Agile Awakening - Part III: Builder's Challenge
In this multi part series to bring out challenges faced by team implementing Scrum and trying to be Agile, today we hear Faiz (Engineering Manager) talk about challenges his team (Dev and QA) faces.
To refresh the context: Asha (Scrum Master), Martin (Product Owner) and Faiz (Engineering Manager) had a rather nasty meeting which was supposed to be Sprint Retrospective after yet another round of missed deadlines and demoralized team. After that they came together and decided to overcome challenges working as a team.
The cool morning air was a balm to Asha’s swirling thoughts as she walked from the parking lot to the elevator. Doubts clouded her mind, a nagging skepticism about the path she had chosen. Was it worth it? Could she really make a difference, or was she just another cog in the corporate machine, spinning endlessly?
As she reached for the elevator button, a memory surfaced, clear and resonant—the words of her mentor, Xin: “A Scrum Master is a servant leader. When in doubt, think of how you can make things better for your team and your stakeholders.”
It was as if Xin’s voice had cut through the fog of uncertainty, igniting a spark within her. Yes, the journey would be tough, and yes, there would be setbacks. But this wasn’t just about her; it was about the team, the project, the collective dream. With a renewed sense of purpose, Asha stepped into the elevator, her resolve strengthening with each floor ascended. She would continue on the journey she had started, not just as a Scrum Master, but as a beacon of change. For her team, for her stakeholders, for herself
As the first light of dawn filtered through the blinds, Asha, Martin, and Faiz gathered once again in the conference room—a space that had become a sanctuary for their unfolding journey.
Asha: “Faiz, we need to hear the unvarnished truth. What’s the sentiment among the developers?”
Faiz: “Honestly, it’s a mix of frustration and resignation. They’re tired of the constant shifts in priorities. Team is feeling overwhelmed and without a direction. Just last sprint, we shelved a nearly complete feature to send automated reminders to customers, due to a sudden pivot on seemingly random tasks from our CEO which were deprioritized just a month ago. There’s a growing feeling that we’re adrift without a roadmap and no control on our destiny .”
Martin: “We (pointing to himself) need to establish a clear direction and priorities for the team”.
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Faiz: “Let me clarify one point… I think we all accept that change in priorities will happen due to business needs. However, what impacts the team negatively is when they don’t know WHY priorities and focus is changing”.
Asha and Martin nodded in approval and smiled as they had discussed this exact point yesterday. Martin was determined to solve this challenge.
Faiz continued: ?“Then there’s the issue of artificial deadlines. We’re burning out. The team was coding through the last public holiday because of some arbitrary deadline. And when it’s all over, there’s no recognition, just new demands. I don't even know the impact of the last-minute, seemingly critical features we delivered before the holidays, so how can I convince the team about the impact?”
Asha (wincing): “I didn’t realize the toll it was taking. I have been pushing too hard but not closing the loop.”
Faiz: “And the "Tech Debt—it’s piling up. We launched that new Payment Gateway integration without proper monitoring and auto-scaling. When it failed 2 months later under the increased load, the Devs were blamed for ‘poor quality,’ not the rushed timeline or the top-down directive to launch even when it was not production ready.”
Martin: “I take the blame for pushing back on this. After the payment gateway issue, I have realized that We can’t compromise on production quality. We need to allocate time for addressing tech debt that impacts production health”
Faiz: “Lastly, our developers feel their ideas are being ignored and there is no focus on innovation. We haven’t had a hackathon in over a year. Ravi and Jenny, one of the best we had, they left because they felt like an ‘implementation monkey.’ We’re stifling innovation by not hearing the feature and growth ideas from the Builders.”
Asha: “That’s a serious wake-up call. We need to nurture our talent, not drive it away.”
The room fell silent as the weight of Faiz’s words settled. Asha and Martin exchanged a look of understanding, knowing that change was imperative.
Asha: (smiling) “Thank you, Faiz. It’s clear we need to change our approach—starting with respecting our roadmap, setting realistic deadlines, addressing tech debt, and fostering innovation. Let’s also focus on celebrating small wins and learning from our failures. This will help build a positive and resilient team culture".
As they concluded their meeting, a new sense of unity enveloped them. They were no longer just colleagues; they were a united front, ready to face the challenges ahead and transform their team’s future. Power of positive mindset combined with attentive listening helped them steer through a very tough conversation. This was a big change compared to the chaotic Sprint Retrospective meeting they had just a few days ago.