We started this Scrum foundation series explaining we see four underlying concepts of the Scrum framework. In the past series of blog posts we covered the three pillars of Empiricism, and we covered the Scrum Values.
Now that we understand that we need trust, which is built up by living the Scrum Values, to bring transparency and as such have a good basis to inspect and adapt, we can have a look at the self-managing aspect of the Scrum Team.
👉 Self-managing, meaning the team internally decides who does what, when, and how.
During each of the Scrum Events, and throughout the Sprint itself, the Scrum Team takes decisions, making it self-managing.
Allowing to take more decisions = more mandate = more autonomy = higher motivation = higher effectivity.
Now what can the Scrum Team decide during each of the Scrum Events?
Let’s have a look at the Sprint Review.
- The Scrum Team, together with the other attendees, collaborate on what to do next. Based on the current understanding of the product and the overall context, what would be most valuable to have in the next Increment?
And so they can decide what.
- Together with the stakeholders present, the Scrum Team collaborates on what would be more beneficial to the consumers compared with other items. This can lead to reordering items in the Product Backlog. Some items moved backward, others forward in time.
And so they can decide when.
- Now that the stakeholders and the Scrum Team are together, it might be a great opportunity to learn more about how stakeholders are experiencing the interaction with the Scrum Team and vise-versa. This can bring improvements in the collaboration.
And so they can decide how.
- During conversations, some stakeholders might point out who else could provide useful input to the Scrum Team about Product Backlog Items that will be worked on or refined in one of the coming Sprints.
And so they can decide who.
- PS. They also decided how, when, where and who to invite for their Sprint Review.
These are only a few examples of what a Scrum Team, in this case even together with stakeholders, can decide during the Sprint Review.
Summary:
Self-managing is about having a mandate to take decisions.
During the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team, maybe even together with stakeholders, decide on what, how, when and who.
Note: without a clear (Product, Sprint and Quality) goal, without clear accountabilities, and without a clear boundaries, self-management will not occur.
Prompt:
Together with your Scrum Team, evaluate how self-management can be improved during your Sprint Review.
Also think about what additional insights or input the team would benefit from others outside the team about purpose and goals, the team's accountabilities and the boundaries they have to work within.
I hope you find value in these short posts and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the core concepts we are covering in this blog series, then surely check out our Professional Scrum Master workshop. We have some scheduled in the coming period.
Don't want to miss any of these blog posts? Have the professional Scrum foundations series weekly in your mailbox.
