Agile Workflow

How the Practicum Works: Agile Sprints

The practicum is designed to emulate industry workflows in a supportive academic environment. We operate in two-week sprints, with a structure modeled after real Agile development teams.

Below is a breakdown of our Monday 6 PM meetings and the sprint cycle structure.

1. Weekly Updates (Start of Every Monday Meeting)

We begin every Monday with essential updates from leadership:

• Workflow or process changes
• Project announcements
• Management updates
• New tools or best practices

2. Sprint Planning (Held at the Start of Each Sprint)

Sprint Planning typically occurs immediately after the Weekly Updates and consists of four stages:

2.1. Issue Overview

We review all backlog issues available for the new sprint on each repository’s Projects page. The TPM will share the "Team Weekly" link in Slack before the meeting.

2.2. Task Sizing

The process has been streamlined: PMs and Lead Engineers now assign issue sizes (e.g., S/M/L) before Sprint Planning to reduce meeting overhead.

2.3. Issue Selection

Everyone gets 5 minutes to browse and select their work.

• Rule: One person per issue, unless marked Medium+ (where pairing is allowed).
• Guidance: Choose issues based on available time and skill comfort.

2.4. Q&A

An open floor for clarifying questions. If you’ve selected an issue and need additional context, ask now.

---

3. Sprint Retrospective (Week 2 of the Sprint)

During the second Monday meeting of the sprint, we conduct a retrospective to foster continuous improvement:

• Review what worked well.
• Discuss what didn’t.
• Identify improvements.
• Revisit last sprint’s retrospective notes.
• Add new items to the board.

Retrospective Process

1. Placement Period (5 minutes): Everyone adds thoughts or notes to the retrospective project board.
2. Review Discussion: We review all retrospective entries (time spent depends on discussion depth).

---

4. Parking Lot

This is an open space for anyone to:

• Share research
• Present findings
• Raise ideas
• Offer new tools or workflows

Tip: You may add topics to the Parking Lot before the Monday meeting.

---

5. Developer Meeting (After Main Agenda)

After the main agenda is complete, we move into the Developer Meeting. This is one of the most important parts of the practicum for hands-on support.

• Open Q&A
• Team discussions
• Live troubleshooting or code challenges
• Screen sharing, pairing, or walkthroughs

Reminder: Come to this meeting with questions, blockers, or discussion topics!

---

Weekly Rhythm (Two-Week Cycle)

Activity	Week 1: Planning & Development	Week 2: Development & Retrospective	Ongoing (Throughout Both Weeks)
Monday Meeting	Updates → Sprint Planning → Issue Selection → Developer Meeting	Updates → Retrospective → Developer Meeting	Communicate Blockers promptly
Weekdays	Work on assigned issues. Coordinate with PMs/Leads.	Wrap up issues. Ensure PRs meet review requirements.	Submit PRs early, not at the last minute
Review	N/A	N/A	Review your peers’ PRs (Two required each week)
Documentation	N/A	N/A	Update issues with notes and progress

---

How to Ask for Help

We encourage questions! You are not expected to know everything. Never hesitate to ask for help!

Primary Channels

• Reach out through Slack:

  • DM your Lead Engineer or PM.
  • Post in your project channel.
  • Tag your PR or Issue with Needs Help.

• Use the weekly Developer Meeting: Bring any of the following to the meeting:

  • Blockers
  • Confusing tasks
  • Code challenges
  • Repo issues
  • Anything slowing down your progress

Leadership is here to help and support your learning.