Add sanity to the virtual work environment through rapid feedback.
We are all transported into a storm due to COVID-19. Working from home is no longer an interesting option. It is mandatory. This time is chaotic, mentally taxing, and painful for us all as we form new work habits.
This feels like I am back in 2008 during the last US economic crisis. Back then, I decided to be “scrappy” and think out of the box on how to deal with the situation. The result was a transformation of my mindset on how to deal with drastic change. I found sanity in simplicity and setting short-term goals. This was the birth of my unwavering passion for Agile and simple solutions to complex problems. I went all-in.
The COVID-19 situation has created obstacles for me. It challenges many of my beliefs of what enables a healthy team environment. We need innovative remedies to address obstacles to co-location, face-to-face collaboration, and teamwork.
How can I adapt fast to this new work environment? What options do I have to help my teams navigate this? Can I use this time as an enabling force to reach for new heights? How can my teams achieve something extraordinary despite the challenges they face?
Again, I find the need to be “scrappy.” And I need to help my team do the same.
How to be “Scrappy” With Scrum
I have a long history with Scrum. It has enabled the human condition to shine in the Scrum teams I coach. So it is natural for me to look to Scrum first for an answer to my dilemma.
My mind turns first to the duration of the Sprint.
Sprints are limited to one calendar month.
— The Scrum Guide
The longer the Sprint, the longer the inspect and adapt loop. I have long known and experienced the value of a shorter Sprint. One of my common coaching patterns is to guide teams to a Sprint length shorter than one calendar month.
Three pillars uphold every implementation of empirical process control: transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
— The Scrum Guide
Over the years, I have noticed shorter Sprints result in positive trends:
- Increased feedback loops
- Decreased hand-offs
- Higher collaboration
- Faster habit formation
- Enhanced simplicity
- Reduced errors
- Stronger teamwork
- Reduced incentives for individual heroics
- Enhanced focus
- Faster learning and adaptation
It is difficult to hold on to traditional delivery patterns in a shorter Sprint. There is no choice but to work and collaborate as a team. The focus is strong. The team finds it easier to stay fixated on the Sprint Goal. Simplicity is the only option for meeting the goal. As a result, changing to an Agile mindset becomes easier with a shorter Sprint time-box.
Despite the benefits, many teams are not willing to try any Sprint duration shorter than two weeks. But I have had a few teams try a one-week Sprint. Often, trying it becomes necessary due to an abnormal situation. For example, suppose a long holiday falls in the middle of a Sprint. The team has no other choice but to deliver in a shorter Sprint time-box.
Most rebukes to the short Sprint reveal areas for improvement. But often, teams bypass these improvements and choose to stay in the comfort of a longer Sprint.
But I press forward and continue to coach my teams to try it as it has many benefits.
My Current Team Situation
As we navigate this strange pandemic, I am coaching a team new to Agile and Scrum.
This is the team’s first time working together as a cohesive team. The product they are producing involves technology unfamiliar to them. They are learning their user’s needs. Strategic urgency is high. Timelines are tight. And the chaos of the pandemic is pulsing in the background. We are storming around how to tackle the virtual teaming amidst all this complexity. It is a stressful situation.
This is the perfect storm. And it threatens my team and my aspirations for their Agile journey.
The Brave Experiment
Given the challenges facing my team, I suggested the shorter one-week Sprint. I gave them an option of a one-week or a two-week sprint along with pros and cons. Then, I let them decide.
Perhaps it was the strategic urgency around the work. It might have been desperation to try something new to fight these fresh challenges. For these reasons or others, my team chose to try the one-week Sprint. My new team, with their first Scrum, had the courage to try what many teams fear. As a coach, this was a proud moment.
They had to deliver fast while learning new Agile behaviors. They hypothesized the faster feedback loop would help them deal with the pressure.
Early results are promising after Sprint one. Stakeholders have the strategic answers they need after one Sprint. The team is collaborating and co-creating solutions daily. Inspect and adapt is continuous. Rapid learning neutralizes the challenges.
As such, the team is continuing with the one-week Sprint. There is no fear. Energy and enthusiasm are high. It worked.
Guidance for Trying a Shorter Sprint in a Virtual World
If the short Sprint intrigues you, your first step is to suspend your doubt. Embrace the promise of a shorter Sprint time-box. And, more important, try it. You will have to customize it for your context. But use action, transparency, inspection, and adaptation to help you do this. Below are some considerations as you embark on your experiment.
1 – Adjust Sprint Event Duration: With shorter Sprints, all Sprint Events become shorter. You have less to refine, discuss, and converge with a smaller batch. Keep in mind, it will take practice to get accustomed to a smaller Sprint Event duration. But once you adjust, the final duration will be shorter.
2 – Amp up the Feedback Loop: Inspect and adapt daily. Gather feedback every time two or more people engage in an activity. Identify improvements for the next instance of the activity. This will help you adjust behavior fast. The fast pivot is crucial to hitting your Sprint Goal in a shorter time-box.
3 – Keep an Eye on Sustainability: A shorter Sprint is not meant to deliver the same amount of work as a longer Sprint. Your team capacity is less, so you should plan for less in Sprint Planning. Don’t overload the Sprint. Resist working long hours as the next Sprint comes around fast. You want to be fresh when the new Sprint starts and not exhausted. Slow down to adjust to the new cadence before you try to speed up.
4 – Remember, Virtual Work Requires New Norms: With virtual work, you can’t turn your chair to collaborate face-to-face with your teammates. And the boundaries of work and personal time become blurred. You have to consider new team norms. For instance, do-not-disturb time and dedicated collaboration time need consideration. Don’t rely on the Scrum Events as your only means of team collaboration.
5 – Individuals and Interactions Remain a Focus: Find ways to mimic a co-located environment to enhance interactions. Setup collaboration time for the team to co-create. Use video chat to help build rapport, enhance communication, and strengthen human interaction. It will take an effort to ensure collaboration does not suffer. But keep the tools and process simple. And focus on enhancing individuals and interactions.
Short Sprints are sometimes feared. My current team had the courage to try out a one-week Sprint in the midst of their challenges. Their experiment investment is paying off fast.
You should give the shorter Sprint a try. Our new reality may be the push you need to try something new. Embrace change.
Also published in Serious Scrum on Medium.
Related Posts
Find further information in these posts to benefit you as you experiment with shorter sprints.
- Let’s Put the “Continuous” in Continuous Improvement
- Out With the Old, in With the New
- Don’t Forget the Customer of Your Change Initiative
- We Need Managers to Become Agile Leaders
References
- The Scrum Guide by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber
Todd Lankford unlocks Lean Leverage in organizations to cultivate powerful, engaged product teams who maximize outcomes and impact.
His articles share his experiences and learnings along the way. Join the mailing list to get them in your inbox.