Summary : Scrum is a framework that utilizes an agile methodology in software development at first, though it has been implemented in many other fields like marking, research, and some advanced technologies.

Scrum team composition and how to be a great scrum team

Scrum is a framework that utilizes an agile methodology in software development at first, though it has been implemented in many other fields like marking, research, and some advanced technologies.

Scrum is designed for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. It's for small teams ( usually 10 members or even smaller ) that want to split their work down into targets that can be done in a sprint, or time-boxed iteration, which usually lasts two to four weeks. The team follows up the process by daily meetings of 15 minutes or less that so called daily scrum. And when it comes to the end of the sprint, there will be two further meetings, e.g, sprint review and sprint perspective. In sprint review, The team should demonstrate the work they have done to stakeholders to get the feedback and sprint retrospective that helps The team to communicate and improve.

Sources: Freepik

What is a scrum team?

A Scrum team is a community of people who collaborate to produce product increments as quickly as possible. The scrum structure would allow team members to communicate effectively so that The team could:

Stick to a single target
Adhere to the same standards and guidelines.
Respect for each other

Structure of the scrum team

The scrum team would include:

Product owner

The Product Owner, aka PO, is The team member who understands what the consumer news and how valuable those wants are in terms of business. The PO could then communicate the needs and values of the customer to The team. The PO must understand the product’s business case as well as the functionality that consumers need. He must be available to meet with The team to ensure that the product vision is being implemented correctly. Most significantly, he must have the right to make all project-related decisions. In other words, the PO is in charge of the Product Backlog, which should includes:

Clearly expressing Product Backlog items.
Prioritize the Product Backlog items in order to best achieve the most objectives and missions.
Optimizing The team performs to get better value of work.
Ensuring that the Product Backlog is measurable, transparent and understandable to everyone in The team that reflects The teams’ future work.
Ensuring that The team has a thorough understanding of the Product Backlog to the level they need.

Scrum Master

Scrum master is the team role that ensures the team applies agile values and rules. The Scrum Master is accountable to ensure The team follows the processes and practices. The responsibilities of Scrum Master include:

Getting rid of impediments
Creating an atmosphere in Which the team can work effectively
Taking care of team’s dynamics
Maintaining a positive working relationship between the team and the PO, as well as with those outside the team
Keeping the team safe outside distractions and interruptions.

The team

The teams are structured and empowered by the organization that they should coordinate and conduct their own work self-motivated. The resulting synergy optimizes the Team’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. The teams have the following characteristics:

They have the ability to self-organize. No one ( not even the Scrum Master ) instructs The team about how to convert the Product Backlog into increments of potentially releasable functionalities.
Scrum does not accept any titles for the team, regardless of the work being performed by the person.
Scrum does not consider sub-teams in the team, regardless of the domains that must be discussed, such as research, design, operations, or market analysis.
Individual team members may have specialized skills and areas of focus, but the team as a whole bears responsibility.

Source: Freepik

Importance of the roles in Scrum

If a team lacks a PO, they must ensure that the backlog is clearly communicated, ranked, and stakeholders are enthusiastic about what the team will potentially achieve by other means.
If the Scrum Master is not there, the team must ensure that work is apparent and that Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is pursued in some other way.
If The team is missing, it will be impossible to produce a high-quality working product.

How to become a great scrum team?

Product Owner

Source: Freepik

Exceeds the expectations of the Customer

A great PO should have a deep understanding of the customer’s intentions and desires for the product and is willing to exceed those standards. What matters the most is the customer's delight.

Orders the product backlog items

A great PO should be capable to take priority, risk, value, learning opportunities, and reliance into considerations and weigh against one another. For instance, given the possibility of rain, the roof might be the most important part to consider. Meanwhile, the walls and the bases should be also considered since they are the foundations of the roof.

Modeling techniques are acknowledged

A great PO carries a toolkit full of useful modeling techniques in his or her backpack. He understands whether to use a particular model. Business Model Generation, Lean Startup, and Impact Mapping are just some examples. He or she knows how to make a product successfully based on these models.

Shares his or her experiences with others

Seminars and conferences are a perfect way to exchange experiences and gain information both inside and outside the organization. Writing down the lessons learned can be very beneficial as well.

Has a strong emphasis on functionality

A great PO is concerned with both the functional and non-functional aspects of the product. Hours or even story points are not as critical as they used to be. The PO’s mission is to optimize the customer’s value. Since it’s the functionality that has meaning, the PO should concentrate on it.

Has a good understanding of the business landscape

A great PO is well-versed in the domain and world in which he works. A product should always be developed with the context in mind. This involves not only knowing who is paying for the production but also keeping up to date on market conditions. It’s pointless to ship a fantastic product after the window of opportunity has passed.

Assumes the position of “Mini-CEO”

A great PO is actually just a product's mini-CEO. He has a keen eye for opportunities, places a premium on market value and ROI, and takes proactive measures to mitigate potential risks and threats. All is done with his product’s growth. ( size, efficiency, and market share ) in mind.

Refines product backlog precisely

A greate PO devotes sufficient time to refine the product backlog. The act of adding details, estimates, and oider to products in the product backlog is known as backlog refinement. The end result should be a granular product backlog that is well known by the whole team. The team spends no more than 10% of its capacity on refinement activities on average. It’s up to the team to decide how it will be handled. Stakeholders and the team can be involved in backlog refinement by the PO. Stakeholders benefit because it allows them to express their wishes and desires. The team being involved because they can answer questions about functional and technological questions. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and significantly improves the product backlog’s consistency. As a result, there will be more opportunities to create the right product with the desired quality.

Scrum Master

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Gets the team involved in the process setup

A great Scrum Master ensures that everyone on the team is on board with the scrum process and recognizes the importance of each case. The regular routine scrum, e.g., is scheduled at a time that is convenient for all members of the team. One popular worry about scrum refers to the number of ‘meetings’ held to include the team in event preparation and discussion. Without a doubt, the desired result would improve commitment.

Encourages a sense of ownership

A great Scrum Master motivates and coaches the team to own their method, task wll, and atmosphere.

Good to observe

A great Scrum Master keeps track of his or her team’s everyday activities. He does not participate actively in any session. E.g., the regular scrum is kept by the team for the team. He watches the meeting and thus has a better understanding of what is being discussed and what is not, as well as what everyone’s job is during the daily scrum.

Works as a professional coach

A great scrum master recognizes the value of skilled coaching and has mastered this subject. Coaching Agile teams and Co-Active Coaching, for example, hold no secrets for him. He knows how to lead without telling you what to do. He can bridge the gap between thinking about doing something and actually doing it; he can help team members better understand themselves so they can discover new ways to maximize their potential.

Has clout inside the company

At the tactical and strategic levels, a great Scrum Master knows how to inspire and influence. At these levels, some of the most difficult impediments a team will face will arise. As a result, it’s critical for a Scrum Master to understand how to act at various levels within an organization.

Prevents stumbling blocks

A great Scrum Master not only solves problems, but also avoids them. He or she should be able to read circumstances and thus act on them proactively as a result of his or her experience.

Duo with PO

A great Scrum Master works in close collaboration with the Product Owner. The Product Owner 'pushes' the squad, while the Scrum Master defends it, despite their divergent interests. For the Development Team, a strong relationship is important. They will lay the groundwork for incredible outcomes if they work together.

Recognizes the Scrum isn't the only game in town

XP, Kanban, and Lean are all skills that a great Scrum Master possesses. He understands the benefits, drawbacks, opportunities, and risks of each method/framework/principle, as well as how and when to apply them. He tries to figure out what a team needs to do and then assists them in being more successful in an agile environment.

Natural at bringing people together

Facilitation is second nature to an excellent Scrum Master. Any other meeting is well-prepared, useful, and entertaining, with a straightforward outcome and intent.

For a great team

Source: Freepik

Pursues technological perfection

Extreme Programming is a source of inspiration for great development teams. Planning, drafting, scripting, and testing are also covered by XP's practices and laws. Refactoring (continuous code streamlining), pair programming, continuous integration (programmers combine their code into a code baseline whenever they have a clean construct that passes the unit tests), unit checking (code testing at the development level), and approval testing are some examples (establishing specific acceptance tests).

Use spike solutions

A spike is a short, time-boxed operation that is used to find work required to complete a broad, ambiguous mission. Spike tests are used by great teams to address difficult engineering, architecture, and design challenges.

Refines the product backlog as a team

Backlog refinement is a collaborative project for great teams. They recognize that the product backlog’s consistency is the basis of maintaining a steady production schedule and creating excellent products. While the PO is in charge of the product backlog, the whole team is responsible for refining it.

Get a good time with each other

Every day, great teams ensure that a good dose of enjoyment is present. Fostering a culture of fun, energy, engagement, and teamwork allows the team to thrive.

Have faith in one another

Outstanding Progress Teams may depend on one another. Yes, this is self-evident. However, a team's ability to achieve greatness is unthinkable without confidence.

There's no need for a sprint 0

Sprint 0 isn't enough for great development teams until the real sprints begin. In the first sprint, they are able to deliver market value.

Spends time on new ideas

The value of technical/architectural creativity is recognized by great development teams. They understand the importance of staying up with the constantly evolving world and technologies. They make sure that they have time for experimentation during normal working hours, and that it is enjoyable and entertaining!

There is no need for a Definition of Done

Great development teams have a clear understanding of what it takes to be "done." It is no longer appropriate for team members to write down the Definition of Done. They are aware of the situation. Its sole purpose is to make the 'finished state' clear to their stakeholders.

Knows how to offer constructive criticism

Great development teams have figured out how to give each other truthful and respectful input. They understand the 'Situation - Behavior - Impact Feedback Tool' and offer direct, actionable feedback as a result. They have input whenever it is needed and do not wait for the retrospective to do so.

Manages the makeup of their unit

The composition of great development teams is managed by them. When unique skills are required, they work with other departments to explore the possibility of 'hiring' those skills.

Practicing mutual ownership is a good idea

The strength of joint equity is recognized by great development teams. To promote joint ownership, they rotate developers through various modules of the software and frameworks.

Identify and resolve dependencies for other teams

Great development teams are mindful of potential cross-team dependencies and handle them independently. As a result, the product's production speed will be stable.

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