Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Hi,
with COVID19 “voluntary” or mandatory lockdowns the environment for Scrum teams changed dramatically. I think everybody who can is staying home. Fortunately, we are working in an area where we can work more flexibly than other people and could adapt to the new situation to stay safe and protect other people.
Some challenges every team is facing, are less Osmotic Communication (unstructured communication) in the development team or less interactive sprint reviews.
I am interested - I hope other people, too - in these new challenges you and your team are currently facing and how you and your team is adapting to the new situation. Maybe you and your teams tried something which did not turned out to be so good as well?
I am looking forward hearing from you. Thanks a lot and stay safe!
Nils Hyoma Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I am running Scrum with highly distributed virtual teams from more than 10 years ago. Nothing new. There is no line inside the Scrum Guide that said something about the team is not virtual or distributed.
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1 reply by Nils Hyoma
Aug 07, 2020 10:45 AM
Nils Hyoma
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Thanks Sergio for your quick answer. I think distributed teams had similar challenges before the pandemic too.
While face-to-face communication around a shared modeling surface (e.g. whiteboard) is ideal, being agile is about improving your way of working within the constraints which you can't control or influence.
Using good video conferencing tools with a virtual collaboration platform like Miro or Mural can go a long way to breaking down the barriers of dispersion.
You could also use a fishbowl window approach if you wanted to keep osmotic learning going...
Kiron
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1 reply by Nils Hyoma
Aug 07, 2020 9:41 AM
Nils Hyoma
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Hi Kiron,
thanks for your quick answer. We are using Miro and it's really nice and effective.
I am curious about how other teams adapted on the new challenges within the given Scrum rules. For example: Changing the sprint duration from four to two weeks, because the coordination in the dev team got difficult.
Nils
Saving Changes...
Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Saving Changes...
Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Aug 07, 2020 8:30 AM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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While face-to-face communication around a shared modeling surface (e.g. whiteboard) is ideal, being agile is about improving your way of working within the constraints which you can't control or influence.
Using good video conferencing tools with a virtual collaboration platform like Miro or Mural can go a long way to breaking down the barriers of dispersion.
You could also use a fishbowl window approach if you wanted to keep osmotic learning going...
Kiron
Hi Kiron,
thanks for your quick answer. We are using Miro and it's really nice and effective.
I am curious about how other teams adapted on the new challenges within the given Scrum rules. For example: Changing the sprint duration from four to two weeks, because the coordination in the dev team got difficult.
Nils
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Aug 07, 2020 12:26 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Nils, Miro is a great option for sure.
Saving Changes...
Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Aug 07, 2020 7:54 AM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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I am running Scrum with highly distributed virtual teams from more than 10 years ago. Nothing new. There is no line inside the Scrum Guide that said something about the team is not virtual or distributed.
Thanks Sergio for your quick answer. I think distributed teams had similar challenges before the pandemic too. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Aug 07, 2020 9:41 AM
Replying to Nils Hyoma
...
Hi Kiron,
thanks for your quick answer. We are using Miro and it's really nice and effective.
I am curious about how other teams adapted on the new challenges within the given Scrum rules. For example: Changing the sprint duration from four to two weeks, because the coordination in the dev team got difficult.
Nils
Nils, Miro is a great option for sure. Saving Changes...
My teams are having more unstructured communication with the stakeholders nowadays. However I find that this has not brought any negative disruptions to sprint management.
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1 reply by Nils Hyoma
Aug 12, 2020 7:28 AM
Nils Hyoma
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Are your teams now calling the stakeholder when they are available in a video conference tool? (And before only in planned meetings?) Sounds like a positive side effect to me!
Saving Changes...
Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Aug 10, 2020 9:47 AM
Replying to Maria Lekha Johnson
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My teams are having more unstructured communication with the stakeholders nowadays. However I find that this has not brought any negative disruptions to sprint management.
Are your teams now calling the stakeholder when they are available in a video conference tool? (And before only in planned meetings?) Sounds like a positive side effect to me!
...
1 reply by Maria Lekha Johnson
Aug 12, 2020 11:57 AM
Maria Lekha Johnson
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We have given the tool only to key members of the team. Though video conferencing is available, pings are most common. We still have the weekly planned meetings but this new change in communication has not affected the sprint performance. This could be because the customers now understand from the resources themselves if any ticket will take more time or if any dependencies. So they are open to deprioritizing any tickets and understanding the challenges. We don't need to wait for planned weekly meetings unlike pre-covid times.
Are your teams now calling the stakeholder when they are available in a video conference tool? (And before only in planned meetings?) Sounds like a positive side effect to me!
We have given the tool only to key members of the team. Though video conferencing is available, pings are most common. We still have the weekly planned meetings but this new change in communication has not affected the sprint performance. This could be because the customers now understand from the resources themselves if any ticket will take more time or if any dependencies. So they are open to deprioritizing any tickets and understanding the challenges. We don't need to wait for planned weekly meetings unlike pre-covid times.
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1 reply by Nils Hyoma
Aug 13, 2020 5:17 AM
Nils Hyoma
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I am really happy to read that positive effects!
Thanks for the clarification, Maria.
Saving Changes...
Nils HyomaAgile Coach| Novatec Consulting GmbHHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Aug 12, 2020 11:57 AM
Replying to Maria Lekha Johnson
...
We have given the tool only to key members of the team. Though video conferencing is available, pings are most common. We still have the weekly planned meetings but this new change in communication has not affected the sprint performance. This could be because the customers now understand from the resources themselves if any ticket will take more time or if any dependencies. So they are open to deprioritizing any tickets and understanding the challenges. We don't need to wait for planned weekly meetings unlike pre-covid times.
I am really happy to read that positive effects!
Thanks for the clarification, Maria. Saving Changes...
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