Explores why team autonomy in Scrum must be balanced with alignment to strategic goals, highlighting the role of clear objectives and leadership in achieving true agility.
Everyone loves to shout “give teams autonomy.”
What they forget is that autonomy without alignment is just local chaos.
In Scrum, alignment isn’t an optional management layer; it’s the strategic guardrail that keeps teams moving toward meaningful outcomes.
The Product Goal. The Sprint Goal. The Product Backlog ordering.
These are not paperwork artefacts — they are the heartbeat of alignment.
Without them, self-managing teams spin their wheels, deliver local outputs, and miss the mark on business outcomes.
It’s not the team’s fault.
It’s leadership failing to provide clarity of purpose.
Autonomy and alignment are not opposites.
Scrum, as a social technology, requires both.
If your teams are autonomous but disconnected from strategic goals, you don’t have agility — you have expensive local optimisation.
How are you ensuring your teams are aligned without suffocating their autonomy?
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
NIT A/S
ALS Life Sciences
Lean SA
Boeing
Boxit Document Solutions
Jack Links
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)
Schlumberger
Workday
Healthgrades
Slicedbread
ProgramUtvikling
Deliotte
Bistech
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Milliman
Kongsberg Maritime
Royal Air Force
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Washington Department of Transport
Ghana Police Service
SuperControl
Akaditi
ALS Life Sciences
Hubtel Ghana
Deliotte
Alignment Healthcare
