There are many scaled Scrum projects that have been failures. Although Scrum, an Agile approach, is widely used at the team level, when it comes to scaling, it's a different ball game altogether.
Apart from the CIPSA Framework, there are several frameworks available, such as SAFe, Scrum@Scale, DA, and LeSS, among others. Some of these are scaled frameworks but not exactly Agile. They hold value but may not succeed in the real world.
This article explains some of the reasons for these failures and the mistakes you can avoid.
Mistake # 1: You're at Scale in size. But are you really Agile (Scrum) at Scale?
At Scale, you'll have a number of teams and team members. While using the framework, you can do tests with respect to values and principles of Agile Manifesto.
The values of Agile manifesto such as prioritizing individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration and responding to change.
Are they being followed, with the 12 principles? If not, you are not at scale. Not all can scale, but they need right customization.
Mistake #2: Lack of practical, hands-on applicability.
This is another key factor. The frameworks available are mostly theory, and more theory. While theory is necessary, it's practical implementation that actually matters. Apart from CIPSA, not a single scaled framework is practical or hands-on.
In large teams, you can't have physical whiteboards or Scrum boards. You need to use software tools that can manage multiple teams at scale.
It can be any software tool, but the framework should be such that it can be supported by any software tool. If you need 10 software tools to manage, that is another problem.
Mistake #3: Communication paths (channels) go exponential and unmanaged.
As any management professional would know, with an increase in the number of people, the number of communication paths increases. With 3 people, there are 6 communication paths or channels; with 30 people, you have 435! In other words, it grows exponentially with more team members.
With such an increase in the number of communication channels, communication can break down or may not happen at all. This is where again, the role of the right framework comes in.
Continuous communication should be maintained among the team members. The right kind of roles and ceremonies, at a minimum, are needed.
Mistake #4: Too many roles spread across layers of scaling, bringing bureaucracy.
If the framework prescribes too many roles, then it's no longer a framework but a bureaucracy jamboree.
With too many roles, bureaucracy is inevitable. As we all know, high bureaucracy means failure.
In fact, I've seen terms being used in some scaled agile frameworks, such as "waterfall with red tape and two-week iterations!"
Mistake #5: There is no goal alignment for Scrum at Scale.
I've seen teams running in sprints without any goals. I ask them: What exactly are you running toward as you are sprinting? There is no answer.
It's a clear case of goal mismanagement and sometimes, no goals at all.
All the goals at the team level and also at scale should be aligned.
Mistake #6: Too many artifacts considered or used, e.g., the backlogs.
Backlog management is the first and crucial step in Agile.
The product backlog should be one and continuously evolve, with the other backlogs kept minimal. Once done, those backlogs (other than the product backlog) should be discarded.
In some frameworks, there are backlogs within backlogs. It not only adds more artifacts but also becomes difficult to manage.
Mistake #7: The framework followed is complex. Complexities don’t scale well.
Simple things always scale very well, not the complex ones. When the framework is too complex, with layers of roles and artifacts, it becomes too difficult to manage first. Scaling comes later. High complexity means big nightmares.
The framework should be simple and easy to follow.
Mistake #8: A lack of integration for Increments among individual Scrum teams.
Individual Scrum teams have increments, but often they don't get integrated. At scale, it's only the integrated increment that matters. If integrated increments are not provided, Scrum at scale has no value.
Mistake #9: Not having integration specialists in the Scaled Scrum team.
Scrum (and other Agile approaches) emphasizes neither generalists nor specialists but generalizing specialists. For integrations, one needs the role of specialist integrators, who are also generalists.
Mistake #10: Burnout of software engineers in a Large-Scale team.
While Agile promotes a sustainable pace, the reality on the ground is quite different. Sustainable pace is one of the 12 principles in the Agile Manifesto. But engineers are asked to work on multiple projects and work more than 12 to 14 hours a day.
At scale, such problems get magnified. At scale, dependencies are minimized by the Chief Scrum Master, but dependencies still remain. With cross-team dependencies, imagine a few engineers across teams falling sick or leaving the teams.
Conclusion
As your organization grows, scaling becomes inevitable. When you undertake projects to build products or provide solutions and adopt scaling approaches, using a Scaled Scrum framework is essential. However, it should be a framework that is not complex, but simple.
If the framework is overly complex and not easily implementable in a practical, hands-on manner, it should be avoided.
As this article emphasizes, the framework should not have layers of bureaucracy that stifle progress. The roles, goals, and artifacts should be minimal, but the value they provide should be maximal.
Get CIPSA certified – Not only Practical, but also Economical
The CIPSA Scrum framework is the simplest framework in the world. It’s practical, hands-on, and offers in-depth explanations of the artifacts, roles, goals, and other areas that are critical to its success.
Certification costs for Scaled Agile frameworks can often be prohibitively high, running into thousands of dollars.
However, the CIPSA certification is not only practical but also very economical.
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To find out more about the CIPSA Framework, you can download the CIPSA Framework Guide. It’s free to download. For in-depth understanding, consider becoming a CIPSA professional.
Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)
- Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA) Course - Practical and Economical
