Have your team ever felt confused and lost in a Scrum event? Have they ever wondered what the point was or what they were supposed to do next? Do you face resistance or disagreement from your Scrum Team members frequently or struggle to get them to participate and share their feedback?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. Confusion and ambiguity are common and harmful in Scrum events, leading to wasted time, missed commitments, poor quality and low morale. They can also undermine your credibility and confidence as a Scrum Master and damage your relationship with your team.
But don’t worry; there is a way out of this. In this article, I will share with you five tips that will help you eliminate confusion and ambiguity in your Scrum events and achieve clarity and alignment with your team. These tips are:
- Define the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event.
- Use visual aids and tools to communicate effectively.
- Ask open-ended questions to elicit feedback and insights.
- Use the “Fist of Five” technique to check for agreement.
- Summarise and confirm the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event.
By following these tips, you can run effective and engaging Scrum events that deliver value and results for your team and your stakeholders. You will also boost your confidence and credibility as a Scrum Master.
So, if you want to learn how to eliminate confusion and ambiguity in your Scrum events, keep reading. You’ll be glad you did.
Tip 1: Define the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event
Imagine you are invited to a party, but you don’t know who is hosting it, why they are throwing it, or what you are supposed to do there. You arrive in your favourite beach attire for a pool party only to discover it’s a black tie ball. How would you feel? Confused? Lost? Uncomfortable?
That’s how your team members might feel if you don’t define the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event. Scrum events are not just random meetings that you have to attend. They are opportunities to plan, inspect, adapt and improve your work as a team. But if you don’t have a clear and shared understanding of what each Scrum event is for and what it should accomplish, you might end up wasting time, creating confusion, or missing the point.
That’s why the first tip to eliminate confusion and ambiguity in your Scrum events is to define the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event. The purpose is the reason why you have the Scrum event, and the outcome is the result or deliverable that you expect from the Scrum event.
For example, the purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work. The Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work.
By defining the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event, you will be able to set the direction and scope for each Scrum event and ensure that everyone is on the same page about what needs to be done and why.
Tip 2: Use visual aids and tools to communicate effectively
We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Visualisations can help you communicate information and ideas more clearly and concisely than words alone. They can also help you capture attention, stimulate interest, and enhance retention.
Visual aids and tools are anything that can help you convey your message visually, such as images, diagrams, charts, graphs, icons, symbols, etc. They can help you illustrate complex or abstract concepts in a simple and understandable way. They can also help you organise information in a logical and structured way.
For example, you can use a whiteboard or a sticky note wall to brainstorm ideas, organise information, or create diagrams during your Scrum events. You can use charts or graphs to show data or trends during your sprint review. You can use online collaboration platforms such as Miro or Mural to create virtual boards or cards that can be accessed and updated by everyone in real time.
By using visual aids and tools in your Scrum events, you will be able to communicate more effectively with your team and your stakeholders and reduce the risk of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
Tip 3: Ask open-ended questions to elicit feedback and insights
Do you want to know what your team members think? Do you want to hear their opinions, experiences, or suggestions? Do you want to encourage them to think critically and creatively? Then ask them open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, but require more explanation or elaboration. They invite people to share their thoughts and feelings and encourage them to explore different perspectives and possibilities.
For example, you can ask open-ended questions such as “What are the main challenges we are facing?”, “How can we improve our process?”, “What are the benefits of this solution?” etc. These questions will help you uncover problems or opportunities that may not be obvious or apparent otherwise. They will also help you engage your team members in a meaningful conversation that fosters learning and collaboration.
By asking open-ended questions in your Scrum events, you will be able to elicit feedback and insights from your team members that will help you make better decisions and take better actions.
Tip 4: Use the “Fist of Five” technique to check for agreement
How often have you been in a situation where you thought everyone was on board with something but later found out that some people had doubts or objections? Are you curious about how to rapidly evaluate the level of alignment and commitment among your team members? Then use the “Fist of Five” technique.
The “Fist of Five” technique is a simple way of voting or rating something by showing a number of fingers from zero to five. Zero means strong disagreement or rejection; one means slight disagreement or reservation; two means neutral or undecided, three means slight agreement or acceptance, four means strong agreement or support; and five means enthusiastic agreement or endorsement.
For example, you can use the “Fist of Five” technique to check for agreement on things such as “How confident are you that we can finish this Sprint Goal?”, “How satisfied are you with the outcome of this Sprint Review?”, “How ready are you to implement this item?”, etc. This technique will help you gauge the level of consensus and buy-in among your team members and identify any issues or concerns that need to be addressed or resolved.
By using the “Fist of Five” technique in your Scrum events, you will be able to check for agreement among your team members in a quick and easy way.
Tip 5: Summarise and confirm the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event
How often do you leave a meeting with a vague idea of the discussion, outcomes, or actions? Have you ever wondered what needs to be done next, by whom by when? Then summarise and confirm the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event.
Summarising and confirming the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event will help you ensure that everyone is on the same page about what was accomplished and what needs to be done next. It will also help you clarify any doubts or questions that may arise during or after each.
For example, you can summarise and confirm things such as “So, we have agreed that our sprint goal is…”, “The main feedback we received from the stakeholders was…”, “The action items we have identified for the next sprint are…”, etc. at the end of each event. You can also ask for confirmation or feedback from your team members or stakeholders if they have any questions or comments about what was summarised or confirmed.
By summarising and confirming the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event, you will be able to ensure that everyone is clear about what was accomplished during each Scrum event and what needs to be done next.
The Bottom Line: How to Run Effective and Engaging Scrum Events
You’re a Scrum Master who wants to do your job well. You want to avoid confusion and ambiguity that can ruin your Scrum events. You want to achieve clarity and alignment with your team and your stakeholders.
That’s why you need these five tips to eliminate confusion and ambiguity in your Scrum events:
- Define the purpose and outcome of each Scrum event.
- Use visual aids and tools to communicate effectively.
- Ask open-ended questions to elicit feedback and insights.
- Use the “Fist of Five” technique to check for agreement.
- Summarise and confirm the key takeaways and action items at the end of each Scrum event.
By following these tips, you will be able to run effective and engaging Scrum events that deliver value and results for your team and your stakeholders. You will also boost your confidence and credibility as a Scrum Master.
So don’t wait any longer. Apply these tips in your next Scrum event and see the difference for yourself.
Remember: Clarity is power. Alignment is success. And you can achieve both with these five tips.
