Scrum of Scrums(SoS) is one of the popular practice one could see in most Scrum(but) implementation. However, the author of Scrum Ken Schwaber regretted this idea.
When I [Schwaber] presented these case studies at a meeting of ScrumMasters in Milan in June 2003, Mel Pullen pointed out that he felt that the Scrum of Scrums practice was contrary to the Scrum practice of self-organization and self-management. Hierarchical structures are management impositions, Mel asserted, and are not optimally derived by those who are actually doing the work. Why not let each Team figure out which other Teams it has to cooperate and coordinate with and where the couplings are?
At a Scrum Gathering (probably Stockholm in late 2007), Ken publicly disavowed Scrum of Scrums. Nearly every slide about it disappeared from his training deck. In a discussion group many years later, Mike Beedle expressed regret for the Black Book’s recommendation of using Scrum Masters as team representatives.
My theory is that Scrum of Scrums is like a bad song we can’t get out of our heads. I think other influential people (including Mike Cohn and Jeff Sutherland, who became a Scrum trainer in 2008) kept promoting it because we had so few agreed answers for organizations with more than 11 people. Scrum of Scrums is not in the Scrum Guide, but it is built in the two top-marketed “big box” approaches to scaling. Scrum of Scrums is semi-discouraged in LeSS (the less marketed approach to scaling) because we keep finding alternatives that are better at increasing an organization’s ability to learn and adapt.
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Questioning techniques in Coaching
Recently got interested to hear about the different questioning techniques that can be used during coaching and posted it on LinkedIn. Got some great responses across the globe.
Here is what I posted:
There is a saying, quality of questions drive the quality answers. So, how do you ask quality questions? People ask questions mostly to get an answer that interests them. However, in the context of coaching, questions are typically asked so that the coachee can figure out the answers for themselves. There is another school of thought, which says that the coach should be asking the questions from co-creation perspective rather to get an expected answer. (Humble Enquiry is a good book on this topic). So, what I have realised over a period of time,an effective technique is to begin by asking the questions to understand the mental model and slowly start peeling different layers to unravel the mysteries of the mind. Question: What techniques do you use for co-creation as part of questioning techniques? Or what questions have helped you to start the co-creation activity?
From various responses, here is the list of frameworks/ideas that people seem to be using as part of coaching.
1.
ORID Framework
2. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
3. Satir Model
4. Non-violent communication
5. Adaptive Actions / HSD
6. Motivational Interviewing
7.
Coaching habit
8. Humble Enquiry
If you are using any other technique, let me know happy to consolidate and share it with the broader group.
Read the complete discussion on my LinkedIn feed
here.
Role of Product Owner in LeSS, Focus on Prioritisation and delegate Clarification
There are two key information flows in Scrum related to the Product Owner: (1) Adaptively deciding the direction to evolve the product and reflecting that decision in Product Backlog prioritization, and (2) Discovering and clarifying the details of user needs and items. In the first flow (direction and prioritization), information is sought and analyzed related to profit drivers, strategic customers, business risks, etc. In the second flow (details and clarification), the objective is to discover the fine-grained behavior and qualities of items, the user experience, etc.
As Product Owner, you focus on thinking hard about direction and prioritization, but delegate to the teams as much of the detailed discovery as possible. You encourage and help teams enter in a direct conversation with users, acting as a connector, not an intermediary. In short, you are mostly focusing on prioritization rather than detailed clarification, which is delegated to the teams.
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