Presentation on Building Cross-Functional Scrum-Teams in a Hardware Project. Variations of this presentation were held at the conferences Global Scrum Gathering Berlin 2014 and Agile Bodensee 2014.

1. Building cross-functional
Scrum-Teams
or
How Electricians, Mechanics, and
(Embedded) Software Engineers
Stephanie Gasche
went T-shaped

2. Who am I?
Stephanie Gasche
⟩ Management Consultant at Boris Gloger Consulting
⟩ studied English, History and International Business
Management in the UK and France
⟩ assists Agile Organisations and Scrum-Team
members during the change
⟩ founded her own start-up www.fleissigebiene.com
in 2013
⟩ blogs about Agility at
http://borisgloger.com/author/stephanie-gasche/

3. Welcome to the
Medical Technology Sector
The Company
⟩ German SME
⟩ specialised in
laboratory automation
⟩ recent take-over by
large pharmaceutical
company

4. Welcome to the
Medical Technology Sector
The Product
⟩ highly innovative
⟩ hardware product
⟩ started in 2011

5. Welcome to the
Medical Technology Sector
The People
⟩ ca. 35 people involved
incl. several consulting
and body-leasing
companies
⟩ spread across 3
locations in Germany
and Switzerland

6. Welcome to the
Medical Technology Sector
The Process
⟩ working with Scrum
since early 2013
⟩ 3-week sprints
⟩ embedded in
traditional product
development process
⟩ highly regulated
environment

7. Why use Scrum to build Hardware?
What the top management wants...
⟩ improved communication
⟩ shorter feedback cycles
⟩ transparency of product status
⟩ transparency of problems
⟩ clear roles and responsibilities
⟩ focus on delivery
⟩ know-how transfer through teamwork

8. Using Scrum to build Hardware
How is it different?
⟩ longer feedback cycles
⟩ keep suppliers close
⟩ ...and procurement even closer
⟩ rapid prototyping
⟩ think in results, not product increments

9. Today‘s Fairy Tale
How to turn disciplinary teams into
interdisciplinary teams in 3 steps?
... And back again.
Learning from my mistakes...

10. Cross-Functionality
What is it? Why would you want it?
⟩ team of generalising specialists
⟩ fosters explicit know-how transfer
⟩ work on different layers at the same time to
enable iterative delivery
⟩ easier integration
⟩ optimisation of whole product
⟩ less coordination, fewer queues at hand-overs

11. Once upon a time...

14. Feasibility !
⟩ topped expected outcome
⟩ first major milestone reached
⟩ 24h Party with 150+ people

15. Hello Feasibility
⟩ different product backlogs full of ad-hoc stories
⟩ every team working on different parts
⟩ large dependencies between disciplines
(visualisation in Scrum Arena)
⟩ high fluctuation, little know-how transfer
⟩ inefficient Scrum Day
⟩ one main location
⟩ Major speed decrease within 1 week
⟩ team members actively urging for cross-functionality!

16. „Let‘s do it properly“

17. Sprint #1 on the Journey to
Cross-Functionality
“The Creative Sprint“

19. Creative Sprint
Why? What?
⟩ fun and something different
⟩ perhaps make new discoveries
⟩ official cut between development process steps
⟩ Product Owners find time to write backlog
⟩ first informal feeling for cross-functionality
⟩ constellations working together for the first time
⟩ How To: selection of ideas " Sprint Plannings
" Daily Scrum " delivery

20. Sprint #2 on the Journey to
Cross-Functionality
“Chaos“

21. BILD TEAMKONSTELLATION

22. Chaos
Why? What?
⟩ constraint: only two teams (10+ people each)
⟩ home location for team members
⟩ Product Owner Team: Daily Scrum, product
backlog blockers (shared product backlog), CPO
and CSM
⟩ ScrumMaster Team: Daily Scrum, CSM
⟩ How To: shared backlog " team division in
Sprint Planning 1

23. Sprint #3 on the Journey to
Cross-Functionality
“Taking A Step Back“

24. BILD TEAMKONSTELLATION

25. Taking A Step Back
Why? What?
⟩ three teams
⟩ 2x interdisciplinary
⟩ 1x software
⟩ two locations
⟩ Quarterly Milestones as short-term goals
⟩ changing of roles
⟩ SoS for Firmware & Software and Electronics
⟩ one Product Owner & ScrumMaster Team
⟩ active team building

26. Fotocollage einfügen

27. Learning for the Future

28. Taking A Closer Look
Small attempts in smaller settings
⟩ 100 % Product Owner and ScrumMaster a must
⟩ each discipline must have at least one sparring
partner of same discipline
⟩ varied Backlog Groomings
⟩ create awareness of tractor factor
⟩ be firm about prioritisation of stories & tasks
⟩ feature-driven, cross-functional backlog
⟩ ask questions & be honest
⟩ play the Market of Skills game

29. And Now?
Yes, but no. We still have a long way to go...
⟩ build a feature-driven product backlog
⟩ create a shared product vision
⟩ show benefits of t-shape
⟩ roles are work in progress
⟩ support & schooling for Product Owners
⟩ find ScrumMasters
⟩ establish a strategy for scaling the teams
⟩ use my team as ambassador for interdisciplinarity
⟩ go fully cross-functional

30. Lessons Learned
Cross-Functionality in Hardware
⟩ communication & alignment (get
everyone on board)
⟩ cross-functionality is a shared
goal to work towards
⟩ take one step after another (don‘t
try everything at once)
⟩ keep the team small
⟩ limit the locations
⟩ be actively aware of each step
⟩ cross-functionality follows
feature-driven product backlog
⟩ work with a pilot team

31. Building cross-functional
Scrum-Teams
or
How Electricians, Mechanics, and
(Embedded) Software Engineers
Stephanie Gasche
went T-shaped