Issue with Scrum Team Members
Hi, Guys,
As a novice Scrum Master, I'm not sure what to do with the current issue I'm facing with my Scrum Team Members.
It's regarding the Daily Scrum. There are a couple of people on the team, who, after updating the rest of their team on what they did yesterday, what they'll today, and whether they have any impediments, they either switch off completely (as in "phew, I did my party, so I'm done") and some who chit chat with the people standing next to them, some even checking their phones and showing this or that on their phone to the person standing next to them.
How can I encourage them to fully respect the rules of a Daily Scrum without reprimanding them or sending them for a Daily Scrum workshop?
From what I know about them and their personalities, it is very unlikely that reprimanding them will do anything.
Nor will gently encouraging them to do the right thing. (it will end up going in one ear and out the other....)
Or even sending them to a Daily Scrum workshop/presentation/info-session. (same as above)
How can I instil in them the willingness to fully respect the rules of a Daily Scrum (such as paying attention when other teammembers are answering the 3 questions, so that they will do it of their own free will, rather than me having to nag and cajole them to do so?
I'm stumped, really.
Would love to listen to some creative, cool ideas to instil the proper respect for Scrum in them, so they'll do all that of their volition, rather than me having to nag them to do it.
This behaviour sounds reasonable to me, under the circumstances. The Daily Scrum has evidently been reduced to some sort of ritual in which 3 liturgical questions and responsions are ceremonially observed in accordance with some arcane rite. Certain members of the congregation are simply behaving with the minimum level of decorum which they believe to be appropriate for the sacrament.
It might be better if the Developers actually come up with a plan for the next 24 hours which will get them closer to their Sprint Goal commitment. That's what the Daily Scrum is for. Look up walking the board and consider using a technique such as that instead.
@Ian is spot on with his response. The Developers appear to be doing exactly what they have been encouraged/taught to do.
How can I instil in them the willingness to fully respect the rules of a Daily Scrum (such as paying attention when other teammembers are answering the 3 questions, so that they will do it of their own free will, rather than me having to nag and cajole them to do so?
And based upon the way you phrased your initial post, it seems like you could be part of the group that taught this behavior.
My first suggestion is for you to read the section of the Scrum Guide that describes the Daily Scrum. Notice that "the 3 questions" are not mentioned anywhere in the section. There are no "rules" listed but it is possible that the team has put in place some team agreements that they want to follow. The Daily Scrum is a planning meeting for the Developers to talk about their progress towards the Sprint Goal and to formulate a plan of action for the coming day. You are describing a group of people standing together giving a status report. It might was well be an email sent by each member. It would provide the same benefits and probably get the same level of attention.
How can I encourage them to fully respect the rules of a Daily Scrum without reprimanding them or sending them for a Daily Scrum workshop?
To start with, stop trying to be their manager and be a servant leader instead. A Scrum Master as described in the Scrum Guide does not send people to workshops or reprimand them. A Scrum Master coaches people on methods to improve their ability to work as a team that can quickly respond to changes and deliver usable increments of value in each Sprint. They are not the "Scrum Police" that writes tickets to people that are not "doing it the way we told them to do it". A Scrum Master helps teams to embrace change and to constantly apply empirical learning techniques.
My second suggestion to you is to bring this up in a Sprint Retrospective and let the Scrum Team discuss it if they see it as an issue.
With the 3 questions/update the team format, why wouldn't they...
switch off completely (as in "phew, I did my party, so I'm done")
Consider what it is like for the team using this model...
Those who have not answered the 3 questions/updated the team are likely not listening, as they are too busy thinking about how they will answer the 3 questions and what update they will give.
Those who have already done their part in answering the 3 questions/updating the team, are likely not listening because they are relieved they got through their part.
Given no one is focused on the Sprint Goal or working together with this format, why pay attention beyond their own part?
Now...consider what changes for the team when the Daily Scrum is instead focused on the Sprint Goal and collaborating on how to make progress towards it over the next 24 hours.
The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
As Daniel suggests, you can bring it up at retrospective. You can share the updates from the 2020 Scrum Guide and...
The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work.