What are Self-Managing Teams?

Self-managing teams are those who are given the autonomy to manage their own work. They determine what to do, who should do it and when it should be done. Agile leaders recognize that their role is not to “manage” the team, but to create the conditions that enable or support their team’s ability to manage itself… and then get out of their way!

For self-management to thrive, there must be:

• Clear goals - The Scrum framework includes two important goals: the Product Goal and Sprint Goal. But, these aren’t the only goals we’re talking about here. In order for a Scrum Team to understand what to do, they must be clear on why they are doing it. Why has the team been formed? What problem are they being asked to solve?
• Clear boundaries - Teams are provided the autonomy to make their own decisions. Understanding which decisions the team can make on their own and which they cannot is key for self-management. Some decisions may have already been made and are out of the team’s hands. For example, there may be organizational constraints such as the budget set aside to support the effort, privacy regulations such as GDPR, security protocols and compliance constraints set by governmental regulations.
• Clear accountabilities - Every member of the team has a role to play achieving the team’s objectives. Understanding who is accountable for achieving various outcomes helps the team focus on the work.

It’s also important for a self-managing team to be cross-functional and have the skills necessary to perform their day-to-day work without constantly relying on colleagues outside of the team. Not having the necessary skills on the team reduces the team’s autonomy and ability to optimally manage their own work.This may require training Scrum Team members in new skills, so that team members can jump in to pick up work at any given time.

The Scrum framework provides guidance to enable self-management. For example, it describes:

• Goals such as the Product Goal and Sprint Goal
• Boundaries around how to organize the work, such as making the work transparent (the Product and Sprint Backlogs) and providing Events to enhance communication and collaboration
• Accountabilities within Scrum supported by the Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developers