Agile Mindset for Manufacturers: Role of the Development Team

The Action Engineering team embraces an Agile mindset & Scrum practices in our work.
In our Agile articles, we share tips & coaching opportunities that work well for us. 

Over the past two weeks, we’ve covered the role of the Scrum Master and the role of the Product Owner. While both of these roles are important for the success of an Agile project, the most critical role is that of the development team. This week we dive a bit deeper into the role of the development team and what makes them successful.

The development team commonly referred to as the “dev team,” is responsible for delivering packages of work at the end of each sprint. While experts can assist the dev team in completing work, the dev team is responsible for ensuring the completion of the work. To ensure that work is completed, the dev team is empowered by the organization to manage their own work. Having an empowered dev team is how the team is able to work effectively and efficiently.

Change is the one constant in life, and with the just-in-time planning approach to Scrum, change is inevitable. The size of the dev team is a delicate balance between including enough team members to be able to accomplish the tasks and also being small enough to quickly respond to changes. Think of boats: a small sailboat can adjust course much quicker than a large cruise ship. A good rule of thumb is to limit the dev team to 3-9 people.

Along with being empowered by the organization, the dev team is self-organizing. Within the team, there is no hierarchical structure and no formal titles are recognized. While the Product Owner and Scrum Master help the team in prioritizing work, the dev team are the ones responsible for transforming the Product Backlog into actual completed pieces of work. The dev team needs to be cross-functional and include the skills necessary to complete the work. While there can be experts that are called upon to assist the dev team, the most successful dev teams include the bulk of the required skill sets.

To be a successful member of the dev team, one has to be curious, open to change, and solution-oriented. Dev team members should be great team players and willing to pitch in where needed. During the first few sprints, it can be a challenge to adjust to the shift in mindset, so dev team members should be people who are up for challenging the status quo!

Send us a message if you are thinking about kicking off a new Scrum or Agile team and need help with any of the Scrum Roles! We are always excited to chat about finding the right team members who will embrace Scrum and Agile.