Scrum Master: 6 Concrete Ways to Improve Collaboration

Help your Scrum team learn how to work better together, by improving collaboration.

This post describes ways to improve teamwork and help your team to become better. This will help you and your team to succeed with Scrum.

Because, ultimately, more than on the rules of Scrum, the benefits realized through Scrum depend on the interactions and collaboration of the people employing Scrum. — Gunther Verheyen

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Benefits of a collaborative team

Collaboratively working in a team brings concrete benefits. Not only from a relational point of view but also from a productive point of view.

In particular, the benefits of working in a team collaboratively are:

Reduction of processing times: when several people work cooperatively on the same project they are focused and aligned. This avoids rework and misunderstandings and it is possible to reduce the delivery times of a project. Cooperatively working is addressed by the Scrum values of “Courage” and “Focus”.

Mutual exchange of skills and ideas: having multiple points of view on the same topic allows you to create a complete and multifaceted product. This is addressed by the Scrum values of “Respect” and “Openness”.

Ability to rely on your teammates: if a member of the group is in difficulty or is going through a moment of discouragement, it is essential that the other members of the group — strong in their emotional intelligence — can support him adequately. Helping teammates is addressed by the Scrum values of “Commitment” and “Focus”.

Soft skills can make a difference within a workgroup. In particular, problem-solving skills and empathy are very powerful tools that allow you to support the team until the shared goals are achieved.

Ways to improve collaboration

Work with clear Goals

Working with the Scrum framework, the team commits to:

• Product Goal
• Sprint Goal
• Definition of Done

As Scrum Master coach the team about the importance of goals. I have seen it is very useful to have separate coaching, versus Product Owner and versus Developer.

a) Coaching the Product Owner about the Product Goal: explain why the goal is important. Explain that the goal aligns stakeholders and the development team, directing their work. Explain that meeting a product goal is a step towards creating the desired value for the users and the business.

b) Coaching the Scrum Team about the Sprint Goal: explain why it is important. Explain that a Sprint Goal serves to promote self-managing and creativity. It establishes the ‘why’ so the Development Team can work out the ‘how’.

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Improve the Sprint Planning

The Sprint Planning is an important moment to foster collaboration.

Be sure that the product backlog is prepared for the Sprint Planning, meaning that the Product Backlog Items are ordered, and the ones on the top are refined to a level the Team can start working on. This avoid a lot of discussion and let the developers concentrate on preparing a sprint where collaboration is the main focus.

This preparation could happen in many ways, as example thru pair programming, or by preparing the work in such a way that it can easily be shared.

Create the culture of asking “why”

The “what” and the “how” are important in the daily job of a team member. But the “why” we are doing things, is even more important.

For all members of the Scrum Team, it is the most efficient way to gain deeper insights into the projects they are working on. You can refine requirements by asking the right kinds of questions, based on the problem you are trying to solve. If you keep raising questions, you will keep finding better answers and implementing exactly what should be done.

As a Scrum Master coach the team that asking questions is a sign of strength and intelligence, not a sign of weakness or uncertainty. And especially when there is a hurry to get things done do not fall in the trap of stopping to ask questions because it might slow them down. This will avoid rushing into the wrong actions.

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Lately, I introduced and facilitated the use of the “Double Loop Learning” for searching the “why”. Personally, it helps me to challenge why unproductive behaviors are repeated. And it helps the entire team to overcome them.

Single-loop learning focuses on solving a problem within an existing system that is defined by sets of beliefs, structures, roles, procedures, and norms. Double-loop learning challenges the system, beliefs, and structures itself. — Barry Overeem

The generic example I use to introduce the concept is this: An employee comes late to work. Single loop learning: How can I clarify the consequences of tardiness? How can we hire better employees? Double-loop learning: Why are some employers tardy? Why do I specify working times and monitor tardiness? Why does tardiness make me so unhappy?

Another example of single-loop learning is when a Product Owner tries to better capture requirements on the Product Backlog. Whereas double-loop learning might make her question the need for detailed requirements in an empirical process.

Coach how to give feedback: the STAR method

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If there is trust in a group, the members are more likely to be able to engage in discussions and be open to new points of view. Discussions are a healthy way of improving the way forward.

But the discussion should be fact-based and respectful towards the other team members. I find the STAR method is a powerful tool for giving objective feedback.

Here are the 4 steps:

• SITUATION: in which the behavior took place
• TASK: assigned task or expected behavior in line with the organizational culture
• ACTION: the observed behavior
• RESULT: the effect resulting from the observed behavior

Let´s see an example: Instead of telling “You were too negative in a meeting!”, following approach suits better acceptance:

• SITUATION: during yesterday’s meeting
• TASK: we asked you to highlight the benefits of Mike’s proposal
• ACTION: instead, you described only the elements that in your opinion are ineffective
• RESULT: and this generated silence in Mike and the team, making us miss a profitable discussion

Use positive language

Language is the result of our thinking and our emotion

Positive language can direct our thinking towards solutions. And avoid us getting stuck on the problem.

Positive language is to be used when we want our interlocutor to perceive us as an ally.

Remember that a positive language fosters the Scrum Value of “respect”.

Examples of positive phrasing and language (more can be found in The Power of Positive Communication)

1. Highlight what can be done

Example: If you can send us (whatever), we can complete the process for you.

2. Suggest alternatives and choices

Example: One option open to you is (option)

3. Sound helpful and encouraging rather than bureaucratic

Example: Might we suggest that you (whatever)

Celebrate success

At the sprint planning, the Scrum Team set some goals for the upcoming sprint.

For the team morale it is good to celebrate the success of reaching such goals. As a Scrum Master foster the idea of celebration. A high-performing team is happy to see recognized the results of its hard work.

The Following Scrum events could be suitable for this celebration:

• During the Daily, when a goal is reached, this could be highlighted.
• In each Sprint Review, when stakeholders are invited to participate. It is the time to celebrate the valuable increment which has just been delivered.
• The Sprint Retrospective may also be a good place to celebrate some other wins that may not be of interest to the external stakeholders of the team.

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Conclusion

Team collaboration is an important factor for team success. The Scrum Master should watch the status of the collaboration, and continuously improve it.

The six suggestions discussed previously provide you with concrete tools for achieving it.

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