Optimising scrum work environments

How scrum masters can enhance the success of co-located and remote teams

Working together as a team in one location

Close proximity is key

Integrated cross functional scrum teams need to work closely together through the daily grind of the sprint. Promoting team collaboration builds trust and enhances team work. It is not an easy thing to achieve — it is a process.

So what about the process? Let’s take a look at Tuckman’s stages of group development — Forming > Storming > Norming > Performing.

Forming

Individuals start to form into a team. To begin, your team will be uncertain of their team goals. During the Forming stage, you will need to clearly define team goals and provide the team support and guidance. It is typical during this stage to get some resistance from the team; it can be a very challenging time. So as the team’s scrum master, servant leader and defender of the process, be prepared to answer their questions, guide them along the way and in time you will earn their respect.

Storming

In this stage, teams typically get worse, rather than better. This is because as team members start to work out their relationships with each other, power struggles can often happen. Because of these struggles and disagreements, the Storming phase is very challenging. However, in…