What are the benefits of Scrum Certification or Scrum training?

Although there are many certifications such as ITIL, PRINCE2, which are implemented in organizations for achievement of goals through a project, Scrum training or Scrum certification can be described as one of the many courses where employees are groomed to become self-motivated and become keen to accept greater responsibility.
There is a famous proverb, “If you are comfortable with yourself, you will definitely be comfortable with others.” It also means the importance of self-confidence which points to becoming a self-organized individual in one’s life. Scrum certification emphasizes on the importance of self-organization which ultimately results in the following:

•  Team participation and a feeling of self-ownership in members
•  Employees are self-motivated which can lead to improved performance in a team
•  New environment that is preferable for growth

A self-organized team does not convey the message that any team member can act in his/her own way as per their wishes. It strongly means that as soon as the definition of Product Vision is created in the Create Project Vision process, the concerned team members, the Product Owner, Scrum Master and the members of the Scrum team become noted and identified individuals. It has to kept in mind that the core team of Scrum also works very closely with important stakeholders for making changes and better improvements as they all pass through the Develop Epics and Create User Stories process. Every team member’s expertise is put to the test while assessing the inputs that are needed to execute the planned work of the project. The judgment aspects of all the team members are applied to every technical and management of the project during the phase of Create Deliverables process.
A Product Owner’s task as per the content of Scrum certification is to prioritize as he/she represents the Voice of Customer. The tasks of the self-organized Scrum team are to involve in break-down of tasks and estimation during the Create tasks and Estimate Tasks processes. Every team member should be aware of the work they are doing or handling as they are responsible for the tasks getting completed. One of the greatest advantages of Scrum certification or Scrum training is that in the execution of Sprint, if any of the team members require help for finishing the assigned tasks, it is addressed through the regular interaction that is mandatory during the Daily Standup Meetings. The members of the Scrum Team regularly interact with other teams via the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) Meetings and they can look for additional guidance when needed from the Scrum Guidance Body.
Since meetings are held regularly with customers and stakeholders, every sprint will bear the required changes and improvements needed and at last, the Scrum Teams would have designed the product or service as accepted by the clients.

To know more click on: http://www.scrumstudy.com/blog/what-are-the-benefits-of-scrum-certification-or-scrum-training/

Effectivesness of timeboxing in SCRUM

Time-Boxing and its effectiveness

A given task can be completed in one of two ways:

1)      You dive straight ahead into the task and complete it with no regards to time and effort spent

2)      The alternative can be, you dedicate a certain amount of time for the task and try to achieve the maximum possible in the given time.

The second option stated is known as “time boxing”

This concept in Scrum is an important aspect for success. In absence of time-boxing , we usually tend to work on a process with too much overhead and low velocity.

It is hence recommended to use time boxing from the first day on a project to ensure that team achieves its maximum effectiveness.

The basis for this time boxing is that if a task is not completed in the allocated time, we go on to the next task. But this depends on the significance of the current and subsequent tasks and also requires us to see what the reasons for not completing the task in time.

Basically , time boxing is considered in order to inculcate a sense of determination and to intimidate the team to emphasis their efforts in order to complete a task.

Time-boxing is documented to show that it can help a team improve its effectiveness and productivity. It ensures that the work is done with more focus as there is a requirement to complete the task in the given time. Thus it helps in better time management.

Time-boxing helps as an effective form of risk management by averting the unnecessary effort or expense required on a task which may delay achieving the deadline.

Time allocated in time boxing should not be too small or too large. Time boxing too small doesn’t  allow for significant amount of work to be done and when it is too large then the team loses focus.

Processes in Scrum make effective use of time boxing. For instance the daily stand up meeting is time boxed to 15 minutes.

Time boxing is considered to be useful in order to understand and monitor the progress of the project. We can also monitor the actual time spent on the task and the time allocated to complete the same.

Listed below are few advantages of Time-Boxing:

• Ensures team is focused on important tasks
• Increases effectiveness and productivity
• Helps to prevent excessive effort and expense
• Helps in management of risk and time.
• Tracks the progress of the project
• Aids in  managing complexity

To know more : http://www.scrumstudy.com/blog/effectivesness-of-timeboxing-in-scrum/