Scrum is a management practice, or a specialized technique which needs to be implemented
in a proper manner to get the desired results. The real power of scrum is
confined within its team, and how the scrum implementation process is carried
out. The team, or rather the “development” team to be more precise, should be
efficient, and possess certain characteristics to deliver optimum results. The
characteristics can be summarized as follows:
Be self organized
Scrum team members should
be motivated individuals, who do not wait for their superiors to allot work or
tasks to them so they can carry them out. They should be self-motivated, and
undertake a proactive approach in everything they do. They should be ready to
take on the responsibilities, share them amongst other team members, take
proper decisions, and work in a unified manner to achieve the common goals and
objectives.
Have empowerment
It is important to
have a certain degree of empowerment in order to carry out the
responsibilities. The team should be provided with enough power to decide, and
take on-the-spot decisions regarding development related issues. It is
important for the team members to have this authority, since a lot of time could
be wasted in getting approvals from senior members or project managers. Scrum
supports rapid development, and this can only be possible if the constituent
team members are vested with enough authority to decide upon the further course
of action.
Support collaboration
Scrum is based upon
collaboration and joint efforts put forward by all team members. Scrum projects
are possible when each team member understands about, and pursues a shared
value creation process in which everyone contributes something towards the
development of the project. Ideally, the team should share ideas, knowledge,
risks, and responsibilities. Team members should work in harmony to deliver the
desired results.
Follow shared goals and objectives
It is very important
to have a common shared goal. If each individual strives to pursue individual
goals, or tries to achieve goals that are not defined by the project, it may
become impossible to complete the project, simply because the projects goals will
not be satisfied. Team members should be made aware about the overall picture
regarding the project development, and made to understand about the common
goals which ought to be pursued by them in a collective manner.
Be of optimum size
Bigger projects have
larger development related requirements, and need bigger teams to develop the
projects. The size and nature of the project determines the size of the
development team. Scrum levies a lot of emphasis upon time bound development
work. Each sprint has a fixed iteration time associated with it, and cannot
last indefinitely. It is important for the team to be of just the correct size.
A much smaller team may lack the potential to successfully complete the sprint,
since individual team members have a limitation, and cannot provide productivity
more than they are capable of. A much larger team might prove to be cumbersome.
It becomes difficult to be collaborative when the total number of individuals
exceeds the optimum value. Ideally, the team should consist of six to ten
members, but the actual value may vary depending upon the project, its
deadline, and the levels of difficulty attached to it.
Possess diverse skills
Irrespective of the
size of the team, it is equally important for the team members to possess the
skill sets required to successfully undertake the development activity. It
would be meaningless to employ several individuals, and still fail to deliver
the development during the sprint. The product owner should carefully
evaluate the experience levels and the skill sets of each team member, and if
required take the assistance of the scrum master while choosing the team.
Find out more, and download our free QuickScrum tool which can help you in implementing scrum in an effective and profitable way!
