Scrum by the Book. Does It Bite?

A good team is like a family. Relatively speaking, we spend a lot of time with them. Sometimes they annoy us, sometimes we don’t understand each other, but we still can’t imagine working without each other. And it’s a well-known fact that the closer people are to each other, the more difficult it is to enforce certain things.

When we are governed by empathy, we’re often afraid to leave behind those members of our team who are not doing as well as others. We adjust our pace to them, thus decreasing our collective potential. Maybe we imagine that this is a more collegial attitude? I think it would be much better to work together on making the lagging member of the team assume responsibility for themselves and try to keep up with others. We’re a team, so we should help each other grow. Even if it’s not always comfortable or pleasant. Spoiler alert: it usually isn’t. But it’s worth it!

It can also organize training seminars, ex. on nonviolent communication, conducted by qualified people from Human Resources or a People Team. The fact that we can’t do something is not our fault, which is a thought you should get used to. You’re free to ask for assistance at any time, and – even more importantly – you’re also free to let others assist you.

I wonder how many programmers wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night because they had a dream that they had to talk to a client. Talk! To a client! Scrum teams are self-organizing, which means that they can make independent decisions within the scope defined by their organization. Because there is no Project Manager, who used to handle all outside communication, it falls on the developer team to keep in touch with the client (Product Owner).

After all, each of us is a specialist in their field, so who better to explain to the client the details of their portfolio? I know it can be painful, but try to see this change as an opportunity to develop your soft skills. At the same time, maybe broadening your horizons will also help you better understand the challenges faced by your former Project Manager, and therefore appreciate the skills of your other teammates.

Fear of failure is a very difficult issue that affects us all. But instead of trying to avoid it at all cost, it’s better to just acknowledge it. The moment our organization gives us space to make mistakes and stops admonishing us for bad decisions, we start seeing potential failures as opportunities to grow an innovate. Maybe instead of crying over spilled milk, it would be better to give your colleague a pat on the back and praise them for trying to create a new type of milk pitcher?

Is grass truly greener on the other side? Let’s examine the problems faced by our clients.

Being a Product Owner, i.e. the person working to make sure that the product offers the best possible value to its end users, taking into account the interests of all the stakeholders, is a big responsibility. However, it isn’t the only challenge faced by people in this role. Getting involved in a project and working hand in hand with a team takes time… a lot of time. When we say that we don’t have enough time for fear of being saddled with additional responsibility, we often forget that the key to success is transparent communication, and its benefits very quickly become obvious. By communicating directly with team members, we avoid communication lag and misunderstanding. This allows us to make a better product based on a vision shared – and understood – by everyone involved.

Let’s talk serious business now – i.e. money. Clients are still very reluctant to agree to the time & material model in which remuneration is based on actual time spent working. It is, also in Scrum, not only the most desired model, but also the most profitable one in the long term. Many people would probably assume that the team would use this solution to maximize profit. But the biggest benefit of Scrum is delivering a good product to the end user, so the best solution would be… to trust your partner.

Both the client and the team should assume that neither side is going to abuse the available resources. Thanks to an iteration-based approach to work, insufficient growth – understood here as a noticeable lack of progress in realizing the project – is going to be evident very quickly. Therefore, there is little room for abusing the system, and I don’t think any team would jeopardize their whole relationship with the Product Owner just for a quick buck.

Speaking of finances, Scrum is perceived by many clients as an expensive solution. However, it doesn’t take a whole lot of complex calculations to arrive at the conclusion that the waterfall model is far more expensive in the long term. Why? Over a project’s lifetime (let us assume a year, for example) the world outside and consumers’ needs can change dynamically enough that by the time the product arrives on the market, it is completely worthless. What does this mean? More changes, more alterations, more time and… more expenses, covered by the client.

So in the long term, wouldn’t a more agile approach save the clients, the stakeholders, and the team both money and stress?

Quantifiable results allowing the Product Owner to gauge the team’s speed and progress. Based on the first sprints, which should be used to estimate the complexity and demands of the project, the team will be able to more effectively gauge the time needed to complete individual functionalities and, based on that assessment, provide a projected date of delivery of the finished product. In a situation where the deadline and the budget are dictated by the stakeholders, Scrum will allow you to precisely gauge what part of the product the team can feasibly complete within that deadline. And if certain parameters are negotiable, the team will be able to precisely determine how many additional developers must be hired in order to deliver the finished product with all functionalities included.

I’ve already mentioned that communication is the foundation of well-organized work. Without it, not even the most talented team can achieve its goal. Every one of us, no matter our role, can encourage others to engage in honest and open communication. If our team includes people who usually avoid talking, we can collectively make sure that everyone is given space to express their thoughts and needs. Even something as simple as alternating the person who facilitates scrum events can yield many benefits and help the more introverted people on the team open up. The possibilities are endless, all it takes is some will and perseverance to make them reality.

I have touched on many issues here, but the question remains: how do you make it work?

Try. Make mistakes. Fall down, get back up, dust yourself off and… keep trying.

Scrum is a process, and in an organization like SYZYGY we allow ourselves to make mistakes, because we believe that it’s the only way to grow. Add to that transparent communication that builds trust for the organization and between members of our team, and… ah, but I’ll talk more about teal management some other time.