By Kristen Dickerson, CSM, CSPO
Creating a high functioning project team takes work and simply merging the client’s project resources together with the consulting group doesn’t equal a project team. The winning recipe for a successful project is the team behind the work. The Scrum methodology fosters an environment of unifying Client and Consultant teams in a healthy and growing way. The apex of that unity is respect and constant improvement.
Transparency, inspection, and adaptation are the core principles of an empirical process that Scrum is built on. From the start of a Scrum project there are multiple items that support the blending of the client and consultant teams.
Below is a list of Scrum attributes, ceremonies, and activities that invariably lead client and project teams to achieving greatness together.
- Rules of Engagement: At the beginning of the project a Scrum Working Agreement is created by the Scrum team. A working agreement is a scrum artifact that states how the team will work together. It level sets expectations and is a team covenant that is always being reevaluated if aspects of the original agreement no longer serve the team. The agreement can cover anything from sprint timelines, testing protocols, agreed work item statuses, communication plans etc.
- Flat Hierarchy: Everyone is part of the “Real Team”. In Scrum the team is self-organizing. No one is more important than another team member, everyone has a voice, and everyone is held responsible for their commitments.
- No surprises: Openness, honesty, and courage are cultural tenants in Scrum. Communication is frequent and with purpose. Risks and blockers are discussed daily in stand-up meetings and delivered to stakeholders on Sprint Reviews. Scrum is to be used when projects are volatile, unpredictable and complex. Scrum project teams expect a dynamic work environment and provide the client with timely updates that empower the client to make informed project decisions. The Client is part of all decision making, is informed of project progress, and is aware of project blockers and risks in real time.
- Openness: Sprint Retrospectives at the end of each Sprint allow the team to state what went well during the duration of the sprint, what didn’t go well, and what action items are going to be implemented moving forward. Retrospectives are a safe space for everyone to voice their perspective as the team reflects on the completed cycle of work.
- Transparency: The Product Backlog provides the client with transparency on what was heard and what is being implemented. Design decisions are not made in a vacuum. The scrum team develops the solution with the clients, not for the client. New Dynamic supports subject matter experts by transforming their ideas, needs and wants into a well architected and designed solution with them.
- Goal Setting: When the team is passionate about the goal and vision the team takes responsibility and rallies as a team around the goal. Sprint goals are created by the team during each Sprint planning meeting. The created goals become the light house in a complex and volatile environment. During Sprint review with stakeholders, goals from the completed sprint are reviewed and progress is evaluated. In the spirit of transparency, if goals are not met, they are openly discussed with stakeholders to evaluate possibly changes to help support the team in achieving the Sprint goals in the next cycle of work.
Projects can’t be successful if the team behind the project isn’t highly functional. If done well, Scrum creates a space for healthy conflict resolution, openness, courage, commitment, trust, and efficiency. Clients that adhere to the Scrum methodology will experience a more efficient utilization of consultant time and increased project satisfaction. During the duration of a project, both client and consultant teams spend a considerable amount of time together. This time should be productive, enjoyable, beneficial, and FUN! Scrum supports both client and consultant teams coming together in one highly functional group for a positive project experience.
