SCRUM – the missing artefact

SCRUM is a framework for product development. In my world this is software product development.

I coach teams with varying knowledge and experience of SCRUM and other agile approaches. I tend towards using SCRUM as a starting point when asked to introduce a team to an agile way of working; it provides a basic contract between team and business, expresses the individuals responsibilities and leaves plenty of room for engineering practices to develop.

There is one artefact that I find gets lost. Often when returning to teams after a period away I will observe that while there is a product backlog, burn-down charts and a task board describing the current team state one artefact has been quietly dropped.

The impediment backlog or blockers list is a crucial artefact for most teams to deliver to their commitments and continually improve. This list of issues currently impeding progress is added to by the team as issues arise (or risks are identified). The SCRUM master / project manager needs to be reacting to these issues and eliminating blockers or escalating impacts through organisational channels.

Where team members have raised issues it is crucial that these are addressed. An absence of action from management in the presence of blocking issues shows a lack of interest in the project and can demoralise the team. Issues should be further addressed in iteration retrospectives, recurring issues can be a major drain on development efficiency. A recurring blocker could be down to tight coupling between development teams or a stove piped approach to discipline (i.e. none cross functional team).

So, if you are in a SCRUM team take a look around. Where is your impediment backlog? What actions are being taken in response to blocking issues? How visible is your impediment backlog? A visible backlog can serve a team as it constantly reminds managers and stake-holders of their obligations in support of the team.