Scrum and Team Trust
In my previous articles I mentioned that one of the key ingredients of success in agility is having a tight knit cross functional team. There are many articles and training materials out there that describes perfectly what kind of teams are optimal. It can be the size between 4-7 members or having T-shapes skills.
What a lot of people forgot is to think about trust. In any business teams trust is important, but it’s even more paramount in scrum team. This is because scrum requires a lot of transparency and open communications. Things like the daily stand up to retro will not work without trust.
Over these years I have noted down a few pointers that can help with the team trust. They are:
- Safety of the team. As an agile coach we have to ensure that the team can speak what needs to be spoken of without being afraid of any repercussion.
- Reduce self orientation. Make sure that the team individuals understand that ultimately the team is working for the one and the same business. Whatever is good for the business will be good for the individuals one way or another.
- Encourage feedback culture. This goes both ways, seeking feedback and giving feedback.
- Build a team charter. Things will be easier if what each team members values within the team is out in the open.
- Always be credible and reliable. Proving to the wider audience in the business that the team always delivers is the best way to foster trust towards the team.
Remember that trust is a mandatory component for anyone or any companies who strife to become agile. The best certifications or funding will not help success in agility without trust.