AI and Agile at the Global Scrum Gathering
A Packed Room!
Fresh off the heels of the fantastic New Orleans Global Scrum Gathering in May 2024, I wanted to revisit some key takeaways from my talk on the intersection of AI and Agile. In this blog post, I've combined some of my thoughts, the slides, and the videos from the original presentation. Enjoy!
Note: the videos below work best at full-screen!
The Big Questions About AI and Agile
Let's jump right in to slide 4, "The Big Questions."
Here, we explored the potential of AI to empower Agile teams. We saw how AI and Agility can tackle repetitive tasks that used to consume hours, streamlining things like generating tasks, acceptance criteria, backlog refinement, and even test cases. This frees developers to focus on what they do best: building high-quality features, faster.
Now, the elephant in the room - "Is AI coming for my job?" While it's true that AI will undoubtedly change the workforce, some roles significantly, it's crucial to remember AI as a collaborator, not a competitor. The future of Scrum envisions AI as an augmentation tool, freeing developers from tedious tasks and allowing them to focus on creative problem-solving and building the right things.
Waterfall and the Law of Accelerating Returns
Moving on to slide 8, we delved into the idea that the same factors that led to the downfall of Waterfall methodology are now driving a major shift in how products are built - not just software products, but all products!
AI, Agile, and Sentient Sprinting
This brings us to the exciting concept of "Sentient Sprinting. Imagine sprints that not only guide the development process but also "do some of the legwork" for developers. Sentient Sprinting leverages AI to help Agile teams by automating tasks and suggesting optimal solutions, allowing developers to focus on critical thinking and building better, faster products.
Common Challenges
Slide 12 delved into the common challenges faced by Scrum teams, including lack of role effectiveness, poor sprint planning, and inefficient handling of backlog item dependencies.
Introducing SierraAgility and Spark!
Slide 13 introduced Sierra Agility (https://sierraagility.net/) and its built-in AI assistant, Spark. We then showcased a series of videos demonstrating Spark's capabilities.
Simple Tasks - Defining a New Sprint
The first video highlighted how Spark streamlines sprint planning by recommending names, lengths, and capacity for upcoming sprints. The next video showcased how Spark provides daily insights to Product Owners and Scrum Masters, keeping them informed and proactive.
Simple Tasks - Getting Daily Advice
The "Game Changers"
Game-changing AI features are redefining the landscape of technology by infusing unparalleled efficiency and innovation into everyday tasks. From intelligent personal assistants that anticipate user needs, to automated systems that can optimize workflows with remarkable precision, these advancements are not just enhancements—they're revolutionary shifts. Imagine AI that can analyze vast datasets in real-time, yielding insights that previously would have taken teams weeks to uncover. With predictive analytics at the fingertips of businesses, the landscape of decision-making is poised for transformation. These innovations are set to empower users and organizations alike, turning data into actionable strategies and crafting a future that's as exhilarating as it is effective.
Product Goal Improvement
We explored how AI and agile can come together to analyze data and user feedback to suggest improvements to product goals, ensuring they remain relevant and impactful.
Backlog Refinement
The next video introduced how Spark assists with backlog refinement by suggesting user stories, breaking down epics, and prioritizing tasks.
Acceptance Criteria Generation
This video demonstrated how Spark leverages user stories and product goals to automatically generate clear and concise acceptance criteria.
Test Case Generation
The final video showcased Spark's ability to generate comprehensive test cases based on acceptance criteria, saving development teams valuable time.
The Future of AI and Scrum Teams
The future of AI and Agile is bright! We are currently exploring the potential for AI to enhance retrospectives, suggest solutions for user stories, improve estimation and dependency identification, and more.
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