BUS 4500 · Agile and Scrum: Scrum Artifacts

Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

Product Backlog as kanban signal, Sprint Backlog as WIP board, Increment as jidoka gate — Scrum artifacts through Ohno's lean lens.

1. Module 1

   The Product Backlog: The Kanban Signal

   Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

   The question

   Pull, not push. The team pulls from the backlog — they do not receive assignments. The PO orders the backlog by value. A backlog with 500 items most of which will never be built is waste. What is the ordering principle — and when does a product backlog become overproduction?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the Product Backlog and apply the kanban pull analogy to backlog management.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 Backlog Ordering Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Begin the course → Print certificate of completion
2. Module 2

   The Sprint Backlog: The WIP Board

   Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

   The question

   10 tasks "in progress," 2 tasks "done" at the sprint midpoint. Ohno would diagnose this immediately. What is the WIP problem — and what should the team's policy be about WIP limits within a sprint?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the Sprint Backlog, explain WIP limits, and identify WIP accumulation.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 WIP Analysis Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
3. Module 3

   The Increment: Jidoka and the Definition of Done

   Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

   The question

   In Toyota, every worker can pull the andon cord to stop the line when they detect a defect. The Definition of Done is Scrum's andon cord. What happens to technical debt when a team ships items that don't meet the DoD — and what goes in a Definition of Done?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the Increment, explain jidoka, and write a comprehensive Definition of Done.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Write a Definition of Done Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
4. Module 4

   Artefact Transparency and the Commitments

   Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

   The question

   Each artefact has a commitment: Product Backlog → Product Goal; Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal; Increment → Definition of Done. The Product Backlog is in a spreadsheet only the PO can access. What is the transparency failure — and what does it do to the team's ability to inspect and adapt?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the three commitments and identify transparency failures.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Transparency Audit Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
5. Module 5

   Artefacts, Flow, and Waste

   Led by Ohnoian Lean Simulacrum

   The question

   For each artefact, identify one type of waste it makes visible when maintained honestly — and one way teams maintain it in a way that hides waste instead. Ohno's lesson: you cannot improve what you cannot see.

   Outcome

   The student can apply the seven Toyota wastes to the Scrum artefacts.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 Final Essay: Artefacts as Waste Detectors Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion