Scrum Master Cycle: the how
Makes sure the teams deliver together: removing impediments, coordinating work across teams, securing delivery. Its hub is the Executive Action Team.
Insights · Agile organisation
Scrum@Scale: Scrum for many teams, without new bureaucracy
Scrum@Scale extends Scrum from one team to many, up to the whole organisation. The framework comes from Jeff Sutherland, one of the creators of Scrum, and needs only two bodies at the top.
By Michele Mangieri · Updated
In short
Scrum@Scale is a framework by Jeff Sutherland for extending Scrum from one team to many, up to the whole organisation. It separates the how, the Scrum Master Cycle, from the what, the Product Owner Cycle. Four to five teams form a Scrum of Scrums, and only two bodies sit at the top: the Executive Action Team and the Executive MetaScrum.
Structure
Two cycles that meet twice.
The Scrum@Scale Guide separates the how from the what. Both cycles start in the team and meet again at product and release feedback.
Product Owner Cycle: the what
Decides what gets built: strategic vision, backlog prioritisation, backlog decomposition and refinement, release planning. Its hub is the Executive MetaScrum.
Team Process
Each team works according to the Scrum Guide. Because every team has a Scrum Master and a Product Owner, both cycles start here.
Feedback and metrics
Product feedback goes to the Product Owners, release feedback to the Scrum Masters. Metrics and transparency are shared by both cycles.
Building blocks
From the team to the Scrum of Scrums.
- Scrum of Scrums: teams that deliver together coordinate as one network. The guide recommends 4 to 5 teams per Scrum of Scrums.
- Scaled Daily Scrum: 15 minutes or less, with at least one person from each team. It is facilitated by the Scrum of Scrums Master.
- Chief Product Owner and MetaScrum: the Product Owners align priorities for the shared backlog. The MetaScrum meets at least once per Sprint.
- The same pattern at every level: several Scrums of Scrums form a Scrum of Scrum of Scrums. The structure repeats instead of inventing new layers.
- Minimum viable bureaucracy: the Executive MetaScrum and the Executive Action Team are the only additional leadership bodies.
Fit
When Scrum@Scale fits.
- When several teams work on one product or initiative and coordination between them becomes the bottleneck.
- When leaders are meant to actually remove impediments: the Executive Action Team needs decision authority, not just a recurring meeting.
- When a lean framework is wanted: the guide is freely available and defines building blocks, not a fixed process model. How they are shaped is up to the organisation.
- Scrum@Scale does not replace architecture: when teams work on the same systems and interfaces, their coordination needs a shared picture of the landscape.
From our work
Michele Mangieri has worked as Scrum Master and facilitator between business and IT in integration and migration initiatives, for example replacing SAP PI/PO, and as technical project lead and Scrum Master assessed an application landscape in banking. We use Scrum@Scale for initiatives with several teams, together with PRINCE2 and ITIL 4 for governance and operations. How a Sprint runs day to day is shown in A Scrum week.
Several teams, one initiative, and coordination is stalling? To Workshop Facilitation →
Source: The Scrum@Scale Guide, version 2.1, February 2022, Jeff Sutherland and Scrum Inc., published under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Scrum@Scale is a registered trademark of Scrum Inc. maxClaint is an independent advisory firm and not affiliated with Scrum Inc.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about Scrum@Scale
What is a Scrum of Scrums?
A network of teams that deliver together and coordinate. The Scrum@Scale Guide recommends 4 to 5 teams. The Scaled Daily Scrum, 15 minutes or less, includes at least one person from each team and is facilitated by the Scrum of Scrums Master.
What do the Executive Action Team and the Executive MetaScrum do?
The Executive Action Team is the hub of the Scrum Master Cycle and removes impediments the teams cannot remove themselves. In the Executive MetaScrum, leaders set the vision and strategic priorities. Scrum@Scale adds no other leadership bodies.
How does Scrum@Scale grow with the organisation?
By repeating the same pattern: several Scrums of Scrums form a Scrum of Scrum of Scrums. Instead of inventing new layers and bodies, the structure stays the same at every level.
When does Scrum@Scale fit?
When several teams work on one product or initiative and coordination between them becomes the bottleneck. The Executive Action Team needs decision authority for this. When teams work on the same systems, they also need a shared picture of the landscape.
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