50
Djennic
4y

Infinite loop...

Got a story assigned with no requirements listed this sprint. Since I finished the rest already I was like, lets be pro-active and see what it's about during the stand-up.

Me: Hi, I only have story X remaining, what's it about, there are no requirements listed in Jira?
SM: Yeah person Y is going to reach out to you with the reqs.
Me: Ok, when is Y going to reach out?
SM: Y doesn't have time now, will probably be in 2 weeks.
Me: Ok, so why is the story included in this sprint then?
SM: Because they want X implemented this sprint.
(Me wondering if the Scrum Master is familiar with infinite loops, thinking let's try this out)
Me: Ok, if X should be completed, can Y reach out to me with the requirements?
SM: Y doesn't have time now, will probably be in 2 weeks.
Me: Ok, why is the story included in this sprint then?

Stand-up lasted a lil' longer today... Hope the SM got the message not to assign stories without reqs or clear communication anymore.

Comments
  • 4
    That was an awesome experiment :D
  • 11
    Hmmmm shouldn't the team be deciding what gets included in the sprint, not the sm?

    Sounds like a case of fake agile.
  • 6
    In this scenario I mention it once, casually, then I shut the fuck up and collect pay for browsing the internet for two weeks.
  • 2
    @nibor, you are completely right, the team should plan the sprint for these situations to be prevented. I could point out that the story was not discussed during planning, reqs are missing, no definition of done, etc. I sometimes do. But people may go into defense mode and we all start discussing why someone is right or not. In this case I got the opportunity to get the message across by just posing some innocent questions. Which was quite entertaining for me, and I am sure the SM is cautious to avoid the loophole in the future :) We are agile though, just polishing the rough edges still.
  • 0
    @Djennic The scrum master should actually have no involvement at all. He is just there to make sure the scrum process is actually followed. Which he is clearly doing a bad job at.
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