Developing self-organizing teams in Scrum is no easy feat. It is highly dependent on significant contributions from the developing team and most of all the Scrum Master. By fulfilling their role optimally, Scrum Masters will facilitate the success of the entire process – all without deviating from Scrum’s core principles.
This post will delve into self-organizing teams in Scrum, highlighting the key role of the Scrum Master in empowering teams to collaborate effectively and steer them towards a culture of autonomy.
What is Scrum? A quick overview
Today, projects have dynamic requirements, a need for rapid delivery, and a focus on customer satisfaction. Consequently, research shows that 71% of I.T. companies use agile project management frameworks like Scrum [1].
Scrum is an agile project management framework designed to help teams get organized, iterate, and continuously improve the projects they are working on [2]. This framework is important when working on complex projects and it enables teams to develop, deliver, and sustain these projects.
Overview of Scrum | Source: Scrum.org
Any team that needs to collaborate in the workplace can use Scrum, this includes, marketing, design, and HR teams. The most common is software development and engineering because the requirements for software, scope, and situations change constantly. With Scrum, teams can embrace these changes and seamlessly incorporate them into their product development process.
How does it work
Scrum comprises mainly 3 parties the product owner, the Scrum Master, and the development team [4]. The product owner creates the product backlog and a priorities list. For software development, this could be a new app to be built or a new feature to be integrated.
Organization of a Scrum team | Source: Tech Target
The development team picks the item on top of the priorities list and meets to plan how they will complete the tasks (sprint planning). The team will then work together in a short focused period, called a sprint, to complete tasks or accomplish a set goal.
The Scrum Master leads the team through the process and facilitates them in sticking to Scrum’s principles.
Overview of the Scrum process | Source: Atlassian
At the end of a sprint, the team will conduct a review and present their accomplishments to the product owner or stakeholders. To complete the sprint cycle, the development team will conduct a retrospective to see what went wrong and what they can do to make it better.
What constitutes a self-organizing team in Scrum?
The Agile Manifesto reiterates that self-organizing teams develop the best architectures, requirements, and designs [3]. In Scrum, self-organizing teams are empowered to make their own decisions about their work and how they will complete it during the sprints. The development team has the autonomy to organize and manage the work on its own without any interference from product owners.
According to the Scrum Guide [2], here is what makes up a self-organizing team in Scrum:
Decentralized decision-making – The development team, not a manager, decides how to break down tasks, assign work, and manage its workflow. They have the freedom to select the tools and techniques that work best for them.
Shared ownership of goals – The freedom to make decisions on their own comes with the responsibility for fulfilling the goals of the sprint to the stakeholders’ satisfaction. The team is collectively accountable for the outcomes of each sprint.
Cross-functional collaboration – The Scrum team consists of members with diverse skill sets needed to complete the tasks within the sprint. This ensures that the team can handle various aspects of product development without relying on help from external specialists.
Pillars of a self-organizing team in Scrum | Source: Scrum.org
Adaptability – In complex projects like software development, for example, the requirements constantly evolve. Self-organizing teams are expected to respond to unexpected changes and make decisions to overcome obstacles during the sprints.
Continuous learning and improvement – During sprint retrospection, the team reflects on what went wrong during the sprint and what they can do to make it better.
Overall, a self-organizing team in Scrum collectively decides how to work on the tasks at hand and complete the work without external interference. It is important to note that self-organization in Scrum is a continuous process. Building a high-performing, self-organizing team takes time, effort, and dedication from everyone involved [5]. The Scrum Master plays a crucial role in facilitating this process.
The key role of the Scrum Master in creating and sustaining self-organizing teams
The Scrum Master works closely with the development team and plays a crucial role in developing and nurturing self-organizing teams. The Scrum Master does not participate directly in the development activities, and they do not have authority over the team. Instead, the Scrum Master focuses on creating an environment that allows the development team to perform at its best and ensures that the Scrum framework is effectively implemented.
That said, how can a Scrum Master help the team to succeed while allowing them to self-organize?
Helping the team to grasp self-organization
A team that is adopting Scrum for the first time may not fully understand what makes up a self-organizing team in Scrum [6]. At the same time, self-organization might mean different things to different organizations. At the beginning, the development team might have concerns such as:
Do they have the authority to add their own technical work to the sprint?
Can the team decide who gets to be a part of their work?
Can they alter sprint length without consulting stakeholders?
And so on.
In this case, the Scrum Master has the responsibility to help the team fully grasp the concept of a self-organizing team. They should educate the team on what constitutes self-organization. This includes what they are encouraged to do, that is, the boundaries in which they are free to operate.
Coaching development teams to solve problems themselves
The development team is bound to run into problems when working on the project. This might be a conflict between the team members or the inability to complete a task they have set out to accomplish. According to the Scrum Guide, one of the Scrum Master’s roles is to remove impediments that may deter the development team from accomplishing what they have set out to do.
Traditional vs Agile teams | Source: Visual Paradigm
Knowing this, should the Scrum Master step in and solve problems for them? No, this will hinder them from coming up with their own solutions. Instead, they will be reliant on the Scrum Master.
To uphold Scrum’s principles, the Scrum Master should coach teams to solve their own problems and resolve conflicts themselves. They should teach the team to overcome obstacles themselves while offering support without interfering. If there are impediments that the team can’t remove themselves, the Scrum Master can step in and do so.
Minimize external interference
Scrum Masters can also create a protective environment for teams to stay self-organized by minimizing external interference from product owners and other stakeholders.
To achieve this, Scrum Masters need to educate stakeholders on the importance of allowing the development team to self-organize. If needed, they can set boundaries to prevent stakeholders from excessively interfering with the development process. They can act as a shield, protecting the team from unnecessary meetings, distractions, or requests that don’t align with the sprint goals.
Facilitate Scrum ceremonies as needed
One of the Scrum Master’s main roles is to facilitate scrum ceremonies like sprint planning, the daily Scrum, reviews, and retrospectives [7]. However, this doesn’t mean that the Scrum Master should facilitate or be present at every one of these ceremonies. Facilitating every event can hinder self-organization, consequently, the Scrum Master should learn when to step back and let the team handle things on their own.
Scrum ceremonies | Source: Parabol
Taking the daily Scrum as an example, the Scrum Master can facilitate the first few, and then choose not to show up for one and see what happens. If the development team proceeds as needed without the Scrum Master, then it might be time to take the training wheels off and let the team handle these meetings on their own. The Scrum Master can simply be in attendance and step in when needed.
Conclusion
Self-organizing teams in Scrum comprise development teams capable of organizing themselves, making their own decisions, and managing the development process without external interference. Developing these types of teams requires a lot of input from the development teams and most of all the Scrum Masters.
To promote a culture of autonomy, Scrum Masters have the responsibility to let Scrum teams handle things on their own and only step in when needed. They can also allow teams to stay self-organized by keeping them away from external interference.
References
Scrum Mastered «Self-Organization and the Role of a Scrum Master»
DoAsync Blog «Self-Organizing Teams in Scrum: What, Why, Challenges, and Best Practices»
