7. Retrospectives

Question 1

what is software process improvement

Answer 1

1. looking at the big picture

2. identifying areas that can be improved

Question 2

what is software process improvement

Answer 2

software engineering processes encompass whole range of practices intended to support quality assurance

1. planning
2. version control
3. continuous integration
4. automated testing
5. code reviews
6. continual refactoring

Question 3

process improvement frameworks

Answer 3

1. iso9001
2. six sigma
3. capability maturity model (CMML)
4. agile process improvement

Question 4

capability maturity model level CMML

Answer 4

1. initial
   - software process is ad-hoc or even chaotic
2. repeatable
   - basic project management processes are established to track cost, schedule, functionality
3. defined
   - software process for management and engineering activities is documented, standardised, integrated into the standard process for team
4. managed
   - detailed measures of software process and product quality collected
5. optimising
   - continuous process improvement enabled by quantitative feedback

Question 5

principles for agile process improvement

Answer 5

1. measurement is domain-specific
2. improvement is an ongoing process
3. requires full team participation
4. best effort assumption
   - working harder won’t improve the process
   - blaming is pointless and counterproductive
5. fix root causes, not symptoms

Question 6

process-improvement process

Answer 6

1. gather data about the process
2. analyse
3. identify actions
4. prioritise and implement
   repeat. ..

Question 7

scrum retrospective elements

Answer 7

1. timing
   - occurs at the end of the sprint, after sprint review meeting with the customer
2. participants
   - whole development team. scrum master acts as facilitator
3. duration
   - at least 30 mins to allow proper data gathering
4. data source
   - team members and project artifacts

Question 8

general method to gather data from team members

Answer 8

1. team members populate template board independently using sticky notes
2. similar items are grouped together
3. team votes on priority issues for discussion
4. select action for improvement

Question 9

template

Answer 9

stop, start, continue/more of

Question 10

how to identify opportunities for improvement in performance

Answer 10

1. team members provide detailed information fo the performance of the team
2. project artifacts provide alternative source of information about project’s historical performance

Question 11

process improvement standards and models

Answer 11

1. characterisation standard used to relate metrics gathered to assess maturity of team’s quality assurance process
2. management standards explain methods and activities to undertake to conduct SPI effort

Question 12

elicitation techniques

Answer 12

1. theme boards
   - liked, learned, lacked, long for
2. 5 whys
   - diagnosing problem root causes

Question 13

choosing improvement actions based on

Answer 13

1. priority
2. feasibility
3. return on investment

Question 14

monitoring and measuring

Answer 14

1. creates tickets for the next release
2. ensure someone is responsible for each activity
3. include previous decisions in future retrospective
4. review the process review process

Question 15

drawbacks of team retrospectives

Answer 15

retrospective meeting may only take place every 2-4 weeks

1. problem left to persist for 2 -4 weeks
2. problems noted during sprint may not be recalled in the retrospective
3. details and circumstances may be forgotten

Question 16

what does continuous process improvement mean

Answer 16

adopt continuous approach to process improvement. diagnose, apply solution to problem as soon s they are identified.

1. problems can be quickly dealt with
2. may mean that team is not involve in diagnosis or implementation of solution
3. may be disruptive to overall software process

as a compromise, diagnose and recommend solution in real time. discuss with team during retrospective

Question 17

retrospective meetings can become stale

Answer 17

important to

1. vary structure
2. reflect on retrospective itself
3. experiment with different frequencies
4. allow other team members to facilitate