Understanding and Apply Scrum [P8]: Scaling Scrum - An introduction to the Nexus Framework

Question 1

When was the Nexus Guide released ? Who by?

Answer 1

• 2015
• Ken Schwaber’s org and Scrum.org

Question 2

What approach does Nexus use, based on Scrum, to scale software and product development?

Answer 2

Iterative and incremental approach

Question 3

How does Ken Schwaber describe Scrum?

Answer 3

“Nexus is the exoskelton of Scrum”

Question 4

What is a Nexus?

Answer 4

• One larger unit, made up of 3-9 Scrum teams working on one product + 1 PB
• Build one Integrated Increment that meets a goal

Question 5

What two scaling matters does the Nexus Framework focus on heavily?

Answer 5

• cross-team dependencies
• integration issues

Question 6

What is the NIT responsible for?

Answer 6

ensuring that an Integrated Increment (combined work completed by a Nexus) is produced at least every sprint

Question 7

What is the NIT accountable for?

Answer 7

successful integration of all work created by all the Scrum Teams in a Nexus

Question 8

What common activities does NIT do?

Answer 8

• identifying cross-team issues
• raising awareness of dependencies early
• ensuring integration tools and practices are understood and used

Question 9

Comment on the membership in NIT

Answer 9

full or part time

Question 10

Who is in NIT?

Answer 10

• The Product Owner and a Scrum Master who can serve as the Scrum Master of the Nexus are on this team.
• There are also Nexus Integration Team Members who are often members of Scrum Teams within a Nexus, but not always exclusively, as it depends on what makes sense for an organization’s needs

Question 11

What is considered an integration issue which the NIT is responsible for resolving?

Answer 11

any technical and non-technical cross-team concerns

Question 12

What sort of approach should the NIT used to resolve integration problems?

Answer 12

use bottom-up intelligence from the Nexus to achieve resolution

Question 13

Goal of refinement

Answer 13

• (1) to decompose the PBIs enough so that the Nexus can figure out which teams might deliver them and in what sequence
• (2) identify, vlisualize and minimise cross-team dependencies

Question 14

What happens after the Nexus Sprint Planning?

Answer 14

• Teams indivdiually do their own sprint planning
• Sprint planning finishes after the last Scrum team finishes theirs

Question 15

What is the Nexus Sprint Backlog?

Answer 15

• a visualization of any dependencies that will exist during the Sprint, and a way to manage the flow of work in a Nexus.
• created and managed by the NIT

Question 16

What does the Nexus Sprint Review replace?

Answer 16

Individual sprint reviews

Question 17

What are the three parts of the Nexus Sprint Retro?

Answer 17

• 1) reps from each team meet to identify shared challenges
• 2) output goes into individual retros
• 3) reps rejoin and share

Question 18

What boundary does a Nexus work within?

Answer 18

Sprint boundary of 30 days or less

Question 19

What are the first steps to start a Nexus?

Answer 19

• Identify the teams in their Nexus
• Form an initial Nexus Integration Team
• Have a single Product Backlog
• Have a definition of “Done”
• Identify a Sprint cadence

Question 20

What is Nexus+?

Answer 20

• 10+ teams
• more than one Nexus
• Everything for Nexus applies to Nexus+
• organizations will have implemented their own personal flavors of the sets of practices and guidelines in pursuing shorter feedback loops