How to Use Scrum & Still Deal with Deadlines
“Best projects for agile are those with aggressive deadlines, a high degree of complexity and uniqueness” — Mike Cohn, mountaingoatsoftware.com
When given a deadline, how often have you heard Scrum Teams quote this from the Scrum Guide?
Scrum Teams are also self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.
It is easy to misinterpret this statement to mean that there shouldn’t be any deadline imposed on Scrum Teams. Scrum teams plan one Sprint at a time, and “…work gets done when it gets done…”.
Unfortunately, this is not how it works in the real world. Sure, teams do decide what to do, when to do and how to get it done, but it has to be in the context of the expected deadlines.
It is also possible that complex products may be built continuously but may not be delivered continuously. New features could be delivered in the form of planned or scheduled releases. This is especially true for complex business or enterprise applications.
Let’s take the simple example of Gmail. When Google changes the way Gmail works, what is your first reaction? I don’t know about you but generally, I’m not thrilled, since I may now have to relearn something I already know, all because of some new features that I didn’t ask for.
The same hesitation exists for many enterprise users. Once they are comfortable with how the software works, and how they can use it to run their business, they don’t want it to be tinkered with. They don’t like ever-changing, ever-evolving software. Hence, new features are released on a schedule, which means, there is a deadline to making sure all new features work at the time of the release. The release deadline is important since if it is missed, new features will have to wait until the next release. Deadlines like planned release cycles create a known cadence. This allows users to plan for new enhancements. (I know, purists are all riled up by now, but that is how most enterprise applications work today)
Let’s make it a bit personal.
Let’s say your employer takes a similar approach from Scrum, and tie it to your salary; you get $1 every time the company earns $1000. You get paid when you get paid (“work gets done when it gets done”). You may get paid this week, this Sprint, or next quarter, can’t tell, since the company doesn’t know how much the company is going to earn and when. Wouldn’t work, would it?
Let me make a bold statement — “A Goal without a deadline is meaningless; it is just a dream”.
If your goal is to lose 5 pounds, but you don’t have a deadline in mind to achieve it, it is not a goal.
See, why deadlines are important? Deadlines help us stay focused on the goals. Timeboxing creates deadlines which help keep the intensity and focus where it is needed. Hence Scrum gives so much importance to time-boxing Scrum Events.
Now that I have highlighted why deadlines are important, let’s talk about how do we successfully meet or even beat the deadlines and still remain agile and follow Scrum.
Here are four ways the Product Owner and the stakeholders can help Scrum Teams meet their deadlines.
1. Purpose of the deadline
The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint — Scrum Guide 2020
Just as the Product Owner explains the purpose of the Sprint Goal and the Product Goal, the Product Owner should also explain the importance of the deadline to reach the Product Goal. Scrum Teams should understand what will happen if they meet the deadline and it also tells them what will happen if they can’t meet the deadline. An example very relevant today is getting a new Covid-19 vaccine out or increasing its production by a certain date. I will not be surprised if it is this motivation that makes researchers work around the clock. I am a big fan of Daniel Pink and his book “Drive”, in which he explains how the purpose of our work motivates us.
If the Scrum team knows the purpose of both, the goal and the deadline, their work will be in the context of the deadline. This increases the chances of meeting or even beating the deadline.
2. Actual outcome from meeting prior deadlines
While it is good for teams to be aware of the deadline and the purpose behind the deadline, it is even better for them to know the real, actual, tangible outcome from having met prior deadlines. The Product Owner should strive to close the loop and share with Scrum Teams the actual outcomes of the deadlines the teams met in the past. Knowing how the Scrum Teams were able to make an impact, knowing that their purpose was indeed met is a great morale booster and motivator for Scrum Teams.
3. Share Goals and Deadlines (if needed), but not how to reach them
Set clear goals, expected outcomes, and the deadline, and leave the rest to the teams. Let the Scrum Teams figure out the best way to meet the goals within the expected timeframe. The teams have the most knowledge on how to get their work done. Generally, it is not the deadline that causes the heartburn, it is the combination of being told what to do, how to do and the timeline to achieve it.
4. Create MVP of MVP of MVP
In other words, provide sufficient clarity in terms of prioritization. For example, let’s say 10 new changes have to be implemented in Turbotax (it is that time of the year — to file taxes in the US) due to changes in tax laws. It would help teams understand the priority of these changes. The changes that impact the most number of tax filers could be the highest priority. The changes having the most financial impact could be higher up in the priority. This helps Scrum teams understand how to approach deadlines.
Here are three ways, Scrum Teams can ensure they meet or beat the deadlines.
1. Have short term and long term plan — both are equally important
Scrum Guide for the first time in the 2020 edition mentions “Product Goals”. These are longer-term goals to keep in mind while working on the shorter-term goals called “Sprint Goals”. With the introduction of the Product Goal, now Scrum Teams understand their Sprint Goals have to eventually lead to the Product Goals. Some of the Product Goals may likely be tied to deadlines. There is a lot of similarity between a good golfer and a Scrum Team — both have to be consistent, both have to have a good short game, and both have to have a good long game. Scrum teams should consistently ensure that their Sprint Goals are leading them to meet the deadlines.
2. Use Scrum to convert unknowns to knowns quickly
Short iterative Sprints help teams test their assumptions and get feedback from stakeholders. This helps teams convert unknowns into knowns, which in turn helps them get better clarity on what it will take to meet the deadlines. Sometimes the goals may evolve as assumptions are tested. Using the same example of Turbotax, subject matter experts can try out various scenarios early in the cycle to ensure that the Scrum Teams are on the right track. If new scenarios are identified, they can be handled sooner rather than later. Regular reviews give stakeholders the confidence whether the deadlines will be met or not. If the deadline is going to be missed, it will not surprise the stakeholders.
3. Continue to prioritize work
Scrum encourages teams to prioritize the most valuable work first. A combination of knowing what is important and why helps teams to focus on the outcome, and not on getting all the work in the backlog done. Use practices from Scrum to maintain transparency and maintain predictability by using a good estimation technique. When using scaling frameworks, teams can help each other by prioritizing work to ensure impediments in the critical path are removed first, thus helping other teams being more productive.
Despite the best efforts, at times teams may find it difficult to meet hard and aggressive deadlines. Scrum creates early visibility of whether deadlines will be met or not. This may help in either changing the deadline, reducing the scope, or increasing the capacity.
Remember, deadlines are your friends, they help you stay focused, and help you achieve the most important goals first.
