Gemba Walk

Correct Answer: Provide an additional training for the team focusing on the application of agile practices for the project.

The best option when finding a team struggling with the use of agile practices is to provide additional training focused on those practices. This will give the team the necessary knowledge to use the practices effectively. Ignoring the situation, as suggested in one of the incorrect answers, would just result in the problems persisting. Applying new agile practices without understanding the team's issues, as suggested in another incorrect answer, could add more complexity and problems to the situation. Lastly, forcing the team to work overtime, recommended in another wrong answer, would not solve the root problem and could lead to burnout, decreasing the team's performance in the long term.

Correct Answer: As a leader, approach this team member privately to understand their concerns while ensuring them you are there to help.

The best course of action when noticing that a team member seems disengaged and demotivated during a Gemba walk is to approach this individual privately to understand their concerns, assuring them of your readiness to offer help and support. This approach shows empathy, respect and fosters trust, which are all important aspects of agile leadership. The other options are inappropriate since they either ignore the issue, expose it out publicly which may cause embarrassment and further demotivation, or escalate it unnecessarily to higher management without first trying to understand the nature of the issue. Thus, these actions are not in line with the principles of effective agile project management.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to apply the 5S method to help them organise their work area.

The best action to take during a Gemba Walk when noticing that the team's workspace is disorganized leading to inefficiencies, is to encourage the team to apply the 5S method to help them organize their workspace. The 5S method includes sort (remove what is not needed and keep what is), set in order(where everything should be), shine (clean workspace), standardize (everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are), and sustain (repeated evaluation of the 5S method and understanding how we can improve). This is not only a practical approach to directly tackling the observed problem, but also an acknowledgment and respect for the team's capability. Correcting the issue on your own doesn't empower the team and doesn't give them the ability to sustain the cleanliness in the future - it just fixes the problem momentarily. Leaving the workspace as it is, would mean the inefficiencies will continue. And blaming the team creates a negative atmosphere and doesn't promote problem-solving.