The Cross-Functional Scrum Development Team is puzzling to anyone who originates from a standard IT background; there are no architects, Business Analysts, Testers or UX Specialists, there are just Developers. This does not mean that there is no Business analysis, Software architecture design or system Testing. All the abilities required to finish the Scrum are there, but each Team member is understood as a Developer while they are in the Scrum. For this reason, the adjective that is most used to describe a Scrum Team is “Cross-Functional”.

There is another adjective explaining a Scrum Team that moves the Goalposts out a couple of more metres. Agile Scrum Teams are “Self-Managing” or “Self-Organizing”. This means there is no Project Management, all decisions about the Work are made by the Scrum Team.

Cross-Functional Team Size

Now you widen your net to consist of a couple of experienced people who are both proficient at Project Estimation and offering some management, when it concerns choosing the best quantity of Work for a Sprint. A few of the people you picked in your first Scrum Team iteration are terrific Developers and Testers. However they are hopeless at Estimating for how long it will take them to do the Work. They will need some help to make better calls on the Effort involved.

Great! You have chosen a Team of 12 individuals. They may have some Personality clashes but have all the Skills and Experience you need for a successful Project. Regrettably, there is one more factor you have to take into consideration. Scrum Teams preferably should have 5 to 7 Developers, but no greater than 9. Add to this the specific knowledge that no Project, Traditional or Agile, has actually ever got the precise Project resources that were asked for. Nevertheless, there are some other elements in your favour. These can increase the variety of people to be co-opted for the Agile Scrum Project. They can supply you with resources with the requisite capabilities.

If this is a large Project, 7 people may not be enough. In this case, you will need to set up two or more Scrum Teams. Each team with 5 to 7 individuals and use an extra co-ordination mechanism, the “Scrum of Scrums” to keep all the Scrums synchronised and Collaborative throughout Teams. If you are creating an extremely Risky Product, that can affect human lives (such as an air-traffic control system), you must be supplied with people with Just the right skills and headcount to deliver a successful (and defect-free) Product.

Experience and the Cross-Functional Team

There is a temptation to select just knowledgeable individuals for the Team. This is a short-term viewpoint. If you do not incorporate less knowledgeable members into the Team, you are rejecting them the Opportunity to Develop into the capable Team members. You will need them in future Projects. They may likewise be more receptive to Working in a Scrum than the more experienced members. More experienced members have to unlearn the old way of doing things.

Another thing to ensure is a dedication from each Team member. They need to be there for the duration of the Scrum, and must not leave mid-stream, disallowing unforeseen scenarios. The reason for this is that Team Dynamics are important in any Scrum. If a Team member leaves and is changed by a newcomer, the Dynamics and Teamwork are impacted.

The Cross-Functional Team Environment

At first, the individuals selected for the Team may be complete strangers with only a slight acquaintance with each other. Even if this is not the case, they may not have previously Worked Collaboratively with each other. Calling a group of individuals a Team does not necessarily make them a Team. Make sure that they have an Environment that is conducive to the Team Dynamics to Develop and Mature.

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You want the Team to be co-located, so that they are Working in close proximity to each other. The Scrum “Ceremonies”, or Meetings, can be also be held in the same space. Artefacts, such as “Burn-down Charts”, which show progress, can be shown on the walls.

We have not discussed them as yet, however area needs to be prepared for the other participants in the Scrum. These participants are the Scrum Master and the Product Owner. The Product Owner is specifically required to sit with the Development Team.

The Product Owner has been brought in from the Business, and needs to be away from his normal Environment. This ensures that their attention is not diverted from the Goal of Developing a successful Product.

The Scrum Master likewise requires to be on hand. They are the steward of the methods of both Agile and Scrum. They exist both to coach the Team and to guarantee that there is no deviation from the Framework.

Growing the Cross-Functional Team

The Team might form as a bunch of strangers at the start of the Scrum. They are anything but a Team. There is a maturity model explained by Bruce Tuckman that applies to Teams. The Team needs to evolve through 3 of the four stages of team maturity. The Scrum Master is crucial in coaching and directing the Development Team through these stage. They understand that this is a necessary journey in each Project.

Forming

Stage 1 or “Forming”. This is where the Cross-Functional Team Meets Up. The capability and appetite for collaboration and Teamwork are very low at this moment. Each Team member is serving as an individual and is not familiar with the abilities and character of the others.

Storming

Stage 2 or “Storming”. This is a high-conflict stage, where Team members challenge each other and disputes are typical. Hopefully this stage is brief and causes mutual acceptance and trust among members.

Norming

Stage 3 or “Norming”. At this stage they are actually a Team. Members Work in collaboration with each other and identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Work is performed efficiently, but with space for improvement. Improvements are discussed and adopted in the Retrospective Meeting. This meeting is held at the end of each Sprint (a single iteration within a Scrum Project).

Performing

Stage 4 or “Performing”. The performing and Cross-Functional Team Works in collaboration. They produce Quality outputs from each Sprint (the output is referred to as the Product Increment). This level of maturity is not always attainable within a Project, but if it is attained, the Value to the Team ought to be recognised. Tuckman included a fifth stage to his model, labelled “adjourning”, which signals the decommissioning of the Team. The problem with adjourning is that the tensions of reaching stage 3 or 4 are not acknowledged as having significant Value for the next Scrum. The entire cycle will need to start once again, rather of utilizing a group of Developers who have learnt to Work and deliver together.

Whether the Team is decommissioned or retained at the end of the Scrum, there is complete satisfaction in understanding that the unpredictabilities of combining different Personalities and abilities into a meaningful system were overcome. This culminated in an effective Product shipment. Lessons Learnt by observing the Team and how they coalesced over the Project can be used when picking the next Team for a Scrum.