Agile Cheatsheet

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Agile
I cover this in detail in another post.

Backlog
What it is: A prioritized list of work items, such as features, user stories, and tasks, that need to be completed by the development team.
What it isn’t: A fixed set of requirements; the backlog evolves as priorities change.

Burndown Chart
What it is: A visual representation of remaining work over time, often used in Agile to track progress and predict when work will be completed.
What it isn’t: A detailed task list; it provides an overview of progress.

Cross-Functional Teams
What they are: Teams composed of members with diverse skills and expertise, capable of completing all aspects of a project within a sprint.
What they aren’t: Siloed or specialized teams; cross-functional teams collaborate to achieve goals.

Daily Standup
What it is: A brief daily meeting where team members discuss progress, plan their work for the day, and identify any impediments.
What it isn’t: A long status report; it focuses on quick updates and coordination.

Definition of Done
What it is: A shared set of criteria that must be met for a user story or task to be considered completed.
What it isn’t: A rigid checklist; it varies based on the work.

DevOps
What it is: A set of practices that combines development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to enhance collaboration, automation, and the delivery of software.
What it isn’t: Limited to development or operations alone; it bridges both areas.

Epic
What it is: A large body of work that cannot be completed in a single sprint and is broken down into smaller user stories or tasks.
What it isn’t: A detailed user story; epics represent higher-level themes or initiatives.

Estimation
What it is: The process of assigning relative sizes or effort points to user stories or tasks to determine their complexity.
What it isn’t: Precise predictions; it’s a relative gauge, not an absolute measure.

Feature
What it is: A distinct piece of functionality that provides value to the end user or customer.
What it isn’t: A technical component or implementation detail.

Increment
What it is: A potentially shippable piece of work, often a user story, completed within a sprint.
What it isn’t: An incomplete or non-functional deliverable.

Inspection and Adaptation
What they are: Core principles of Agile, emphasizing regular assessment of progress and making adjustments as needed.
What they aren’t: A one-time planning and execution process; they occur iteratively.

Iteration
What it is: A repeating cycle of work in Agile, typically lasting 2–4 weeks, during which the team completes a set of tasks.
What it isn’t: A fixed or unchangeable period; iterations allow for flexibility.

Kanban
What it is: A visual workflow management method that emphasizes continuous flow and limiting work in progress (WIP).
What it isn’t: A time-bound approach with predefined sprint lengths.

Lead Time
What it is: The time it takes for a task or user story to move from the initial request to completion.
What it isn’t: The same as cycle time; it includes request processing time.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
What it is: The smallest version of a product that can be released to gather feedback and validate assumptions.
What it isn’t: A complete or fully-featured product.

Pair Programming
What it is: A development practice where two programmers work together at one workstation, collaboratively writing code and reviewing each other’s work.
What it isn’t: Working in isolation; it emphasizes collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Product Owner
What they are: The individual responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog and representing customer interests.
What they aren’t: A project manager; their focus is on defining “what” and not micromanaging “how.”

Product Backlog
What it is: A prioritized list of features, user stories, and tasks that need to be addressed in a product.
What it isn’t: A fixed project plan; it evolves with changing priorities.

Quality Assurance (QA)
What it is: A practice of ensuring the quality of software through testing and validation.
What it isn’t: Solely the responsibility of a separate QA team; it involves the entire development team.

Release Planning
What it is: The process of planning and scheduling the release of product increments to customers, considering feature prioritization and dependencies.
What it isn’t: Sprint planning; it’s a broader, strategic activity.

Retrospective
What it is: A meeting held at the end of a sprint where the team reflects on their processes and collaboration, identifying areas for improvement.
What it isn’t: A blame session; it focuses on constructive feedback and continuous improvement.

Sprint
What it is: A time-boxed development iteration, typically lasting 2–4 weeks, during which a team completes a set of user stories or tasks.
What it isn’t: An arbitrary deadline; it’s focused on delivering valuable increments.

Scrum
What it is: An Agile framework that organizes work into time-bound iterations called sprints, emphasizing roles, ceremonies, and incremental progress.
What it isn’t: A strict project management methodology; it values collaboration and adaptability.

Scrum Master
What they are: A role in Scrum responsible for coaching the team, removing impediments, and ensuring adherence to Scrum practices.
What they aren’t: A manager or team lead; their role is facilitative.

Sprint Goal
What it is: A short, concise statement that describes the purpose or objective of a sprint.
What it isn’t: A detailed task list; it provides high-level direction.

Stakeholder
What they are: Individuals or groups with an interest in the project or product, including customers, users, and sponsors.
What they aren’t: Direct members of the development team; they provide external perspectives.

Stand-up
What it is: A brief daily meeting where team members discuss progress, plan their work for the day, and identify impediments.
What it isn’t: A lengthy discussion or problem-solving session; it’s focused and time-bound.

Story Points
What they are: A relative estimation technique used to gauge complexity and effort for user stories or tasks, aiding in prioritization and planning.
What they aren’t: Fixed time units; they represent effort, not time.

User Story
What it is: A brief description of a feature or functionality from an end user’s perspective, often used to define requirements.
What it isn’t: A technical specification; it focuses on the “what” and “why.”

Velocity
What it is: A measure of a team’s capacity and historical performance, often expressed as the average number of story points completed per sprint.