Why the Scrum part of Scrum is so important.
The more I have been working with teams, the more I understand that good teamwork is a multi-layered and mostly non-verbal thing. The best teams train together so much that their execution becomes unspoken. Many can take the practice of Scrum as only a product producing framework and ignore the connections to team formation that gave Scrum its name.
High-performing teams have similarities on and off the field. If we took a random set of basketball players and threw them on a team together, how do we think they would do? Probably not very well as they will have varied levels of skill, unsure of their place on the team and how to work with others on the team. We could improve this by making sure they are all pro level players but as any sports lover knows it can take years for top performing athletes to gel together into a championship winning team.
There are some core questions that need to be asked of every team member that while they seem simple, are very hard to satisfy as they are never answered.
Do you know your team position?
Each person on a sports team has a particular role to play in reaching their goal. No matter what sport, you need to know the strength your position contributes to the team. This need can change over time depending on the challenge that the team faces right now so constant attention and learning is necessary. Many people think they are good at their role, but how do you know?
Do you play well?
Because of this specialisation there is a need for each position to play strongly so the entire team can focus on excelling in their own contribution. We all know the phrase the “weakest link in the chain” and this is where it comes out in practice. A team is only as strong as its weakest link because stronger team members will have to devote some of their energy to supporting weaker players. This isn’t a problem as there will always be the weakest link, but if that link isn’t seeking to improve while others are, it brings the overall effectiveness of the team down.
Huddle, re-plan and execute
The daily scrum is a 15-minute time-boxed event for the Development Team to synchronise activities and create a plan for the next 24 hours. To be honest, the daily scrum isn’t a great name as there is not much conversation or planning going on in a scrum. It is more a reference to team members locking in tightly together like a rugby scrum.
A term more akin to sports would be a team huddle. In all sports, during the game the team will huddle and re-plan in how the game is progressing. This lightweight re-planning will not go well if each team member does not understand their position and being able to trust that others will play their position well.
Every team member needs to know their part, do it well and practice with the team to excel.
These can be some tough questions for a team when they think they have been operating well, but until we answer them your team performance could be much better.
