The Disciplined Agile/FLEX 2-step Approach. Part IV of VI – When have small to medium size organizations with well-defined teams

 

The two biggest factors in getting to semi-autonomous, cross-functional teams are the current degree of existing cross-functionality and the level of dependency across the teams. This solution is when the organization has mostly cross-functional teams and has small to medium size projects.

In this case, the first thing to do is to identify the dependencies between the existing teams. These can then be used to temporarily reassign some folks (mostly from component and shared services teams) to the teams in order to lower handoffs and workflow delays. MBIs need to be sequenced to provide guidance when have conflicts. This approach starts with one planning event but then continues without them.

Steps 1+2: Have a big room planning event (usually 2, 4hr sessions):
a. Ensure everyone knows of the MBI concept
b. Agree to map dependencies and get commitments as to the dates they will be fulfilled
c. Support teams (e.g., component teams, shared services) consider lending people to teams they support to make them more cross-functional

Follow on.: Use a flow model after the event to track dependencies. Use Kanban to track work of teams supporting other teams