According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the potential root causes of Team Sync anti-patterns is the lack of collective ownership. Collective ownership means that the team members share responsibility for the quality and delivery of the team’s work. They collaborate, communicate, and coordinate their efforts to achieve the team goals. They also support each other, provide feedback, and resolve issues together. When there is a lack of collective ownership, team members may exhibit some of the following Team Sync anti-patterns 1:
Reporting to managers (status meetings): Team members use the Team Sync as a way to report their progress to the SM/TC or other managers, rather than to synchronize with their peers. This can create a hierarchical and command-and-control culture, where team members are not empowered to self-organize and self-manage.
Monologues: Team members give long and detailed updates that are not relevant or useful to other team members. This can make the Team Sync boring, inefficient, and ineffective, as team members lose interest and attention.
Cross-functional team standups (updates are not related to other people’s work): Team members work on different features or components that are not aligned with the team goals or the Iteration goals. This can result in silos, dependencies, and integration issues, as well as reduced collaboration and coordination.
“Nothing to report” can be a good thing: Team members say they have nothing to report, either because they have not done any work, or because they do not want to share their work with the team. This can indicate a lack of transparency, trust, and accountability, as well as a missed opportunity to get feedback and support from the team.
To overcome these anti-patterns, the SM/TC should coach the team on the purpose and value of the Team Sync, and help them adopt the best practices for effective Team Syncs, such as 2:
Having a clear agenda and timebox
Focusing on the team goals and the Iteration goals
Asking the three key questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Do I have any impediments?
Using visual aids, such as task boards or Kanban boards, to track progress and identify issues
Encouraging active participation, collaboration, and feedback
Ending with clear action items and follow-ups
(Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)
References:
Scrum Master/Team Coach
Team Sync
Top 7 Anti Patterns of Scrum Master - Simpliaxis
Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy | Scrum.org
[11 Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns We Commonly Hear from Users In … - Geekbot
Question # 15
What is one anti-pattern of the Inspect and Adapt?
Options:
A.
No actionable improvement Features are created
B.
Not enough team members attend the PI System demo
C.
Too many ideas enter the problem-solving workshop
D.
Only one problem is identified by each team in the retrospective
One anti-pattern of the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is to have no actionable improvement Features created as a result of the problem-solving workshop. This is considered an anti-pattern because the main goal of the I&A workshop is to identify and address the systemic issues that are limiting the effectiveness of the Agile Release Train (ART). The workshop should produce one or more improvement Features that are added to the ART backlog and prioritized for the next PI Planning event. These Features should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and aligned with the ART vision and goals. Without actionable improvement Features, the ART will miss the opportunity to learn and improve from the feedback and data collected during the PI.
References:
Inspect and Adapt - Scaled Agile Framework
Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master
based on SAFe 60 methodology What is one antipattern of the
One Agile development value is customer collaboration over contract negotiation. This value is one of the four core values of the Agile Manifesto, which states: “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.” 1 This value emphasizes the importance of building a trusting and collaborative relationship with the customers, rather than relying on rigid and formal contracts that may limit the ability to respond to changing needs and expectations2 Customer collaboration means involving the customers throughout the development process, seeking their feedback, input, and validation, and delivering solutions that meet their requirements and expectations3 Customer collaboration also means respecting the customers’ opinions and perspectives, and resolving any conflicts or issues in a constructive and respectful manner4 Customer collaboration helps the Agile teams to deliver value faster and more effectively, as well as to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty34 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)
References:
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Mountain Goat Software
Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Agile Alliance
Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Scrum Inc
