To use Scrum, you arguably need to apply it wholly. However, some practices are not unique to Scrum: practices all teams can benefit from.

It might also be an eye-opener for people, making them more inclined to turn fully agile. I recently switched from a project doing Scrum to a team with no clear project methodology or framework: the change in the level of communication and willingness to change and improve was striking. I think these three things alone would go a long way to improve the situation.

This is the third post in a series about applying the Pomodoro Technique® to Scrum and for development.

Each post covers one of the Pomodoro Technique® objectives. The third objective is to Estimate the Effort for Activities.

All developers are used to giving estimates. Most developers are also aware of the problems related to giving accurate estimates. Especially, providing an estimate in calendar time can prove difficult, not to say impossible. Pomodoros offer an alternative approach that works very well with Scrum.

In the series about agile roadblocks: obstructions for implementing agile processes, the time has come to “Predicting the Unpredictable”.

One reason behind the success of agile methodologies is a new approach to estimating work.

Traditional estimations fail of at least two reasons: they are based on calendar time, and they are done for the complete project directly.

In addition, estimates are sometimes calculated by people other than the ones that will do the actual work. How's that for commitment?