Concepts
Filling in missing skills or capabilities within a Scrum team is essential for a successful delivery of a product. Just like a sports team, where every player has a specific skill set and role, a Scrum team too should ideally have a mix of skills and abilities. Here are some strategies to bridge the potential capability gaps in a Scrum team.
1. Feedback and Evaluation
This must be the first step to identify the missing skills or abilities within the team. You can conduct regular feedback sessions and evaluations to identify the skills or capabilities that need improvement. Using tools like team interviews, self-assessments, and peer evaluating can provide an understanding of the abilities within your team.
Example: A Scrum Master could consult each team member individually to listen to their perception of the strengths and weaknesses of the team. The feedback should be carefully noted and compared to have a holistic overview of the team’s overall capability.
2. Skill Training and Development
Once the gaps are identified, training programs can be initiated to develop those specific skills. It’s beneficial to focus on cross-training team members, which allows a skill to be developed by more than one member. This approach not only fosters team building but also reduces dependency on a single person.
Example: If the team lacks capabilities in a certain area, say UI/UX design, consider providing relevant training materials or collaborating with someone proficient in that area to give a workshop.
3. Rotation of Roles
Rotating team members across different roles or tasks could help the team learn and understand more about the Scrum process. Through this, the members might discover new abilities which they were previously unaware of.
Example: If a developer has an interest in testing, they could switch roles with the QA tester for a time-boxed period to gain hands-on experience and develop their understanding.
4. Hiring New Members
In some cases, new team members may need to be hired to fill in the major skills gaps. This should be done carefully, considering the current team dynamics, and the potential new members should be evaluated based on the required skills.
Example: If the team identifies a significant skill gap in database administration and no current members have the capacity to develop this skill, it could be necessary to hire a new member.
5. Product Backlog Refinement
The ScrumMaster and Product Owner can work together to refine the Product Backlog. This activity can reveal not just what work needs to be done, but also the skills necessary to do it.
Example: While doing backlog refinement, the team might identify the need for skills like Python programming or user experience (UX) design which weren’t previously considered.
| Strategy | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback and Evaluation | Regularly assess team’s skills and capabilities | 1-on-1 interviews, self-assessments |
| Skill Training and Development | Build new capabilities through training | Workshop on UI/UX design |
| Rotation of Roles | Discover and foster skills through role change | Developer switching role with QA tester for a period |
| Hiring New Members | Recruit new members based on missing capabilities | Recruit a new member skilled in database administration |
| Product Backlog Refinement | Assess required skills highlighted by Product Backlog | Skills like Python programming or UX design revealed by backlog refinement |
By adopting these strategies, you can systematically identify and address the skills gaps within the team and set the path for successful product creation. Remember, the ScrumMaster plays a vital role in facilitating these actions, ensuring the team has all necessary skills to meet product objectives.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: In Scrum, skills and capabilities are not necessary factors for the success of a Scrum Team.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: In Scrum, the levels of skills and capabilities directly impact the success of the team. If a skill or capability is missing, it can highly affect the team’s ability to create successful products.
Single select: Of these strategies for filling in missing skills in Scrum Team, which one is ineffective?
- a) Cross-training
- b) Hiring new team members
- c) Undergoing relevant trainings
- d) Ignoring the skill gap, focusing on strengths only
Answer: d) Ignoring the skill gap, focusing on strengths only
Explanation: Ignoring the skill gap and focusing only on strengths might lead to some critical aspects of the product development being overlooked.
When identifying the missing skills or capabilities within the Scrum Team, is it beneficial to conduct a skill gap analysis?
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Conducting a skill gap analysis is beneficial as it helps the team define their strengths, pinpoint the lacking skills, and plan how to acquire them.
In Scrum, skills and capabilities of the team members can be improved by inviting external expertise.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Inviting external expertise can indeed help to share knowledge and provide new perspectives, addressing the skill shortage.
Single select: Which of the following actions is least helpful when attempting to fill in missing skills or capabilities in a Scrum Team?
- a) Conducting regular training sessions
- b) Ignoring feedback
- c) Promoting knowledge sharing
- d) Inviting a domain expert for a session
Answer: b) Ignoring feedback
Explanation: Feedback is crucial in Scrum. Ignoring feedback might result in repeating mistakes and missing opportunities for improvement and learning.
Cross-training is an effective strategy for filling in missing skills in the Scrum Team.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Cross-training helps Scrum Team members learn and develop new skills from each other, which can fill in any skill gaps.
True or False: New hires are unnecessary in filling in missing skills in the Scrum Team.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Hiring new team members with the required skills or capabilities can be an effective strategy to fill in the gaps.
The Scrum Team should always reach outside the team to fill in missing skills.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: External expertise can be beneficial but first, the team should look inside for capability development. Cross-training or self-learning could be effective strategies.
True or False: Ignoring missing skills and relying only on the team’s strengths will successfully lead to product creation.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While a team’s strengths are crucial, ignoring the missing skills could lead to an ineffective product development process.
Single select: In Agile philosophy, who is primarily responsible for identifying and managing their skill gaps?
- a) The Scrum Master
- b) The Product Owner
- c) The Scrum Team
- d) Stakeholders
Answer: c) The Scrum Team
Explanation: The Scrum Team is self-organizing and should identify and manage their own skills for successful product development.
Rewriting job descriptions periodically helps in identifying potential skill gaps in the Scrum team.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Rewriting job descriptions helps the team reflect on the evolving needs of their project and find any skill gaps that need to be addressed.
True or False: The Scrum Master has direct responsibility for ensuring all team members have the skills they need.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While the Scrum Master can support skill development, it is, in fact, a collective responsibility of the Scrum team.
Great post! It’s essential to identify missing skills early in the project. Thanks for the insights.
I think cross-training within the team can be very beneficial. Has anyone had success with this approach?
Nice article! We do technical workshops to boost specific capabilities within our Scrum Teams.
I recommend using a skills matrix to identify gaps. Anyone used this effectively?
The post could have elaborated more on specific tools and methods for filling the gaps. Just my two cents!
Onboarding new talent with specific skills missing in the team can be another strategy. Thoughts?
Has anyone tried pairing newer team members with experienced ones for on-the-job training?
I appreciate the blog post! Skill sharing sessions can be really useful too.