Managing Cash at MegaBank

MegaBank is one of the largest financial institutions in the world. We’ll consider MegaBank’s use of Scrum here and in subsequent chapters. Two years after Scrum was first introduced at MegaBank, 20 percent of all MegaBank software projects now use Scrum. One team had heard what a success Scrum had been in other parts of MegaBank and wanted to try it on a pilot project that involved moving one of MegaBank’s applications from mainframe systems to the Web. The application in question, known as the “cash application,” was used for recording and reporting cash transfers. Funding had been approved, the team had been formed, and the plan had been written. The team was given a memorandum that stated that the Web-based version of the cash application would be complete and ready for implementation in five months. No more details were necessary because the new application would be a one-to-one replica of its mainframe predecessor; consequently, no new functionality had been authorized for this project.

Sprints usually begin with a one-day Sprint planning meeting. For projects like this one, however, I add an additional day to construct a Product Backlog for the project as well to teach the new ScrumMaster, Product Owner, and Team how Scrum works. I find these two-day sessions to be particularly effective for teaching Scrum—in large part because the subject of the lesson is inherently practical, concerning real work that has to be done in the very near term.