Becoming a Learned Scrum Team Member...

In the following few paragraphs, whatever you will read, is a story of my unofficial and practical journey towards understanding the Why, What, and How of SCRUM.?

Note:

1. Beware that I have no certifications in SCRUM.?
2. Practically, I am slightly new to the true concept and observed practices of Scrum. Not very new to the idea of Agile and deliveries using Kanban.?
3. In my tiny pocket of QA experience in the Agile and related development frameworks context, there is one product development failure (back in 2007-08) and one multi-million USD Agile transformation (experimenting with Kanban) success experience (2016-2018).?

What motivated me to learn the basics of SCRUM?

1. We, as an organisation, started it on several projects, and now I am working with teams working as a SCRUM Team.
2. I know that I am working with equally or more capable humans hired for their skills, competencies and professionalism. They are with me on this team to develop the software and deliver it on time with quality.
3. I am aware that almost every one of us is the best fit for the overall project context and organisation. We all may not be THE best as individuals, and yet we are here to form a well integrated unit to give our best.
4. I am a part of a development team of young ones and experienced ones. People like me were eager to learn more about the ideology behind SCRUM and how to use this Framework in our favour.

Here is how I decided to approach learning SCRUM to be the best fit on the team. You may want to learn by referring to these learnings learned in your context if you will use SCRUM.?

Remember: This is an iterative learning process. Be adaptable to the changes in your approach.

1: Educate yourself and coach the entire team on what Scrum IS and IS NOT.

• I propose that to start with, read this original paper and make a schedule to read this book by Jeff Sutherland.
• Communicating the history of Scrum (probably taking a hard stop at 3rd and assessing each team member on fundamentals before moving ahead). See this…

2: Read, Think, Argue, Debate and Understand Agile Manifesto together!?

Let's not make misconceptions about Agile as well. Let's not think it is THE silver bullet. Just build awareness and if you are gutsy enough, start knowing better about the people who proposed and created this.?

Here you go - https://agilemanifesto.org/

I am a signatory, and you may be as well or may not be. What is essential is to make a sense of the values and principles. It is equally vital to introspect if, somehow, we have forgotten some of these values and principles, in general.

Now, some of us may say that Agile is dead, some might say It is the best, some can say we are hybrid and couldn't manage to implement Agile in its true sense, some may say something else, and I am okay, and I think I can at least imagine about different experiences and learnings. But that is a different topic all togther.        

You may experience something different or something very similar, or the same. The point is to build an awareness of what it is, what it could be for your team and organization. Just do not make misconceptions like one tester said to me years back 'Agile means No documentation..'. Oh, Come on!

3: I was lucky to watch the videos like this [Timeless]. Helped me to grow as an 'Independent Adult Thinker'...

• The ongoing evoluation of... [Gold Mine for Testers at least]
• Culture, Value and Importance of Practice… [If Hindi is not your first language, we can watch it together, and I can assist you in understanding better. Just DM me on LinkedIn]

4: And YES! Any development framework is mere a dysfunctional skeleton until unless The MEAT (TEAM) is fully INTEGRATED within..

• Let me propose to pin this picture on your desk and show this picture first to your team when you start building awareness about SCRUM.

Before you intend to show them something like this.?

It is NOT that the above image doesn't reflect what Scrum is. All I am trying to convey is that it is about the TEAM first (The formation, Goal, Purpose awareness and Skills assessments) that works together in this Framework to get the things done.

5: I think I correctly borrowed some ideas from the official and latest SCRUM guide and other credible sources.?

1. The word Scrum originated from Rugby. See this and this.?
2. The Scrum Team is self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.
3. The Scrum Team is structured and empowered by the organization to manage its own work.
4. Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people and are respected by the people with whom they work.
5. The Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing, to work on tough problems.
6. Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.
7. Scrum is built upon by the collective intelligence of the people using it. Rather than provide people with detailed instructions, the rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions.

One thing which is essential to note. In this imperfect world, all teams( truly, practically, honestly, always) may not be 100% cross-functional. This means that all members may NOT have ALL the skills necessary to create value for each Sprint.        

You may (in truest sense) say that Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value for each Sprint. Agree, which is crucial to consider when you think of starting using SCRUM.

So then I think, it is your call if you want to form a SCRUM team or not. Your call deals with trade-offs and performs a risk assessment, cost-benefit, and team burnout (proactive) analysis.?        

Let's not make assumptions and/or misconceptions about it. Let's not try to fit by hook or crook this in your context unless basics are not clear.

I am also starting to think it is each professional's (no matter what role. Be cross 'Integrated' folks!) duty to groom [NOT LECTURE or DICTATE] each of us to bring the following core values and competencies to the table.

• Integrity
• Purpose Awareness
• Mutual Respect
• Trust
• Autonomy
• Non-Violent Communication
• Sympathy and Empathy
• Self Organization
• Transparency?

And of course

The required technical and social skills to get the job done.

I hope this small effort will usefully help in learning the basics of SCRUM and How to work in a SCRUM Team.

Thanks for reading. Feedbacks are welcome as always!

References and Image Credits

https://www.betterup.com/blog/self-managed-teams

https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

https://number8.com/agile-scrum-and-rugby-scrum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby)

https://agilemanifesto.org/

https://www.visual-paradigm.com/scrum/what-is-the-evolution-of-scrum/

https://netmind.net/en/the-past-present-and-future-of-scrum/

https://www.amazon.in/Scrum-Doing-Twice-Work-Half/dp/038534645X

https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-development-process

https://www.scruminc.com/scrum-papers/

https://agilemania.com/what-is-scrum/