How to Build and Lead a High-Performing Scrum Team: Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices

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How to Build and Lead a High-Performing Scrum Team

How to Build and Lead a High-Performing Scrum Team

A high-performing Scrum team is not easy to build or lead. Successful team leadership requires a deep familiarity with the Scrum framework and a commitment to the team's success. Having a competent leader is just as crucial as having an outstanding group of people to work with. It's up to you, as the leader or Scrum Master, to establish norms that encourage productivity and teamwork. Best practices for building and managing an effective Scrum team are discussed here.

1. Understand the Scrum Framework

Understanding the fundamentals of the Scrum framework is essential for mastering the methodology. This comprises the Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers responsibilities, Scrum events, and deliverables. After learning these concepts, you'll be ready to implement the Scrum framework with your team. If you take the time to learn the fundamentals, you'll be in a stronger position to guide your team to victory.

2. Communicate

Communicating the organisation's broader vision to the team is essential for its success. It allows the team to align their individual goals to the organisation's larger ones and ensure that the resources are used efficiently. When this is done, the team better understands what is expected from them and why it matters for the organisation's success. This helps foster a culture of creativity and constructive challenges which helps meet the organizational objectives more effectively. Successful organizations must invest the necessary time in communicating the big picture to their teams and ensuring the goals are understood and accepted.

3. Constant team composition

Teams are often established out of a collection of available individuals who are then united in their efforts to complete a certain task or project. When the mission is completed, team members are given new responsibilities. Teamwork is only effective when members feel comfortable with and support one another. It's also important to learn how to best use the strengths of others around you. Team dynamics, cohesiveness, and efficiency all boost with time. When people like who they work with, they are more likely to get things done. If team members are switched about, the group will have to begin over from square one. Self-organizing teams are an interesting idea that merits exploration if they can be put into practice. These teams are formed due to a temporary interruption that allows individuals to pick who they wish to work with.

4. Make Smaller Teams

There are several instances in which a smaller team is better able to accomplish its goals than a bigger one. Communication and teamwork improve when there are fewer members on the team because everyone gets a chance to contribute. Also, everyone can be on the same page and minimize confusion. As a bonus, smaller teams are more flexible and quicker to adapt to new circumstances.

While working in groups of 10 or more, dividing the group into smaller groups of 5–7 people is more efficient. The members of each team will be able to coordinate their work and share information more effectively in this setting. Problems can be seen faster, and jobs can be delegated more effectively. Smaller teams are more focused on the task since everyone is working toward the same end.

In the long run, more efficient than bigger teams are those with fewer members. Further to improved communication and teamwork, these groups quickly adapt to new circumstances.

5. Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities

The Scrum framework is based on roles and responsibilities. As the team leader, you must ensure that each team member understands their role and how it fits into the bigger picture. Make sure to explain how each role contributes to the team's success and how interdependent they are. Each team member should feel like they are an integral part of the team and understand how their actions affect the overall result.

6. Praise team efforts

To create a successful team, recognizing the efforts of each team member is of utmost importance. The key to achieving the best results from a team is to reward the collective efforts of the entire team. Acknowledging the team's efforts and successes can create a positive atmosphere and improve performance. Recognition of team achievements motivates and encourages team members to work together towards common goals and objectives. Companies can reward team members with special awards or incentives to encourage collaboration. This will encourage members to work together and create a sense of pride and accomplishment. Recognizing team efforts can help to create an environment where everyone is dedicated to achieving the common goal.

Conclusion

 Building and leading a high-performing Scrum team is not an easy task, but it can be achieved with the right leadership and dedication. Effective communication, clear roles and responsibilities, and a commitment to team building will help your team reach its goals. By understanding the Scrum framework, you'll be better positioned to guide your team members to success. You'll help your team reach its full potential by developing a culture of trust and collaboration.

Reference 

  1. https://www.hexacta.com/how-to-create-a-high-performing-scrum-team/ 
  2. https://www.nagarro.com/en/blog/10-key-factors-to-build-high-performing-agile-teams 
  3. https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/what-is-a-high-performing-agile-team 



Author

Paula

Is a passionate learner and blogger on Agile, Scrum and Scaling areas. She has been following and practicing these areas for several years and now converting those experiences into useful articles for your continuous learning.