It is my observation that when we implement a change initiative across an organisation, the leaders are generally well aware of why we do what we do, but the message rarely translates down to the team level. Most of the teams ‘just do it’, without understanding why and the benefits those changes may bring. Similarly, in an organization’s Agile transformation, people accept certain new practices and new ceremonies as they have been told so, and they get confused and frustrated when they don’t get the expected results. We need to arouse people’s curiosity, engagement, excitement and drive to thrive the transformation, all of which starts with answering the question of ‘WHY’. I have incorporated Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Theory as a technique to help the team members to understand the ‘WHY’, and use the Scrum ceremonies to better serve their organization’s goals.
The Golden Circle Theory
The Golden Circle is a thought model developed by Simon Sinek, which suggests that the key to success lies in the way organizations and leaders think, act and communicate. He suggested that influential companies communicate from the inside out instead of outside in, which entails three layers in the order of the ‘WHY’, the ‘HOW’ and the ‘WHAT’.
The WHY conveys what an organisation or brand believes in, it clarifies and communicates the purpose. The HOW represents what the company does and why their products or services stand out from the competition. The WHAT explains what the company sell, its products and services.
The Scrum Ceremonies and Why They Are Important
Let us examine the Scrum ceremonies and identify the WHY behind each ceremony:
Sprint Planning
In the Spring Planning meeting, the entire Scrum team work collaboratively and plan out the work to be performed in the Sprint. The team evaluate and select Product Backlog for the Sprint, decides on the incremental deliverable for the upcoming Sprint and how the work required can be achieved by decomposing the work into an actionable plan.
WHY:
- Create the objective to be met through the implementation of the Sprint (Sprint Goal)
- Identify Sprint Goal to provide continued guidance to Dev Team on why they are building the increment, and flexibility regarding the functionality implemented within the Sprint.
Daily Scrum
Daily Scrum is also known as Daily Stand-up, it is a time-boxed event (normally 15-minute) held every day during the Sprint for the Dev Team to synchronize activities and create a plan for the next day. The structure of the Daily Scrum is determined by the Dev Team and can be conducted in different ways, as long as it focuses on achieving the Sprint Goal. In general, all members of the team need to answer three questions:
- What did I complete yesterday?
- What will I be working on today?
- What are the blockers that stand in my way?
WHY:
- Brings everyone to the same page and inspects on the progress toward the Sprint Goal
- Optimizes team collaboration and performance, enable the Dev Team to hold each other responsible and work together as a self-organising team
- Improves communication and transparency, promote quick decision-making, remove impediments, adapt and re-plan the rest of the Sprint as necessary
- Increases the probability of the Dev team to accomplish the Sprint Goal
Sprint Review
Sprint Review is held at the end of each Sprint to showcase the work that has been done in the Sprint. During the Sprint Review, the Dev Team discuss what went well, the problems encountered and how those problems were resolved. Depends on the Product Backlog and any changes to it during the Sprint, attendees collaborate on what to do next, so that the Sprint Review provides valuable input to subsequent Sprint Planning.
WHY:
- Ensures customer requirements are met and elicits constructive feedback
- Fosters team collaboration and improves performance
- Reviews the change to the marketplace and/or product usage, adjusts the next steps accordingly
- Revises Product Backlog items for the next Sprint to meet new opportunities.
Sprint Retrospective
Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to review and adjust itself. It normally occurs after the Sprint Review and before the next Sprint Planning. All team members should attend the meeting to discuss: what went well in the Sprint, what could be improved, and what will the team commit to improving in the next Sprint.
WHY:
- Incorporates lessons-learnt to the next Sprint, improves process and practices
- Increases product quality and uplifts team spirit
- Enable a team culture of trust and transparency at work
Summary
The Scrum ceremonies help the teams to promote collaboration, maintain transparency, maximize productivity, and most importantly, constantly review and adapt as they progress so that they can continuously learn and improve.
It is important to acknowledge that each of the Scrum ceremonies has a very particular reason for its existence and practice. Instead of following the rigid definition of these ceremonies, teams need to understand why we do what we do, be pragmatic and adapt accordingly to make the ceremonies work for them and add value to their daily work.
