Agile workteams

What makes a work-or project team agile?

We consider "agile" those "quick-reacting" project or work teams that bring together members of various organizational units regardless of hierarchy level, which on the one hand provide the competence and capacity necessary for the development, improvement or operation of a specific product/service, and on the other hand reflect the values of agility (fast delivery , continuous iteration, involvement) operate with appropriate work methods.

What challenge does it give an answer to?

It reinforces product- or functionality-centric operatin rather than project-focused. The team is not recruited on a project-by-project basis, but as long as there is a task related to the product or service, the team exists (even if in a variable composition).

The methodologies and tools applied (SCRUM in most cases) enable the team to outline changing or unknown customer needs and to react quickly to market conditions, all with frequent market testing, short cycle scope definition and the possibility of feedback-based modification.

What are its main characteristics?

Self-organising: unlike an administratively appointed project team, the participants and subject matter experts suggest the necessary capacities, but the participants volunteer to participate.

Constant change: the team regularly redefines its own tasks and therefore its composition.

Transparency: daily and bi-weekly ceremonies provide both internal and external stakeholders with a real-time picture of progress, dependencies and the team's culture of operation.

Empowerment: the Product Owner is more than a project manager, he/she knows all aspects of the product or functional element to be implemented and therefore also takes operational decisions in the team's functioning.

What kind of results can we expect?

First and foremost, delivery can be accelerated by ensuring that the team is always working on the implementation of only the specific known requirements and that all the necessary resources and knowledge are always available.

It also increases the security of operation by enabling periodically testing the correctness of the direction and the necessary next steps.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

• What makes a team agile?
  The team is agile because it reacts quickly to changes in its composition and task management. 
• What does cross-functional mean?
  It means that its composition is not based on the organisational chart, but it is skill-focused, so that it can have members from any relevant department.
• How do we know what is happening in the team, what when it delivers?
  Regular progress, collaboration and task-sharing ceremonies provide insight with sufficient frequency.