Organizing Self-Managed Teams
Software development has come a long way since the creation of the Agile Manifesto 22 years ago. However, not all agile practices have produced positive results.
Open-source software employs similar practices that are more suitable for software development.
Comprehensive solutions need a collaborative effort between developers and domain experts. When working on software as a team, establish standardized procedures for defining features and coding.
Allow programmers to negotiate among themselves instead of managers or leads assigning tasks to them. Each individual should have enough independence to make their own decisions.
To promote teamwork, Teams must signal ongoing work while minimizing any separation.
The team that developed the code should also handle its maintenance. Yet, it’s important to avoid building things to learn new technologies or for the sake of it.
Team members can manage their workload and take on many roles.
Establish a formal process to trade positional power for reputation to ensure fairness. This approach helps improve the development process and helps teams achieve their goals.Clear communication of project goals and objectives is crucial.
Asking questions such as “What is our current strategy?” and “What factors determine success or failure?” help refine and communicate strategy.
The Product Owner should create a roadmap outlining where they want to be in the next quarter and year. Still, it’s important to remember that this is a snapshot in time and not to over-plan.
Leaders act as Product Owners, setting out what needs to be done and why, leaving it up to the team to determine how and who will do the tasks.
While art has value, it should not be conflated with commercial productivity.
Finally, embracing failure as a stepping stone to success is essential for innovation, even if it may be difficult.
Due to the COVID pandemic, many companies have shifted to remote work. Yet, it is still being determined what changes will be necessary.
Agile methods need physical collaboration, so communication processes must be updated. Additionally, project status communication needs to be improved to avoid unnecessary noise.
The traditional standup method asks three questions, but there may be more effective ways to share progress or blockages.
Instead, consider asking, “What does the team need to know?” and use tools like calendars, notes, and project management systems to gather information. If a meeting does not serve a purpose, remove it. Go to no meetings. During standup meetings, the focus should be on identifying obstacles to progress. If there are no obstacles, then the status report may be optional.
Check daily routines and update outdated processes to improve team effectiveness.
Not all teams may need changes, but questioning our routines can help maintain team effectiveness.
The return to the office is optional, and remote work requires a shift in mindset.
