Things to consider while building an Agile Team

By / November 17, 2016 /

Teamwork is of paramount importance while working in an Agile environment. If a team does not pull together, it affects the software. The indicator of an Agile approach is simplicity. The team should utilize proper tools, know how to communicate efficiently and be well managed. Furthermore, the team members need to work in an effective manner and should share mutual interest.
The work environment of the team should give rise to an opportunity of developing team spirit. Now, the question that arises is- How should one build an Agile team? Though building an Agile team can be a complicated task, we can still make use of some rules that can help build a reliable and good team. Let’s have a look at these rules:

Generate space and opportunities: Meetings including retrospectives and regular stand-ups are great events for people to get to know each other in a better way. No doubt, the best method to do this is to arrange an integration meeting outside the organization. This will equip with a less formal method to pull the team together where people can share their hobbies, stories and similar interests. By engaging in these activities, the team members get a better insight into their teammates.

There are also other ways of creating a social bonding a between the team members. You may have heard of the principle of Working in One Room. Through this principle, the team members greatly improve their communication which results in making the earlier procedures unnecessary. This is the reason why it’s crucial for the team to take on their own space in their particular manner. Open space is a great idea as it is tough to build an Agile team when people are isolated. Though everybody in the team has their different roles, a thing like hierarchy does not exist.

In an Agile manner, one can talk of the Whole-Team approach. This approach is centered on the significance of the team- All hands on board. The entire team concentrates on delivering high quality software. This type of approach encompasses constant communication and collaboration among the people. Thus, work in one room can result in great opportunities of making things happen.

Have specific goals: According to Tony Robins,” Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible”. Once the team is equipped with motivated people, we have to set challenging but reachable goals that provide a sense of direction to the team. This part can turn out to be a tricky one as if the set goals are too easy to achieve, the entire team may become de-motivated and bored. On the other hand, if the objectives are out of reach then they can paralyze the team.

The idea is to create goals that adhere to the rule- Not Too Easy, Not Too Hard. You should keep on setting challenging objectives as people like to feel proud of their work. The focus should be on creating an environment where the team members can depict inventiveness, team spirit and creativity to resolve problems in their own Agile manner. The big picture is to develop valuable software. Now what does it actually imply to set goals in an Agile manner? The answer lies in the context.

You may have heard about the SMART rule that implies that goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Though it’s a superb rule, it is not that efficient. Considering that Agile is all about being flexible to an existing situation, one can make use of the SMART rule and adjust it according to the Agile approach. You can use the SMART rule once you become aware of the context. Sometimes, you’ll have to select few criteria which will be essential to your current situation. In the end, it’s all about being flexible.

Select the right tool: Working with a proper tool that best meets the expectations of the team is a crucial factor. The Agile Software Development Company should also be equipped with some space to explore the novel technology and to experiment with new solutions and software that can make the daily tasks more efficient.

The team board assists in keeping the crucial things visible and it is still greatly used among a large number of organizations. Though it’s okay to work with a board, it is not that effective. This owes to the fact that we do not have an easy access to the history of changes by means of a board. Also, not everybody involved in the project can take a look on the backlog or task-board from any time or any place.

These days, it’s pretty common for people to work in distributed teams all across the world. However, such teams still deliver huge successes by using proper tools. Thus, the key is to use a tool for Agile collaboration that is smart, reliable and easy to use.
It’s fundamental that the tool you choose to use with your team is all set for customization via opened API.
Building an Agile team is not an easy task. However, it is worthwhile to put effort and attention to boost the team work and team spirit. No matter how many problems appear along the line, keep in mind that teamwork is the significant factor that can help you achieve success in the game.

This post has been viewed 1,689 times