Applying Scrum to remote teams
When Scrum was first conceptualized, software teams were co-located. Most of the Scrum Events were predicated on the team coming together in a room and using shared devices, such as a whiteboard or sticky notes.
Obviously, things have changed since, with life attitudes and work culture valuing home-working and flexibility more than stringent constraints on time and location. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for global adoption of remote working, and not only for software teams. Most organizations nowadays employ a remote workforce who work from different geographical locations, sometimes even in different time zones.
The question has now become Can we still apply Scrum the way it was intended when our Scrum Team is fully remote? The answer is yes, with a few adjustments. Let's take a look at the traditional Scrum tenets and practices that have been affected by the absence of co-location:
- Communication:...