What to do in Sprint 0 ?

Sprint 0 is a concept within the Agile and Scrum methodologies that refers to the initial phase of work before the formal sprint cycles begin. While it's not a part of the regular sprint cadence, Sprint 0 serves as a preparatory phase for a project, aiming to establish the groundwork and set the stage for the subsequent sprints.

Sprint 0 includes:

Planning:

Initial project planning occurs during Sprint 0. This involves defining the project scope, setting goals, creating a rough timeline, and identifying the initial backlog of tasks.

Infrastructure setup:

Teams use this time to set up the development environment, tools, and infrastructure necessary for the project. This could involve configuring servers, establishing version control, creating development environments, etc.

Identify Network requirement, LAN Connectivity setup, Dev and QA environments Setup, Identify and installation of all required softwares, Checking whether all the tools up and running, Logistic requirements like phone, video conference, Meeting rooms setup, etc 

Gathering requirements:

Initial discussions and meetings occur during Sprint 0 to gather essential project requirements and align the team's understanding of the project's objectives.

Team formation:

During Sprint 0, the team is assembled and organized. New People hired, Roles and responsibilities are clarified, and team members get acquainted with each other, Each developer and tester will also make their system ready with all the required software

Initial research and exploration:

This phase may involve initial research, feasibility studies, or proof of concept (POC) work to explore and validate different approaches or technologies that will be used during the project.

Design:

Design and Project architecture should be decided in sprint 0. High Level Base architecture should be ready, Decision on the coding framework and make it ready for the team, Decision on the tooling & IDE, Coding standards & processes, Review Process, Automation Testing framework readiness

Trainings:

Training makes team ready for the development/testing. These trainings are critical to project success. Training can be provided to all assosicated peoples, Can be provided on aspects like (Domain, Technical, Architecture, Development Framework and Process, Testing Framework and Process, Tools)

Creating the backlog:

A rough backlog of tasks is drafted during Sprint 0, which will be further refined and prioritized in subsequent sprints.

DOD/ DOR Acceptance Crieteria:

During Sprint 0 Definition of Done and Definition of Ready first level is decided.

Sprint 0 is not officially part of the Scrum framework but is a practical approach adopted by many teams to ensure a smoother transition into the structured sprint cycles. It helps to mitigate uncertainties, establish a shared understanding among team members, and set the groundwork for the subsequent work.