Jan 16, 2015

Scrum Coaching For Faster Delivery

By Kristen Baird


Scrum approach to software development involves a team of five to seven developers engaged in a sprint towards a particular goal as stipulated by a client. All their time, skills and effort are dedicated toward completing the project. Each goal has a strict deadline and standards that must be met. Scrum coaching ensures that this team produces the best results within the stipulated time.

Tutoring teams is aimed at achieving several fundamental goals. It ensures that every member identifies with the task at hand. When all members are working towards a single goal, it is easier to achieve. Scrumming team members understand time limits and the standards that must be met for the success of any project.

A coaching session for the team helps to set the rules and norms to be followed during the sprint session. All the work should be completed within a set sprint session. This means that strict rules and norms must be put in place to prevent laxity that might affect quality of work or delivery time.

Teams take time to form as members understand the talents, temperaments and abilities of their colleagues. These teams are allowed to form hierarchies that bring a sense of order and allow easy flow of instructions. It is during training that each team member understands the flow of instructions and its benefits during a sprint.

It takes sometime before a team achieves peak performance. Each team is expected to undergo various phases of growth which are listed in the Tuckman-Model as Foaming, Storming, Norming and eventually Peaking. Research indicates that most teams will take about three sprint sessions to achieve peak performance. It is with this understanding that a coach gets the best out of a team.

Scrum teams have unique characteristics that differentiate them from department or units in a firm. All the norms and rules apply to team members equally. This is important in creating a level playing field where everyone can deliver without pressure. The rules are set at the beginning of the assignment and may be revised in the course of the sprint.

The client or his intermediary must provide all the support required for successful completion of the intended project. Part of empowerment involves assessment of skills required for each project and assigning the right personnel. Balancing the skills helps to avoid unhealthy competition and duplication of skills.

Scrum teams must be provided with all the autonomy they deserve. It comes during the planning stage. All demands are valuated and whatever resources the team requires provided. Each team should be allowed to organize itself in terms of schedules and roles to be played by each individual. External interference is likely to deflate their team spirit and interfere with workflow.

The members in a team are limited and are required to be full time participants. This explains why teams are small and have no sub-teams within them. The rules to be laid for each team include the location and time of daily meetings, how to define work as Done, guidelines to be used when coding and the tools for use on the project. Failure or success is never attributed to a single member. The entire team is accountable.




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