Hello and welcome to knowledgehut. In this video, we will see 5 common problems which
can be faced while working in a Scrum team. We will also be looking to the solution of
these problems. So let us begin
#1 Ceremonies lack value. Scrum has different ceremonies.
The daily scrum, backlog grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives, all these ceremonies have
their own purposes. The problem arises when one or many of these ceremonies are seen by
the team as unnecessary. Scrum doesn’t prescribe a strict adherence to these ceremonies, but
if you deem a ceremony to be part of your process, there’s a reason. If the team doesn’t
understand that reason, you need to constantly reiterate the value to your team.
#2 Changing resources A common characteristic of Agile teams is
that they are stable. This means that the team is staffed with stability in mind. When
the team stays together, unchanged, they learn how to best work together and they grow with
each other. Every time a new member is added the team has to be partially focused with
onboarding new team members and it messes with the team chemistry. Additionally, the
team’s velocity will need to be re-established based on changing resources.
The solution to this problem is, when possible, insulate your existing team(s) from change.
If needed, spin-up completely new teams, so as to avoid impacting the existing teams.
#3 Scrum Master to Team Ratio The Scrum Master is the public servant for
the team. Their role is to coach, mentor, remove roadblocks and protect the team. With
that role and those responsibilities in mind, it’s easy to see that the Scrum Master has
to be intimately involved with the team to be able to perform their function and serve
the team. When a Scrum Master is spread across too many teams their effectiveness is heavily
diluted. Best case is to have each Scrum Master with only 1 team.
The solution to this problem is to invest in more Scrum Masters. Bring on new resources
or promote from within, just get that Scrum Master to team ratio down.
#4 The Personality of the Scrum Master It’s very common in many organizations to
convert traditional project managers to the role of Scrum Master. That can work, but it
can also be problematic. The Scrum Master needs to be the right personality. A traditional
Project Manager is constantly pushing the team to meet deliverable timelines within
budget. A Scrum Master, while still invested in the team’s deliverables, is more interested
in helping the team and the team members become successful. The Scrum Master’s role and
personality are very different from a Project Manager. As mentioned in the previous point,
the Scrum Master is a coach and mentor. That takes a special personality. Also, the Scrum
Master needs to be fluent in ‘Agile’ practices and practical applications.
The solution to this problem is to avoid the simple decision of converting Project Managers
to Scrum Masters. Instead, interview for people with the right personalities and skills. Ask
servant leader-centric questions when interviewing for a Scrum Master.
#5 Time Off and Holidays A Scrum team spends a portion of its sprint
planning to evaluate the calendar of the sprint. Each team member looks at his/her true calendars
for the sprint and provides a daily capacity. That ‘true capacity’ could then be evaluated
when choosing what stories and how many to bring into the sprint. Just know that it would
be a disappointment for the team to fail a sprint simply because they didn’t take into
account holidays or personal time off, most of which is already known.
The solution is to create a calendar at the beginning of each sprint and have your team
provide their ‘real’ daily capacity. Publish that calendar for the entire team to see.
The exercise alone gets people thinking about deliverable commitments, but publishing the
calendar is a constant reminder.
So these were some common scrum related problems and their solutions. Don’t forget to subscribe
our channel for more helpful videos and visit our website for all the scrum and agile
related certifications.