BMAD-METHOD/docs/sm-quality-standards.md

Scrum Master (Mike) Quality Standards

Overview

This document establishes comprehensive quality standards for Scrum Master activities within the BMAD Method. These standards ensure consistent, high-quality Scrum facilitation that drives team performance, process improvement, and successful project outcomes.

Table of Contents

1. Quality Framework
2. Ceremony Facilitation Quality Standards
3. Team Coaching Quality Standards
4. Process Management Quality Standards
5. Impediment Resolution Quality Standards
6. Stakeholder Communication Quality Standards
7. Continuous Improvement Quality Standards
8. Quality Metrics and Measurement
9. Quality Assurance Procedures
10. Continuous Improvement

Quality Framework

Quality Principles

1. Servant Leadership: Focus on serving the team and removing obstacles to their success
2. Facilitation Excellence: Create environments where teams can collaborate effectively
3. Continuous Improvement: Drive ongoing process and team performance improvements
4. Transparency: Maintain visibility into team progress, challenges, and opportunities
5. Empowerment: Enable teams to become self-organizing and high-performing
6. Value Focus: Ensure all activities contribute to delivering business value

Quality Dimensions

Facilitation Quality

• Ceremony effectiveness and engagement
• Meeting preparation and execution
• Conflict resolution and consensus building
• Communication facilitation and clarity

Coaching Quality

• Team development and skill building
• Individual coaching and mentoring
• Process coaching and improvement
• Agile mindset development

Process Quality

• Scrum framework adherence
• Process optimization and refinement
• Metrics tracking and analysis
• Risk and impediment management

Ceremony Facilitation Quality Standards

Sprint Planning Quality Standards

Preparation Quality

• Agenda Prepared: Detailed agenda created and shared 24 hours in advance
• Backlog Ready: Product backlog refined and prioritized by Product Owner
• Capacity Calculated: Team capacity accurately calculated and documented
• Environment Setup: Meeting space and tools properly configured
• Stakeholder Coordination: Key stakeholders identified and invited

Facilitation Execution Quality

• Time Management: Meeting stays within allocated timeframe (4 hours maximum)
• Goal Clarity: Sprint goal is clearly defined and understood by all
• Participation: All team members actively participate in planning
• Commitment Realism: Team commitment is realistic and achievable
• Documentation: Sprint backlog and commitments properly documented

Outcome Quality

• Clear Sprint Goal: Specific, measurable sprint goal established
• Realistic Commitment: Team commitment aligns with capacity and velocity
• Task Breakdown: Stories broken down into actionable tasks
• Risk Identification: Potential risks and dependencies identified
• Team Buy-in: Full team commitment to sprint plan

Daily Scrum Quality Standards

Structure and Timing Quality

• Consistent Schedule: Daily scrum occurs at same time and place
• Timebox Adherence: Meeting completed within 15 minutes
• Full Attendance: All team members present or properly represented
• Focus Maintenance: Discussion stays focused on sprint goal progress
• Action Orientation: Clear next steps and coordination identified

Facilitation Quality

• Team-Centric: Team members communicate with each other, not just Scrum Master
• Impediment Identification: Blockers clearly identified and noted
• Progress Transparency: Clear understanding of sprint progress
• Coordination Support: Collaboration needs identified and facilitated
• Energy Management: Team energy and engagement maintained

Follow-up Quality

• Impediment Resolution: Immediate action on identified impediments
• Progress Tracking: Sprint progress updated and communicated
• Coordination Facilitation: Follow-up conversations facilitated as needed
• Stakeholder Communication: Relevant updates shared with stakeholders

Sprint Review Quality Standards

Preparation Quality

• Demo Environment: Stable demo environment prepared and tested
• Stakeholder Engagement: Relevant stakeholders invited and confirmed
• Demo Script: Clear demonstration script prepared with team
• Feedback Mechanism: Structured approach for collecting feedback
• Metrics Compilation: Sprint metrics compiled and ready for presentation

Facilitation Quality

• Business Focus: Demonstration focuses on business value delivered
• Stakeholder Engagement: Active stakeholder participation and feedback
• Feedback Collection: Systematic collection and documentation of feedback
• Backlog Updates: Product backlog updated based on feedback
• Future Planning: Clear discussion of upcoming priorities

Outcome Quality

• Value Demonstration: Clear demonstration of business value delivered
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Positive stakeholder feedback on delivered work
• Actionable Feedback: Specific, actionable feedback collected and documented
• Backlog Refinement: Product backlog updated with new insights
• Transparency: Clear visibility into team progress and challenges

Sprint Retrospective Quality Standards

Facilitation Technique Quality

• Technique Selection: Appropriate retrospective technique selected for team needs
• Safe Environment: Psychologically safe environment created for open discussion
• Balanced Participation: All team members actively participate
• Data-Driven Discussion: Discussion based on facts and observations
• Action-Oriented Outcomes: Specific, actionable improvement items identified

Process Quality

• Structured Approach: Clear structure and flow for retrospective session
• Time Management: Effective use of allocated time (1.5 hours for 2-week sprint)
• Focus Areas: Clear focus on most important improvement opportunities
• Root Cause Analysis: Deep exploration of underlying causes
• Commitment Building: Team commitment to improvement actions

Outcome Quality

• Actionable Improvements: Specific improvement actions with owners and timelines
• Realistic Scope: Improvement actions are achievable within team capacity
• Measurable Impact: Success criteria defined for improvement actions
• Follow-through Plan: Clear plan for tracking and implementing improvements
• Learning Culture: Reinforcement of continuous learning and improvement mindset

Team Coaching Quality Standards

Individual Coaching Quality Standards

Coaching Approach Quality

• Active Listening: Demonstrates active listening and empathy
• Question-Based Coaching: Uses powerful questions to guide discovery
• Goal-Oriented: Coaching sessions have clear objectives and outcomes
• Skill Development: Focuses on developing individual capabilities
• Growth Mindset: Encourages learning and experimentation

Coaching Relationship Quality

• Trust Building: Establishes trust and psychological safety
• Confidentiality: Maintains appropriate confidentiality
• Regular Engagement: Consistent coaching interactions and follow-up
• Feedback Quality: Provides constructive, specific feedback
• Support Provision: Offers appropriate support and resources

Team Development Quality Standards

Team Dynamics Coaching

• Collaboration Enhancement: Actively works to improve team collaboration
• Conflict Resolution: Effectively facilitates conflict resolution
• Communication Improvement: Coaches team on effective communication
• Decision-Making Support: Helps team improve decision-making processes
• Self-Organization: Guides team toward greater self-organization

Agile Mindset Development

• Principle Understanding: Ensures team understands agile principles
• Practice Adoption: Supports adoption of agile practices
• Mindset Shift: Facilitates shift from traditional to agile thinking
• Experimentation: Encourages experimentation and learning
• Adaptation: Helps team adapt practices to their context

Skills Development Quality Standards

Technical Coaching Support

• Practice Identification: Identifies beneficial technical practices
• Learning Facilitation: Facilitates team learning opportunities
• Knowledge Sharing: Promotes knowledge sharing within team
• Skill Gap Assessment: Identifies and addresses skill gaps
• External Resource Connection: Connects team with external learning resources

Process Skills Development

• Estimation Skills: Coaches team on effective estimation techniques
• Planning Skills: Develops team planning and forecasting capabilities
• Quality Practices: Promotes adoption of quality practices
• Collaboration Tools: Helps team effectively use collaboration tools
• Metrics Understanding: Educates team on meaningful metrics

Process Management Quality Standards

Scrum Framework Adherence Quality Standards

Framework Implementation

• Role Clarity: Clear understanding and execution of Scrum roles
• Event Execution: Proper execution of all Scrum events
• Artifact Management: Effective management of Scrum artifacts
• Rule Adherence: Adherence to Scrum rules and principles
• Adaptation Appropriateness: Appropriate adaptation of framework to context

Process Optimization

• Continuous Assessment: Regular assessment of process effectiveness
• Improvement Identification: Systematic identification of improvement opportunities
• Change Management: Effective management of process changes
• Best Practice Integration: Integration of relevant best practices
• Team Input Integration: Incorporation of team feedback in process improvements

Metrics and Measurement Quality Standards

Metrics Collection Quality

• Relevant Metrics: Collection of metrics that drive meaningful insights
• Accurate Data: Accurate and reliable data collection
• Timely Reporting: Timely compilation and sharing of metrics
• Trend Analysis: Analysis of trends and patterns in metrics
• Actionable Insights: Translation of metrics into actionable insights

Performance Tracking Quality

• Velocity Tracking: Accurate tracking and analysis of team velocity
• Quality Metrics: Monitoring of quality indicators and trends
• Predictability Assessment: Assessment of team predictability and consistency
• Capacity Utilization: Tracking of team capacity utilization
• Improvement Measurement: Measurement of improvement initiative effectiveness

Impediment Resolution Quality Standards

Impediment Identification Quality Standards

Proactive Identification

• Early Detection: Proactive identification of potential impediments
• Pattern Recognition: Recognition of recurring impediment patterns
• Risk Assessment: Assessment of impediment impact and urgency
• Root Cause Analysis: Investigation of underlying causes
• Prevention Focus: Focus on preventing future impediments

Documentation Quality

• Clear Description: Clear and specific impediment descriptions
• Impact Assessment: Documented impact on team and sprint goals
• Ownership Assignment: Clear assignment of resolution ownership
• Timeline Tracking: Tracking of impediment age and resolution time
• Resolution Documentation: Documentation of resolution approaches and outcomes

Resolution Process Quality Standards

Resolution Approach

• Systematic Process: Systematic approach to impediment resolution
• Appropriate Escalation: Timely escalation when needed
• Resource Mobilization: Effective mobilization of required resources
• Communication Management: Clear communication about resolution progress
• Follow-up Verification: Verification that impediments are truly resolved

Resolution Effectiveness

• Timely Resolution: Impediments resolved within appropriate timeframes
• Sustainable Solutions: Solutions address root causes, not just symptoms
• Team Empowerment: Solutions empower team to handle similar issues
• Learning Integration: Lessons learned integrated into team practices
• Prevention Measures: Implementation of measures to prevent recurrence

Stakeholder Communication Quality Standards

Communication Planning Quality Standards

Stakeholder Analysis

• Stakeholder Identification: Complete identification of relevant stakeholders
• Communication Needs: Understanding of stakeholder communication needs
• Frequency Planning: Appropriate communication frequency for each stakeholder
• Channel Selection: Selection of appropriate communication channels
• Content Customization: Customization of content for different stakeholders

Communication Strategy

• Clear Objectives: Clear objectives for each communication
• Value Focus: Communication focuses on business value and outcomes
• Transparency: Honest and transparent communication about progress and challenges
• Timeliness: Timely communication of important information
• Feedback Integration: Integration of stakeholder feedback

Communication Execution Quality Standards

Message Quality

• Clarity: Clear and easily understood messages
• Accuracy: Accurate and up-to-date information
• Relevance: Relevant information for target audience
• Completeness: Complete information without overwhelming detail
• Actionability: Clear actions or decisions required from stakeholders

Delivery Quality

• Professional Presentation: Professional and well-organized presentation
• Engagement: Active engagement with stakeholders
• Question Handling: Effective handling of stakeholder questions
• Follow-up: Appropriate follow-up on commitments and actions
• Documentation: Proper documentation of important communications

Quality Metrics and Measurement

Ceremony Effectiveness Metrics

Sprint Planning Metrics

• Planning Efficiency: Time spent in planning relative to sprint duration
• Commitment Accuracy: Accuracy of sprint commitments vs. actual delivery
• Goal Achievement: Percentage of sprint goals achieved
• Team Satisfaction: Team satisfaction with planning process

Daily Scrum Metrics

• Attendance Rate: Percentage of team members attending daily scrums
• Duration Compliance: Percentage of daily scrums completed within 15 minutes
• Impediment Identification: Number of impediments identified per sprint
• Follow-up Effectiveness: Percentage of impediments resolved within target time

Sprint Review Metrics

• Stakeholder Attendance: Percentage of invited stakeholders attending
• Feedback Quality: Quality and actionability of stakeholder feedback
• Demo Success: Percentage of planned demonstrations completed successfully
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Stakeholder satisfaction with review process

Sprint Retrospective Metrics

• Participation Level: Level of team participation in retrospectives
• Action Item Generation: Number of actionable improvement items per retrospective
• Implementation Rate: Percentage of retrospective actions implemented
• Improvement Impact: Measured impact of implemented improvements

Team Performance Metrics

Team Development Metrics

• Team Maturity: Assessment of team agile maturity level
• Self-Organization: Level of team self-organization and autonomy
• Collaboration Quality: Quality of team collaboration and communication
• Skill Development: Progress on individual and team skill development

Process Adherence Metrics

• Framework Compliance: Adherence to Scrum framework and practices
• Process Consistency: Consistency of process execution across sprints
• Adaptation Effectiveness: Effectiveness of process adaptations and improvements
• Best Practice Adoption: Adoption rate of recommended best practices

Impediment Management Metrics

Impediment Resolution Metrics

• Resolution Time: Average time to resolve impediments
• Resolution Rate: Percentage of impediments resolved within target time
• Escalation Rate: Percentage of impediments requiring escalation
• Recurrence Rate: Percentage of impediments that recur

Prevention Effectiveness Metrics

• Impediment Frequency: Number of impediments per sprint
• Prevention Success: Reduction in recurring impediment types
• Proactive Identification: Percentage of impediments identified proactively
• Team Empowerment: Team's ability to resolve impediments independently

Quality Assurance Procedures

Ceremony Quality Assurance

Pre-Ceremony QA

1. Preparation Checklist: Verify all preparation activities completed
2. Agenda Review: Review and validate ceremony agenda
3. Resource Verification: Confirm availability of required resources
4. Stakeholder Confirmation: Confirm stakeholder attendance and preparation
5. Environment Setup: Verify meeting environment and tools are ready

During-Ceremony QA

1. Facilitation Monitoring: Monitor facilitation effectiveness and engagement
2. Time Management: Track time usage and adjust as needed
3. Participation Assessment: Assess level and quality of participation
4. Outcome Tracking: Track progress toward ceremony objectives
5. Issue Identification: Identify and address issues as they arise

Post-Ceremony QA

1. Outcome Validation: Validate that ceremony objectives were achieved
2. Action Item Review: Review and validate action items and commitments
3. Feedback Collection: Collect feedback on ceremony effectiveness
4. Documentation Review: Review and validate ceremony documentation
5. Improvement Identification: Identify opportunities for ceremony improvement

Team Coaching Quality Assurance

Coaching Session QA

1. Objective Setting: Clear objectives set for coaching interactions
2. Approach Validation: Coaching approach appropriate for situation and individual
3. Progress Tracking: Progress toward coaching goals tracked and measured
4. Feedback Integration: Feedback from coachees integrated into approach
5. Outcome Assessment: Assessment of coaching effectiveness and impact

Team Development QA

1. Development Planning: Clear development plans for team and individuals
2. Progress Monitoring: Regular monitoring of development progress
3. Skill Assessment: Regular assessment of team and individual skills
4. Resource Provision: Appropriate resources provided for development
5. Impact Measurement: Measurement of development impact on performance

Process Management Quality Assurance

Process Adherence QA

1. Framework Compliance: Regular assessment of Scrum framework adherence
2. Practice Consistency: Monitoring of practice consistency across sprints
3. Adaptation Appropriateness: Assessment of process adaptations and changes
4. Improvement Effectiveness: Evaluation of process improvement effectiveness
5. Team Feedback Integration: Integration of team feedback on processes

Metrics and Measurement QA

1. Data Accuracy: Verification of metrics data accuracy and completeness
2. Analysis Quality: Quality of metrics analysis and insights
3. Reporting Timeliness: Timeliness of metrics reporting and communication
4. Action Orientation: Translation of metrics into actionable improvements
5. Stakeholder Value: Value of metrics and reporting to stakeholders

Continuous Improvement

Quality Improvement Process

Regular Quality Reviews

• Weekly: Review current sprint quality indicators and issues
• Sprint Retrospectives: Include quality focus in team retrospectives
• Monthly: Comprehensive quality metrics review and analysis
• Quarterly: Quality standards review and update

Improvement Identification

1. Metrics Analysis: Analyze quality metrics to identify improvement opportunities
2. Team Feedback: Collect and analyze team feedback on Scrum Master effectiveness
3. Stakeholder Input: Gather stakeholder input on process and communication quality
4. Self-Assessment: Regular self-assessment against quality standards
5. Peer Review: Peer review with other Scrum Masters

Improvement Implementation

1. Improvement Planning: Develop specific improvement plans and timelines
2. Skill Development: Pursue skill development to address quality gaps
3. Process Refinement: Refine processes and practices to improve quality
4. Tool Enhancement: Enhance tools and templates to support quality
5. Knowledge Sharing: Share learnings and best practices with other Scrum Masters

Quality Culture Development

Team Quality Awareness

• Quality Discussions: Regular discussions about quality in team interactions
• Quality Metrics Sharing: Share quality metrics and trends with team
• Quality Recognition: Recognize and celebrate quality achievements
• Quality Learning: Promote learning about quality practices and standards

Organizational Quality Contribution

• Best Practice Sharing: Share quality best practices across Scrum Master community
• Standard Development: Contribute to development of organizational quality standards
• Quality Advocacy: Advocate for quality focus in organizational processes
• Mentoring: Mentor other Scrum Masters on quality practices

Quality Standards Evolution

Standards Review Process

1. Regular Assessment: Regularly assess effectiveness of current quality standards
2. Industry Benchmarking: Benchmark standards against industry best practices
3. Team Input: Gather team input on standards effectiveness and usability
4. Stakeholder Feedback: Collect stakeholder feedback on quality outcomes
5. Continuous Refinement: Continuously refine standards based on experience

Standards Update Process

1. Change Proposal: Formal process for proposing quality standards changes
2. Impact Assessment: Assessment of proposed changes on team and processes
3. Stakeholder Review: Review of proposed changes with key stakeholders
4. Implementation Planning: Planning for implementing standards changes
5. Effectiveness Monitoring: Monitoring effectiveness of standards changes

---

These quality standards provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring excellence in all Scrum Master activities within the BMAD Method. By adhering to these standards, Scrum Masters can drive team performance, process improvement, and successful project outcomes.