/w=3840,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
Balancing these three pillars needs a calm hand and a calm approach. Stakeholders rightfully need to watch the budget. If they don’t, delivering product value could go belly up. And no one wants that. Neither the stakeholders, the Scrum Team, nor the product's future customers. #ScrumMaster #TimeLine #ProductQuality #ProductBudgetAndCost
Emmanuel van der MeulenScrum's Tightrope: The Perilous Dance of Quality vs Time
The tension between quality and timelines is a common challenge faced by Scrum Teams and stakeholders.
Three Pillars: Time, Quality, and Budget
Stakeholders rightfully need to watch the budget. If they don’t, delivering product value could go belly up. And no one wants that. Neither the stakeholders, the Scrum Team, nor the product's future customers.
Balancing these three pillars needs a calm hand and a calm approach.
If quality assurance isn’t baked into delivering product value, finding issues after going live is a costly exercise. The later an issue is discovered the more expensive it is to attend to.
There is also the reputation of the product, stakeholders, Scrum Team, and the company.
It is thus best that quality assurance is baked into delivering product value from the outset.
Doing it this way has an initial cost impact. In most cases, the cost is the only impact recognized.
Here is why this is required. When quality is part of delivering product value, the product is delivered sooner, and cost-effectively, even though this seems counterintuitive.
The process of delivering product value starts where artifacts or processes commence. The time spent on Increments is reduced, due to accuracy without unnecessary failure.
Creating Increments with an Unstable Product
When the product is unstable, creating, changing, or testing Increments takes longer. This is a hidden and unnecessary delay, costing time and money. Importantly, this dynamic or dilemma is not well understood. This causes slippages in delivering the product.
Stakeholders see their timelines slip and their budget overrun.
What usually happens is that trust in the Scrum Team is continuously reduced with ensuing bickering. No one enjoys this and product delivery implodes.
Another scenario that influences the dynamic of the three pillars is firefighting. When product delivery has gone off the rails, like a speeding train, it requires cool and calm, not firefighting.
Is the Scrum Team a Commodity Costing Money, Or An Asset Requiring Investment?
Preventing the timeline dilemma starts with the way the Scrum Team is viewed by themselves and the stakeholders. This requires an approach that considers them an asset and investment.
A fine line exists between whether the team composition is balanced or whether the team requires investment.
Conclusion
Assessing Scrum Team composition, and possibly reconstituted to be well-balanced, cohesive, and multifunctional.
Understanding and adopting the approach that each Scrum Team is an asset instead of a commodity, liability, or consumable.
And, when balancing the three pillars, each Scrum Team is a well-oiled machine: Confident, self-organizing, self-managing, and high-performing.
When quality assurance is baked into delivering product value, up to twice the amount of work is achieved in half the time. Stakeholders and Scrum Teams, this is available to you!
