The Real Problem with Distributed Teams

Photo by tamahaji

One of my Scrum Masters was inspired by Adam Weisbart's Agile Anti-Patterns presentation at the Scrum Gathering Paris and has shared many of the ideas in a workshop at his own organization.  Knowing that the topic can be sensitive, my Scrum Master explains that an anti-pattern does not mean that we are doing something completely wrong and against the agile principles because we are bad people--the truth is, we have good intentions and want to be successful in our work.  There is something about the anti-pattern that is appealing and may seem agile at a first glance.  But in the long-term, something about the anti-pattern is preventing us from becoming more agile, hence its name.

In the last workshop he gave, someone brought up that they are on a distributed team across timezones, which means they do not follow the below agile principle:

The most efficient and effective method of 
conveying information to and within a development 
team is face-to-face conversation.

Should we point our fingers and shame management for creating a distributed team that cannot possibly follow this agile principle?  I don't think so.  I feel empathy for the team because I know it can be incredibly hard to be successful with that kind of arrangement, but shaming someone and blaming them for an anti-pattern does not seem productive.  Especially because this person said they've found a way to work well together as a team--to create human connections across distance.

Last week one of my peers, Josh, gave a presentation on Distributed Agile Teams based on his recent experience as a Scrum Master for a fully distributed team (and I'm happy to say he'll be presenting on the same topic at DFW Scrum this month).  Another team has found a way to work well even though they are in different locations.  Should we tell them that it is an agile anti-pattern to have a distributed team and have management do something about that?  I don't think so.

The problem with most distributed teams isn't that they are unable to talk face-to-face; it's that something (or many somethings) is preventing them from following the below principle:

Build projects around motivated individuals. 
Give them the environment and support they need, 
and trust them to get the job done.

If the individuals are not motivated, if they don't feel like a real team, if they don't have the environment and tools and support they need, then they will not be successful.  Making a distributed team successful takes effort.  A motivated team with the right support will find a way to deliver results.

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
Previous
Previous

Scaling Agile and Scaling Excellence

Next
Next

Changing Rules to be More Authentic