When multiple Scrum teams work on the same product or on closely related projects, it can be challenging to see who is working on what. Scrum of Scrums offers a solution. It's a way to quickly and clearly discuss progress and dependencies between teams, without endless meetings or annoying bureaucracy. At Spark Academy, we see that organizations that effectively implement Scrum of Scrums experience less inter-team miscommunication and resolve bottlenecks faster.
Scrum of Scrums is a brief and regular meeting between representatives from different teams. Each team usually sends one or two delegates — often the Scrum Master or a technical expert — who raise bottlenecks or dependencies in this 'mini-ceremony'. The structure resembles the Daily Scrum, but focuses on inter-team communication.
When you have multiple teams working together on one (or closely related) product, the complexity can increase significantly. By implementing a Scrum of Scrums, you can:
Just like with the Daily Scrum, there is a fixed frequency and a short time limit. The following questions may be addressed:
This setup helps to synchronize quickly and efficiently, without getting bogged down in details. More in-depth discussions about technical issues or planning considerations can then be held at a different time.
While it is not mandatory for the Scrum Master to represent the Scrum of Scrums, it is a logical choice. After all, the Scrum Master has insight into their own team's obstacles and can actively seek solutions or escalations. In larger organizations, you sometimes have a Senior Scrum Master or a Release Train Engineer (RTE) who coordinates the Scrum of Scrums. Regardless, the basic principles of brief, transparent, and results-oriented communication remain.
If the Scrum of Scrums becomes too large or too long, it can defeat its own purpose. You also sometimes see teams viewing the meeting as a mere formality, leading to insufficient ownership to truly take action. By maintaining the discipline that only relevant bottlenecks and updates are discussed, you keep it short and effective. Finally, it is important that decisions made in the Scrum of Scrums are actually followed up and documented, so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Scrum of Scrums is a powerful tool to retain the benefits of Scrum when working with multiple teams. It provides a fixed moment to align dependencies, discuss risks, and share successes. With good focus and ownership, Scrum of Scrums can be a decisive factor in elevating your Agile way of working, especially as your organization grows and more and more teams run in parallel.
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