Uncovering the Potential of Your Team
I recently received an insightful query, which made me think a lot about how Scrum is applied professionally.
So, today, we’ll probe into a question that is rarely discussed yet critical for the efficient functioning of our teams – do teams genuinely understand the power of applying Scrum professionally?
What transformations would take place if they indeed did?
And what shifts when they do?
Let’s dissect this question using my own experiences and observations. 🚀
The Real Question: Are We Professionals or Amateurs?
Let’s not shy away from some hard truths and the fact that this is a contentious point, but based on my experience, I’ve noticed that most teams I’ve interacted with don’t conduct themselves as professionals. In fact, they behave more like amateurs.
But is this necessarily their fault? I think not.
This isn’t a blame game situation.
I think it’s more about the expectations set by the organisations that people are a part of. The corporate culture often encourages us to pursue the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way – not necessarily the right way.
Companies tend not to urge us to do the “right thing”; instead, they encourage us to do “their thing” at whatever speed they dictate.
This unprofessional behaviour, encouraged and sustained by the workplace, distances teams from understanding what professionalism in Scrum truly looks like.
Need for Detailed Requirements
A few years back, I worked with an organisation where we did an exercise on the requirements for the engineering team to take them on.
The outcome was an eye-opener.
It was a realisation that the professionalism required was far more than their current capacity to deliver. The team acknowledged that they weren’t equipped to generate and work with detailed requirements – something they now realised was necessary. 📚
The Clarity that Scrum Brings
This is where the clarity of Scrum steps in, its primary purpose being to bring such limitations and challenges into the light, as one of Scrum’s functions is to make limitations and challenges transparent.
Here’s a reality check.
It’s a sobering realisation for many teams when they comprehend the minimum professional requirements for Scrum – a usable, working product, every iteration, including the first, that is production-ready.
The idea of potentially shippable products at the end of each Sprint is often met with disbelief and a sense of being overwhelmed and often leaves the team feeling overwhelmed and at a loss. 🔎
When teams start moving towards this goal, they begin uncovering all the things they lack – such as the inability to create production-ready output due to dependencies on third-party testing teams and a lack of understanding of pen testing tools, among others. 💪
Recognising the Power of Professional Scrum
But it’s this type of struggle that the true power of professional Scrum unfolds and pushes teams to understand what it takes to operate as professionals.
Scrum encourages a professional work ethic that focuses on creating something valuable and usable for our customers. Most teams only begin to grasp this after initiating the process and identifying the gaps in their capabilities.
Eventually, they start building towards becoming professional teams. 💪
To sum up, applying Scrum professionally is not merely about going through the motions of Scrum motions.
It’s about a professional work ethic, fostering transparency, and relentlessly focusing on delivering value to the customer.
Are you and your team ready to embark on such a transformative journey?
If so, let’s chart your path towards professionalism in Scrum together. 💪
My Agile and Scrum courses are the perfect place to start.
Let’s get you set up on the path to professionalism in Scrum. 🚀