There are always questions raised in some corners about the role of the “Managers” in agile/scrum set up. Let me explain today.
In the traditional team set up, the job of the manager is to identify what needs to be done, to give detailed instructions to the employee, and then to track the employee to ensure that they complete the work according to the instructions. The role of the employee in this model is to follow the directions as given, trusting the judgment and wisdom of the manager. This works well in a factory kind of environment, where the inputs and outputs are well defined and there are not too many variables in between.
But Software development has far more complexity and variability. Requirements tend to change easier and faster, tools and technologies are also changing continuously. In this environment, it is difficult and time-consuming for a manager to understand every detail and issue precise instructions to guide the work of every employee. Within the Team, the work is highly interconnected, with intricate dependencies, and frequent change and surprise. To expect a manager to do all the thinking and planning for her team is unrealistic. As a result, it often constrains the team’s productivity and end up demoralizing them.
Scrum is based on a different approach: The Self-Organizing Team. The team selects and organizes themselves, the team assigns the tasks to themselves, the team commits to the sprint goal and the team delivers and demonstrates what they have committed at the end of the Sprint. So there is a lot more emphasis on thinking and solving problem together in the team and taking decision on a de-centralized manner.
Instead of command and control, a manager in the scrum environment, leads and enables the team to do their best. The manager also is the custodian of the scrum process and should make sure the environment and culture of the team is aligned to agile/scrum culture. This is much more important than the traditional manager’s role and could be both challenging and rewarding. The team needs be aware of this change and actively support the managers to perform and succeed in this role.
Many of the tasks that the managers have been doing would not necessarily change. Here is a typical list of tasks for an agile team manager:
· Lead the recruitment and hiring of new Team-members (with the active involvement and input of the existing Team-members)
· Provide support to Teams and their ScrumMasters in helping remove impediments
· Actively support ScrumMasters’ efforts to protect Teams from disturbance, disruption, or outside interference
· Provide mentorship and career development advice and guidance to Team-members
· Plan and manage skills development and training for Team-members
· Stay abreast of developments in the tools and technologies that Teams are using
· Provide performance feedback and complete performance evaluations for Team-members
· Manage attrition and remove non-performing team members
· Manage team budget – including infrastructure and pay revision
· Write business proposals for customers/ prospects
· Stay up to date on industry news
· Support the team directly and execute some sprint backlogs
To repeat, the managers or the leaders are pillars in an Agile/Scrum organization on which the whole team leans on.
(Bulk of this material has been taken from here)
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