Introduction
In one of my previous blogs about Scrum Values I discussed about how foundamental those values are in building high-performing Scrum Teams.
However, many teams struggle with truly implementing Scrum Values, which usually lead to common pitfalls (anti-patterns).
In this blog you’ll see more about top 5 common pitfalls when implementing Scrum framework and how t avoid/fix them.
Step 1 – Lack of Commitment
Starting with Scrum Value of Commitment, as one of the biggest pitfalls in a Scrum Team. Commitment to goals (Sprint Goal and Product Goal) and decisions made during the Sprint.
Scrum Teams often agree on goals, but when challenges arise and complexity skyrocket, they deprioritize work which leads to undone work and missed goals which creates non-value added activities = waste.
Example for “Lack of Commitment”: “One Scrum Team I worked with often failed to complete the tasks leading them toward achieving the Sprint Goal because they constantly accepted additional work mid-Sprint. After introducing clear goal-setting boundaries during Sprint Planning and regularly tracking progress in Daily Scrum meetings, the team began sticking to their commitments and achieving better results.”
How to avoid/fix this?
- Ensure that the Scrum Team is involved in goal setting activities and making decisions. When the Scrum Team participates in activities such as these, members are more likely to commit to achieve goals.
- Utilize Sprint Planning Event to decompose work into achievable work items, so the team feels and builds confidence about what they’re committing to.
- Frequently and diligently inspect (check inwards) and adapt progress towards agreed goals.
Step 2 – Avoiding Difficult Conversations (Courage)
Scrum thrives on transparency and openness, but when Scrum Team members avoid difficult conversation due to fear of conflict – this leads to lack of courage which reflects on creating unresolved issues and festering problems.
Example for “Courage”: “Courage doesn’t just mean confronting conflicts. In Scrum, courage involves team members being willing to admit their mistakes, share their opinions, and take risks when necessary to improve teamwork and success. Without this value, teams can stagnate and avoid innovation.”
How to avoid/fix this?
- By creating psychologically safe environment where Scrum Team members feel comfortable speaking and sharing their thoughts. This insists on leadership to set the tone by encouraging open conversations and dialogue.
- Use Sprint Retrospective Event to openly, respectfully and courageously discuss challenges and give the team a structured place to bring up issues in a non-confrontational way.
Step 3 – Losing Focus
In dynamic environment of everyday’s complexity and level of information from Scrum Team and Stakeholders it’s easy for Scrum Teams to lose their focus on goals of Sprint or Product.
Distractions, additional requests, or unclear priorities can derail the Scrum Team from what they should be focusing on in order to maximize value delivery.
Example for “Focus”: “I worked with a team that hard a hard time to stay on track because they frequently received additional requests from stakeholders during the Sprint. I helped them by reinforcing the importance of the Sprint goal in every Daily Scrum. Also educating them about work in progress limit to limit their focus on only one thing at the time.”
How to avoid/fix this?
- Frequently checking progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapting diligently will reinforce the importance of the goals in Scrum during Daily Scrum or the Sprint Planning and Sprint Review.
- Protecting the Scrum Team as much as possible in order to remove distractions by having the Scrum Master facilitating this activity as much as possible for the team.
- Keeping the Product Backlog ordered in tearms of value where at the top is the most valuable work item, this encourages isolating focus on only few things.
Step 4 – Lack of Openness (Transparency)
Scrum Team’s effectiveness can be decreased when members are not open about challenges, progress, concerns or something more abstract. This lack of openness prevents the Scrum Team from addressing problems earlier and leading to last-minute suprises.
Example for “Openness”:“I worked for a team where a team member was facing roadblocks but didn’t feel comfortable sharing them with the rest of the team transparently. This led to delays in value delivery. After we introduced a more structured approach during Daily Scrums, and Sprint Retrospectives where everyone was encouraged to share any concerns, the team’s transparency improved, and problems were addressed earlier, avoiding last-minute surprises.”
How to avoid/fix this?
- Embrace transparency by encouraging Scrum Team members to share their work, roadblocks and any concerns frequently during Scrum Events.
- User information radiators such as visible boards, empiricism, progress toward the goals which promotes environment of openness.
- Ensure team members are comfortable with constructive feedback, improving openness naturally throughout healthy conversations.
Step 5 – Disrespecting Different Roles and Contributions
Without respect for each others such as contributors, the Scrum Team – collaboration can break down. Team members may start ignoring inputs from certain members, especially if their roles aren’t well understood or appreciated.
Example of “Respect”:“I observed a team where certain accountabilities, like testers, weren’t given as much respect as developers. This reflected on tension and employee satisfaction level. By helding a session to clarify the value of each role within the Scrum framework, emphasizing that every contribution is important part to the success of the Sprint. After this, the team started collaborating more effectively and appreciating each other’s contributions.”
How to avoid/fix this?
- Educate the Scrum Team on the value of each accountability in Scrum, emphasizing how every team member contributes to the success of the Sprint.
- Every Sprint Retrospective to transparenly raise and resolve any tentions, healthy conflicts or misunderstandings regarding accountabilities
- Create a culture where munutal respect is the norm, by having leaders model respectful behaviour in meetings and activities.
Conclusion
Implementing Scrum framework and one element of it – Scrum Values takes continuous effort and improvement.
By being aware of these common pitfalls (anti-patterns) and taking active steps to avoid or resolve them will help you and your team to build healthier, more successful Scrum Team.
