the product owner what they completed during the sprint (sprint demo).

Two important things happen during sprint reviews. One, the scrum team members present their work to the product owner. Two, the product owner, other stakeholders and the entire scrum team members discuss the overall progress towards the main goal. The attendees then collaborate based on the review to identify what will be done next. 

Some adjustments may be made where necessary by updating the product backlog if this helps to improve the product and or take advantage of emerging opportunities. This ceremony should always be treated as a working session and should therefore not be limited to just a presentation. The sprint review meeting is a critical part of the agile process, and it helps to ensure that the team is always making progress and improving their overall product.

Participants: Entire scrum team including product owner, stakeholders invited by product owner owner

Timebox: 4 hours max for one month sprints, shorter for shorter sprints. 

Stage: At the very end of a sprint 

Key tasks: Scrum team explains what has been done and not done, scrum team presents what has been done to product owner and stakeholders, product backlog is updated.

4. Sprint Retrospective

Sprint Retrospective is a meeting that also takes place at the end of every sprint, in which the team reflects on how the sprint went and identifies ways to improve their process. The sprint retrospective is more like the agile ceremony that concludes a sprint, call it the final scrum ceremony.

The purpose of sprint retrospectives is to get feedback from team members about what went well during the sprint and what didn't go so well, so that the team can identify areas for improvement and make changes accordingly. The goal is to help and encourage the team to identify the most valuable changes that need to be implemented in order to improve effectiveness. 

Participants: Scrum team, optional for product owner 

Timebox: 3 hours max for one month sprints. Can be shorter for shorter sprints. 

Stage: At the tail end of a sprint (acts as the concussion to the sprint)

Key tasks: Identify what worked and what can be improved, arrive at actionable commitments for next sprint

What is the difference between Sprint Retrospective and Sprint Review? 

Sprint Retrospective is focused on what went well and what could be improved in the previous sprint. Sprint Review on the other hand is focused on demoing the work that has been done including product increments and getting feedback from the product owner plus invited stakeholders.

A Sprint Retrospective provides the opportunity for the team to create action items based on the findings of the reflections. The Sprint Review is a chance for the team to show off their work and get valuable input from those who will be using the product.   

So these four are the most common agile ceremonies across many teams. Other forms of agile ceremonies that are more advanced include Playbacks (presentations to align projects with stakeholders including clients and sponsors), Showcase (presentation of final cases to production), and Investment Boards (used to seek funding). 

Agile Ceremonies: Conclusion

One of the most important aspects to a successful project is to use software development companies that embrace and practice agile ceremonies.

Agile ceremonies are what will keep development teams on track, organized, and moving in the right direction for your project. They also provide transparency and help build trust among team members.