The Basics of Scrum: Commitment
In the previous post, we delved into the concepts of Openness and Transparency within Scrum. Today, our focus shifts to another fundamental value: Commitment.
Integral to an effective Scrum team, Commitment refers to the dedication of team members toward achieving the goals set for the Sprint, the product, and the organisation. This commitment extends beyond task completion — it is a promise to deliver high-quality results, to collaborate, and adapt to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Mike Cohn, in his work ‘Agile Estimating and Planning,’ speaks about commitment during estimating and planning. He emphasises the distinction between estimates and commitments, encouraging teams to focus their efforts based on what they realistically foresee accomplishing, rather than adhering blindly to a pre-established plan. Needless to say, in teams where there is no trust or courage or openness — people may give the wrong estimate as they might feel that they cannot speak up, or challenge the rest of the team.
Commitment isn’t just about completing the team’s sprint goals — it goes beyond that and can be seen in other areas as well:
· Commitment to the Team: Team members need to collaborate and assist each other. This commitment stretches beyond individual tasks, urging members to help their team mates when required, aiming for the collective success of the team.
· Commitment to the Customer: The team dedicates itself to the Sprint’s objectives, as agreed during the Sprint Planning meeting. This commitment extends beyond mere task completion — it’s about delivering value to the customer.
· Commitment to Quality: The team undertakes to produce excellent work, sticking to the ‘Definition of Done’, continuously improving work methodologies, and refusing to compromise quality in a bid to hastily complete tasks. Although this is far easier said than done.
· Commitment to Transparency: The team promises to maintain openness about work progress and any challenges encountered, thereby enabling the early identification and resolution of issues. This is also true for the rest of the Scrum values — every Team member needs to espouse the values in order to make the entire Team more successful.
· Commitment to Continuous Improvement: The team commits to continually enhancing their processes and skills. Regular Sprint Retrospectives allow Teams to reflect on the past Sprint and identify areas for improvement. This should not just become a list on a Retrospective board, but real action items that the team tackles in order to improve.
· Commitment to Flexibility: While the team commits to achieving the Sprint Goal, they also acknowledge that change is inherent to the Agile process. Understanding what it means to be agile will allow the team to remain adaptable and adjust to changes as needed.
Lack of commitment within a team can however lead to numerous problems, both within the team and the broader organisation. These problems can manifest in different forms:
· Unmet goals
· Decreased productivity
· Low Team morale
· Conflict within the Team
· Lack (or a loss) of trust
· Hampered learning and improvement
· Reduced transparency
· Poor customer satisfaction
While this list isn’t comprehensive, it’s clear that fostering commitment is integral to the success of a team. It is crucial that each team member not only understands the values inherent to Scrum, but also knows how to take responsibility for their own work. Equally important, is creating an environment where people’s efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. These factors are instrumental in nurturing a commitment that can drive both individual performance and overall team success.
This quote from Vince Lombardi underlines the sheer significance of fostering commitment.
“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
Vince Lombardi (Football Coach and Executive of the National Football League (USA))
But how do you instill commitment in your team? Here are some tactics to encourage and cultivate commitment in a Team:
· Define roles, responsibilities, and expectations and make it transparent.
· Align individual goals with Team goals and the goals of the Organisation (and make it transparent).
· Encourage transparency and open communication. Make things visible!
· Cultivate a safe environment where people feel at ease to voice their opinions.
· Celebrate individual and team efforts.
· Give people the support, skills, and tools to get the job done.
· Allow people to learn from experience by giving consistent feedback and by encouraging team members to coach one another.
· Conduct regular Retrospectives and make it actionable.
Commitment is nurtured over time and calls for constant effort. It is like going to the gym. You will not see a difference if you merely exercise once in a while.
In order to nurture commitment, it is crucial to create an environment where commitment can thrive.
How do you cultivate commitment within your team? What would you add to the list above?
Resources:
Agile Estimating & Planning. Mike Cohn
Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition. Lyssa Adkins
ScrumValues.xlsx (agilealliance.org)
Maximize Scrum with the Scrum Values: Commitment (Part 4 of 5) | Scrum.org
About the Author
Joanita Radivoev is a Scrum Master at Version 1.
