When I look at how Agile a team is, I do not look for Scrum masters, product owners, sprints, or retrospectives. Not even when they follow the Scrum method. It doesn’t interest me that much. When I want to know how Agile a team is, I listen. I listen to how they talk. I listen to how people talk to them. That is because I am a firm believer that becoming Agile is not done by introducing a method like Scrum. That might be a start. But becoming Agile is changing the way you think. And that I can find out far better by listening to you.
Have to
The easiest thing to notice is how many times people use words like “Have to”, “Must”, or “No choice”. Why do I find this so important? I find that it shows the trust that is given and that is felt. When you tell someone “You have to”, you indirectly tell them: “I do not trust you to make the right decision here”. When a person says “I have to” they indirectly say: “I do not get the trust to make my own decisions”. One of the most important principles of being Agile is making your own decisions. A team should make their own planning, decide how they want to work, and create their own growing path. In an environment like that “Have to” is an exception, not the rule.
So, what is the alternative? I am very well aware that sometimes people have to do something. But try to avoid that as much as possible. Understand that you do not have to follow Scrum to be Agile. But you do have to trust each other to be Agile. So, if needed, I believe it is better to have an Agile team without a Scrum master than an Agile team without trust.
But most of the time there is no need for that. Not many teams will deny help and support in a way of working that is new to them. Of a way of working that they struggle with. And wouldn’t you know it, it seems to be the job of a Scrum master to help with that. So proposing a Scrum master to help will not often lead to a “No, thanks”.
Try convincing others of the benefits when you want something. Try giving them a choice in the ways something can be implemented. Ask for their feedback, and ask for the concerns they see. Give them the feeling they are in control, so they feel like they can make their own decisions.
Not true
Another thing I look out for is what happens if people do not agree with a person. How does that person react? Is it in words like “Not true” or “Not important”? Or is it in words like “You are right”, “Tell me why you think that?”, or “Why is this important to you?”
Let me be clear: most people who say words like that, do not automatically think the person talking cannot be trusted. Very often the person saying words like that is an expert in their job and/or they spend a lot of time working on a proposal. So, the first reaction is to think: “You do not know what I know”. While that is completely correct, no matter how much time you spend on preparation, you still do not know what the person talking to you knows. They were in situations you were not present. They talked to people you did not talk to. So they might know something important, that you do not know yet.
But why is this against Agile? In an Agile environment, it is very important that people can openly speak about the problems and struggles they have and see. Only when you can speak about them, you can talk about finding a solution. In an environment where the reaction feels like “I am not going to listen to you”, most people will stop talking about problems and struggles. And that prevents a team from growing.
And that is the same for yourself. If you deny that you could have missed something, you deny yourself the opportunity to grow and learn. It’s well known that you sometimes need an outsider to see a problem. So do not deny yourself that outsider.
Become Agile by talking like an Agile person
The benefit of changing the communication is that you can start by yourself and you can start tomorrow. You can do it when you are a manager. You can do it when you are a team member. You can do it when you are a Scrum master. Talk in a way that gives control to the Agile team, even give them some control over your work when you are in the team. Learn how you can explain to them why you want something. Listen to others when they do not agree with you. And even try to motivate people to disagree with you by asking for input and feedback. In this way, you start to create a team that feels trusted, in control, and is able to grow. And that is the best start to becoming a real Agile team. No matter the Agile method.