Author Archive
Sit with the team
Posted by: | CommentsTeams are core to agile practices and a ScrumMaster plays a critical role in optimizing team execution. One of the common impediments that interfers with this is the team work area or lack thereof. Without a common workarea it is very difficult to really understand what is going on with a team. The daily standups are a very inadequate way of tracking team progress. So much more is learned when you hear the intra-team discussions. It is these informal times expose what is really going one with a team.
We as ScrumMaster need to keep in continuous touch with the team. It is imperative that we sit with our teams as much as possible. This is the only effective way you can be an effective gate keeper.
One for the team
Posted by: | CommentsAs a ScrumMaster I am really sold on the Agile methodology. My enthusiasm can create angst for the team. I am really proud of the team I am working with right now. They have overcome many obstacles and really embrace Agile. They do not have a “cargo cult” mindset but a real commitment to be the most productive team in the company.
The team is willing to be a leader and will take on the risks. Because of this can do mentality I wanted to have all who were interested to view our first sprint demo. So what I did was use the largest distribution list for our department for our invitation list. Well this was a mistake and really caused the team to become very uneasy. They pointed out that we had overcome many obstacles in this sprint but there was not really much to show for it in the demo. We have completed one user story well and it is “done” according to our new standards of acceptance but it was only one user story.
They were correct. Perception is everything and we only have a “simple” user story to display for all of our work the last 3 weeks. The extended stake holders would not really understand what was involved in what we accomplished.
So I canceled the original meeting and invited a much smaller group to stake holders to the sprint demo. A lesson learned on consulting the team before make a major decision on who to invite to our sprint review.
The Team and Company Culture - Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsDoes a company really believe that is team is more productive than individual contributors? Take a look at the how a company does performance reviews and compensation.
Most performance reviews focus on how the individual performed in the last year. After the review the individual is informed as to what their new compensation with be. Very little is considered about the team they are working on. The following are some of the issues this causes for a team:
- The individual’s performance is more important than the team’s performance.
- Individuals feel reluctant to share their knowledge with the team.
- The team is not rewarded for performing well.
In most companies the culture is based on the individual not the team. So the individual is concerned that they will not receive the appropriate recognition if contributing to the success of a team.
Team Building and Focus
Posted by: | CommentsWhen there is a lack of focus this is a lack of teamwork. When each developer has other projects to work on they are not working together.
In an Agile team it is critical that each member has the same vision and goal. Unless the team is first the team will not succeed. When team members are more concerned about their own individual gaols instead of team goals you have lost the team focus.
Unless we can all capture the same vision we will fail. Oh, we may get a product out the door but will it be the best product we could have produced if we were focus.
In order to produce quality team work and capture the vision we have to spend quantity time together. This means working side by side with each other for hours a day. Time spent together ends up creating a team works together well an helps keep them focused on the vision.
Team Focus or Lack of it
Posted by: | CommentsDuring a sprint a team has to remain focused on the goal. So often the team gets distracted from the goal. Some of the sources of distraction are as follows:
- Other Projects
- Personal issues
- Lack of hardware
- Lack of team synergy
Other Projects
These can range from pet project from a manager to the previous project a team member was working on. Also, there always seems to be an emergency project that needs to be worked on. All of these affect the velocity of a team and may affect if the team is able to finish the user stories it has committed to. It is important that the ScrumMaster communicates to the management and product owner how much other projects are affecting the team and when they become major impediments. I my role as a ScrumMaster this has been the most prevalent issues I had to deal with. It is no fun when you have to tell a resource manager you report to that they are affecting the viability of a project.
Personal Problems
All of us face time when we have family issues or have physical problems that need attention. Unfortunately our jobs may be the cause of many of our problems. Our jobs cause stress that may affect our health and our families. It is important that we create a healthy work environment that does not cause excessive stress. Employees need to have time with their families and time for recreation to keep a healthy body. A good exercise routine leads to a more productive employee and less visit to the doctor. If we keep to a 40 hour work week we will have time to spend with our families.
Lack of hardware
It in uncalled for that companies invest in adequate hardware for their employees. Niceties such as dual large monitor, powerful laptops and large disk drives are cheep compared the cost of a employee. Necessary hardware should be available to the employee without having to go through excessive red tape. Also the supporting build and testing environments should be setup and supported from the beginning. There is no excuse for the lack of good hardware.
Lack of team synergy
So often a team is a team in name only. So often the individuals are just working on their tasks and nothing else. If they finish early they will find something that interests them to do and not even consider what other task they can work on.
In a productive team the members learn how to leverage each others strengths. They work together for a single purpose. There is no individual recognition. We as a team work together toward the goal of finishing the sprint goals. Each member makes sure they do their part by taking on available tasks.