Distributed Teams

5 minutes 5 Questions

Scrum is often applied in the context of distributed teams. These are teams that operate from different geographical locations. The core challenge here is communication and cohesion among team members. Tools like project management software, videoconferencing, and other advanced communication techn…

Distributed Teams in Scrum

What is Distributed Teams?
Distributed Teams refer to teams that work on the same project but are spread across different geographical locations. This has become more prevalent with the advancement of technology and the ability to work remotely.
Why is Distributed Teams important?
Understanding and effectively managing distributed teams is particularly important in Scrum because it presents unique challenges and benefits. The benefits include access to global talent, round-the-clock work, and diverse perspectives. The challenges could be communication barriers, cultural differences, and aligning schedules.
How Distributed Teams work?
Distributed Teams collaborate using various communication and project management tools that enable real-time interaction and efficient management of tasks. They follow the same Scrum rituals like daily stand-up meetings, retrospectives, sprint planning, and reviews, but they do it remotely.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Distributed Teams
1. Understand the concept: Make sure to thoroughly understand the concept of Distributed Teams and its unique challenges and benefits in Scrum.
2. Think practically: Try to relate questions to real-life scenarios as it can help in better understanding and responding.
3. Clarify the situation: If the question presents a scenario, clarify the situation in your mind before attempting to answer.
4. Remember Scrum values: While answering, remember the values of Scrum — focus, courage, openness, commitment, and respect.
5. Use appropriate tools and techniques: Often, the questions could be about the tools or techniques useful for managing distributed teams. Be prepared to discuss them.

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PSM I - Distributed Teams Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Distributed Teams

Question 1

Your distributed Scrum Team is having problems maintaining a consistent velocity, due to varying work hours and output. What should you propose to help equalize the team's performance?

Incorporate a strict adherence to the Scrum of Scrums technique, forcing all team members to synchronize daily despite their time zone differences. Utilize a Kanban board to visualize work and allow team members to pick tasks that fit their schedules, hoping this increases overall team output. Introduce a policy requiring all team members to be available during a 4-hour overlap window, believing this will resolve any inconsistencies in velocity without discussing it as a team. Implement a regular retrospective where the team can evaluate and adjust their working agreements to better align their schedules and capacities.

Correct Answer: Implement a regular retrospective where the team can evaluate and adjust their working agreements to better align their schedules and capacities.

The correct answer promotes the idea of self-organization and team collaboration through retrospectives, allowing the team to inspect and adapt their process, which is a core principle of Scrum. The wrong answers, although related to agile practices, either misapply those practices (like the Scrum of Scrums, which is meant for coordination between multiple teams) or ignore the importance of team autonomy and collaborative problem-solving.

Question 2

Your geographically dispersed team members often have issues with miscommunication due to different time zones and cultural diversity. What should you suggest as a Scrum Master to resolve this problem?

Implement a rotating weekly lead from different time zones to manage the scrum events, ensuring every time zone is accounted for over a period. Introduce a requirement for mandatory overlapping office hours for all team members, irrespective of their time zone. Advise team members to communicate exclusively through email to ensure that all communications are recorded and time-stamped. Promote the use of a common collaboration platform where team members can asynchronously share updates and queries.

Correct Answer: Promote the use of a common collaboration platform where team members can asynchronously share updates and queries.

The correct answer focuses on asynchronous communication which is beneficial for geographically dispersed teams, allowing for flexibility across different time zones and cultural practices. Wrong Answer 1 ignores the logistical and personal difficulties of having mandatory overlapping hours. Wrong Answer 2 suggests an exclusively asynchronous method that could delay decision making. Wrong Answer 3 introduces an unnecessary role rotation that could lead to inconsistency in scrum event management.

Question 3

Your distributed team often misses deadlines due to members working in different time zones. What can you do as a Scrum Master to solve this problem?

Force everyone to work in the same timezone. Change the project deadline for every timezone. Lower the project's quality standards to meet the deadlines. Schedule daily standups at a time that suits all team members, and use tools to keep everyone updated about the project's progress.

Correct Answer: Schedule daily standups at a time that suits all team members, and use tools to keep everyone updated about the project's progress.

The best solution for a distributed team struggling with time zone differences is to 'Schedule daily standups at a time that suits all team members, and use tools to keep everyone updated about the project's progress.' This tactic ensures everyone is aligned with the shared objectives and understands the progress and any blockers on a day-to-day basis. In contrast, 'forcing everyone to work in the same timezone' isn't viable because it completely disregards work-life balance and could lead to burnout. 'Lowering the project's quality standards to meet the deadlines' is a short-term and harmful solution, which could lead to bad product quality and loss of trust from your clients. 'Changing the project deadline for every timezone' would create unnecessary confusion and could lead to more missed deadlines because the team is not working towards the same target.

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