During a Daily Scrum, the Development Team is most likely to communicate an impediment.
Understanding Impediments in Scrum
An impediment is anything that prevents the Scrum Team from performing its work as efficiently as possible or from achieving its Sprint Goal. These obstacles can range from minor annoyances to significant blockers that halt progress. Identifying and addressing impediments promptly is crucial for maintaining the flow of work and ensuring successful Sprint completion within the Agile framework.
The Development Team's Role in Identifying Obstacles
The Development Team holds the primary responsibility for delivering the increment each Sprint. As the individuals actively engaged in the day-to-day work of developing the product, they are in the best position to encounter and identify obstacles. Their hands-on involvement means they are the first to recognize when something is hindering their ability to fulfill tasks and achieve the Sprint Goal. Therefore, they are the most likely individuals to communicate these challenges during the Daily Scrum.
Examples of impediments the Development Team might communicate include:
- Lack of access to necessary tools or environments.
- Unclear or conflicting requirements from stakeholders.
- Technical debt impacting development speed.
- Dependency on an external team or individual who is unavailable.
- Unexpected complexity in a task.
- Team members facing unforeseen personal issues impacting their availability.
The Daily Scrum and Impediment Communication
The Daily Scrum is a vital event for the Development Team to synchronize activities and plan for the next 24 hours. Each team member typically answers three questions:
- What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
- What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
- Do I see any impediment that prevents me or the Development Team from meeting the Sprint Goal?
It is during the third question that impediments are explicitly brought to light. While anyone in the Scrum Team can identify an impediment, the direct accountability for completing Sprint tasks makes the Development Team the most frequent source of these communications.
Roles and Impediment Resolution
While the Development Team communicates the impediment, other Scrum roles play critical parts in its resolution.
| Scrum Role | Primary Responsibility Regarding Impediments |
|---|---|
| Development Team | Communicates impediments during the Daily Scrum as they are actively performing the work and encounter obstacles directly. They are responsible for highlighting anything that hinders their progress towards the Sprint Goal. |
| Scrum Master | Facilitates impediment removal. The Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader to the team, shielding them from external interferences and proactively working to clear obstacles that the Development Team raises. They do not remove impediments for the team but enable their removal. |
| Product Owner | Ensures the Development Team has a clear and prioritized Product Backlog. While not directly involved in removing technical impediments, they can address impediments related to scope, requirements, or stakeholder communication. |
How Impediments Are Handled
Once an impediment is communicated during the Daily Scrum:
- Acknowledge and Note: The Scrum Master notes the impediment.
- Prioritize (if necessary): For complex or multiple impediments, the Scrum Master and team might briefly prioritize them outside the Daily Scrum timebox.
- Collaborate on Solutions: The Development Team might discuss potential solutions briefly during or immediately after the Daily Scrum.
- Scrum Master Action: The Scrum Master takes the lead in addressing the impediment. This might involve:
- Facilitating discussions to find solutions.
- Connecting team members with necessary resources or people.
- Escalating issues to management if they are beyond the team's control.
- Working to remove organizational blockers.
- Follow-up: The Scrum Master tracks the impediment's resolution and communicates progress back to the team.
By empowering the Development Team to voice their challenges and having the Scrum Master actively facilitate their removal, Scrum ensures that workflow remains smooth, and productivity is maximized.
