Detriments to operate Large Scrum Team

The adoption of Scrum by industries is driven, in part, by its ability to expedite deliveries. Scrum is characterized by its reliance on concise work cycles, known as sprints, which yield timely and consistent value. This practice diminishes risk and enhances engagement with stakeholders. It is crucial to understand that this can only be accomplished by having the ideal size for the Scrum team.

When there is a requirement for a new #developer , industries often hire and integrate them into the existing team without adequately considering the team's size. Certain industries overlook the necessity of appropriately subdividing the team.

While the #Scrum Guide of 2020 recommends a scrum team size of fewer than 10 members, numerous experts propose an ideal size of 7 individuals (comprising 5 developers, 1 Product Owner, and 1 Scrum Master). Nonetheless, the most effective team size may fluctuate based on unique contextual factors, project prerequisites, and the inherent characteristics of the tasks at hand.

While smaller teams tend to maintain higher focus and experience smoother collaboration, communication, and adaptability, there is a potential drawback of imbalance or the necessity for team members to take on more than 1 role at a time. Which is possible, but not ideal.

Here are some typical challenges that arise when dealing with a large Scrum team.

1. Meetings: Many industries choose Scrum to have fewer #meetings and concentrate on results. However, it's not always possible to involve only a few team members in meetings to save time. After all, scrum is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time.

• Meetings Taking More Time: When more people join meetings like daily updates, planning, and looking back, they often last longer. This might make people less interested and get less work done.
• Planning Sprints Less Effectively: As the team gets bigger, it can be more challenging to decide on when things will be done and how big they should be.
• Facing Difficulty Agreeing After Looking Back: Once again, agreeing with your team can be a bit tough during reflection sessions. Everyone has different opinions. But if you notice more and more arguments, it might mean your team's connections are getting weaker.
• Exceeding 15 Minutes in Daily Scrum: If the daily meeting goes beyond 15 minutes, team members might lose interest and find it hard to keep up with what others are doing.

2. Reduced Responsibility: When teams are bigger, each team member might feel less responsible for the final result. This can spread out the accountability and make them feel less like they truly own the work.

3. Effect on How the Team Works Together: When teams are big, it can be harder to create a strong feeling of togetherness and friendship among members. Some smaller groups within the team might form, which can change how well the whole team works together.

4. More Connections Between People: When a team gets bigger, there are more connections between team members. To work well, all these connections need to be strong. But here's the challenge: as more people join, the number of connections grows really fast.

Although attention has been given to the team's size in this article, the key question should be: Can the team consistently complete all tasks and make them ready for shipping by the end of each Sprint? If not, it's crucial to reassess and adjust the team size for better effectiveness.