Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)People & TeamsMedium
A newly formed Scrum Team is struggling with collaboration. Developers often work in isolation on their assigned tasks and only communicate when issues arise. During the Daily Scrum, updates are given to the Scrum Master rather than to each other. As the Scrum Master, what is the MOST effective way to foster cross-functional collaboration and self-management?
- AIntroduce a daily 'team-building' exercise before the Daily Scrum to improve personal relationships.
- BAssign specific pairs of Developers to work together on complex tasks to force collaboration.
- CSchedule weekly 'collaboration workshops' where Developers share their progress and challenges with the entire team.
- DCoach the team during the Daily Scrum to focus on their progress towards the Sprint Goal and identify dependencies.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Coach the team during the Daily Scrum to focus on their progress towards the Sprint Goal and identify dependencies.
The Daily Scrum is a key event for fostering collaboration and self-management. By coaching the team to focus on the Sprint Goal and dependencies, the Scrum Master guides them to communicate about how their work integrates, rather than just reporting status, directly addressing the isolation issue.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. While team building can be beneficial, it's an indirect approach. The core issue is how they collaborate on work, and the Daily Scrum is the direct opportunity for this.
- B. Forcing collaboration can lead to resentment and is not a sustainable way to build self-managing behavior. The team needs to discover the value of collaboration themselves.
- C. Adding another meeting (collaboration workshop) might be seen as overhead if the existing events aren't being used effectively. The Daily Scrum should be sufficient for this purpose if facilitated correctly.
Daily Scrum Purpose
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
- It's for the Developers, by the Developers.
- Focuses on progress towards the Sprint Goal.
- Promotes collaboration and self-management by identifying impediments and dependencies.
Memory trick: Daily Goal Focus: Connect and flow, watch the progress grow!