Sprint felt as a race
Hello to everyone,
I am a scrum master of a team of 7 people. As part of my job I try to keep the Sprint lean ensuring that the task follow our pipeline (from Backlog to Done) and that are correctly updated.
Depending on the status on the activities, I sometimes write comments in the associated task asking if the activity is finished and if we can move the task to Review and then close it. This happens for example if I feel that one activity is finished, but the assignee is not updating the task or moving it to the correct pipeline for a few days.
The problem is that recently one team member gave me an answer of the type "I don't understand the rush to close the issues every time. Is it a race?"
Being the question delicate (we started Agile and Scrum very recently), I would like to give a good answer.
My questions for you are the following:
- Is my way of checking issues and asking updates correct?
- What should I answer to the team member?
Why are you trying to manage the team's flow of work?
As a Scrum Master, shouldn't you be coaching them to self-manage the work that they do...not as a "race", but so the agreed Sprint Goal commitment is met?
Ian's question about why you are trying to manage the team's flow of work is a good one, but I'd propose other questions.
Why does it matter if the information is correctly updated at all points in time? Who is the consumer of this information? Is the information updated frequently enough for those consumers?
From the perspective of an outsider, looking at this team, I'm not sure why you, as a Scrum Master, have any feelings that an activity is finished. What you're describing seems like a lack of trust in the team. Instead, I'd focus on making sure the team understands why it's important that the state of their work be correct and transparent to themselves and other stakeholders. This can be about how to effectively prepare for and execute the Daily Scrum to plan the day's work toward the Sprint Goal or with respect to transparency and openness. Make it about why things are necessary rather than just doing things.
I agree @Ian's comments. Additionally:
I'd apply Scrum Master Rule #1 : Take it to the team.
You could try leading with some careful questions. Perhaps these might help:
- Is there anything about the work process that might benefit from being changed?
- Is our current work flow serving us?
- How can we improve the likelihood of meeting the Sprint Goal?
The Developers are our brain trust. I've always found it right to trust them to come up with good answers. When they do, not only are they addressing the issue, they're self-managing.