Ask the Team!
December 4, 2018
Got this in an email marketing blast from Adam Weisbart this morning:
“When I was just getting my start as a new Scrum Master (“Master” is a weird word to use when someone is just starting something, isn’t it?), I had a HUGE problem. Half my team wasn’t showing up for their daily scrum on time.
Does this sound familiar:
Me: “Uh… guys… umm…”
Team: [blank stares] Me: “Uh… the daily scrum is at 10am. It’s 10:30.” [frustrated] Team: “Yeah. Sorry.” [followed by more blank stares] Me: [Frustrated] I spent weeks trying different things: a dollar jar for people who were late, begging, reasoning, and I even considered having team members do the “chicken dance” if they were late (did you know? Teams do this. Seriously. But I didn’t, because I thought HR would have a word with me, and I think it’s a little weird to be honest).
I was at a loss.
I had no idea of what to try next.
So I talked with my mentor…
…and he fixed the problem with just 3 words.
Just three words.
If you’re at a loss and just don’t know what to do, these 3 words work in almost every situation you face with your team.
“ASK. THE. TEAM.”
Mentor: “Adam, did you ask the team what time they wanted to have their daily scrum?”
Me: “Uh… No. I just set it for 10am so it’d be at the start of the day.”
Mentor: “Well, try asking them what time they want their daily scrum.”
So I did. And you know what they said?
“2:30pm”
Honestly, 2:30pm sounds like a HORRIBLE time to have a daily scrum to me. But you know who didn’t think it was a horrible time? The team. So I bit my tongue and said “Great! See you all today a 2:30!”.
Want to guess what happened?
…They all showed up. On time.
When it comes to how a team should work, the team knows best.
When in doubt, just ask the team.
Even if they make a decision that’s less than ideal, it’ll be their idea, which is far more ideal than it being someone else’s idea 😉
Instead of spending energy trying to bend them to your will, focus on running good retrospectives to help build trust, open channels for communication, and give them tools to self-organize and adapt.
(And if you need help with good retros, https://RecessKit.com can help.)
Stay agile, never change.
Adam”
As I read this, I realized that yes I was one of those Scrum Masters too. The only difference is that it took me longer to figure it out. I didn’t think to ask my mentors.