Moving to SCRUM
Hi all
I've been recently hired as a development lead (I have a background in project management) to a Product Team. One of the first challenges I have is change the methodology, I'm thinking about SCRUM, but not quite sure the best way to organize the team, and honestly, where I can fit.
The scenario is this: there's a Product Manager (head of the product), a Business Expert (acts close to a product owner) two architects a two development teams (each with a team leader) that work over the two different components of the product. (and of course me)
How would you match this structure with a SCRUM model?
What do you hope to gain from “matching” existing practices to Scrum?
To achieve Scrum’s benefits, won’t an organization’s current way-of-working have to change, perhaps quite substantially?
Hi Flávio,
What is the reason for changing the methodology?
Is this something that someone else within the company has requested? If so, it's important to understand what their reasons are for doing so.
If there are influential people within the organization who want to change, that could be a good starting point, but Scrum only tends to work well if it is implemented in full. Any change to Scrum needs to be supported by a strong desire to improve, and overcome the inevitable culture shock for many people across the organization.
The reason for changing the methodology is that there isn’t a methodology today. The organization is taking the first steps in products offering, and current methodology is very ad hoc and daily operations aren’t running in a smooth way.
Matching current roles with a new methodology is important to making transition clearer for current team members. But changes to current roles may occur if required.
The reason for changing the methodology is that there isn’t a methodology today.
In my experience, that would not be a convincing argument to implement any methodology / framework / system.
Perhaps you automatically see how having structure would help, but I suggest having conversations with others in the organization and keeping the focus on value, quality, agility and empiricism.
It may be that you then build useful alliances with colleagues who want to meet the same objectives.
lt may then follow that Scrum is the logical choice, but I also suggest you read up about why and how Scrum helps with your objectives.
If people can see how their life / product / bank balance will be improved by something, they're more likely to be on board with making the necessary changes to make it work.