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About this lesson
Roadblocks are impediments that prevent the Scrum Team from completing Stories and tasks. The Scrum Master is charged with removing or creating a workaround for the Roadblocks.
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Quick reference
Removing Roadblocks
Roadblocks are impediments that prevent the Scrum Team from completing Stories and tasks. The Scrum Master is charged with removing or creating a workaround for the Roadblocks.
When to Use Removing Roadblocks
Some Sprints will not have any Roadblocks, others will have many. Whenever a Roadblock is identified by the Scrum Team, the Scrum Master must work to remove it.
Instructions
- Roadblocks are anything outside the Scrum Team’s control that prevents a Scrum Team member from working at full capacity.
- If the Roadblock is “internal” to the team, the Scrum Master may need to facilitate a team meeting to resolve the issue.
- Roadblocks are identified by Scrum Team members during Sprint Planning Meeting or the Scrum Meetings.
- The Scrum Master is responsible for removing or developing a work around for Roadblocks.
- The Scrum Master will often enlist the aid of project sponsor or Product Owner to address Roadblocks that are caused by organizational department, internal policies, or procedures.
- Obviously, some Roadblocks are there for a reason and should not be removed. For instance, a Scrum Team member might identify the requirement to abide safety precautions when conducting experiments using high power as a Roadblock. However, the Scrum Master should not seek to avoid those procedures, but rather seek to find ways to make them easier to comply with.
- This is a serious enabler of the success of the Agile/Scrum project and the Scrum Master needs to work these quickly and not ignore them.
- Some Scrum Team members are reluctant to identify Roadblocks because they feel it conveys weakness or ignorance on their part. The Scrum Master should investigate any Story or task that has been in the WIP column for two days or more to determine why it has not completed. Most of the time there is a Roadblock involved. Document it on the Scrum Board then work to resolve it.
- Roadblock resolution may require some creativity on the part of the Scrum Master. Make sure you understand what the Scrum Team member wants to do. Many times there is an easy work around that does not require “dismantling” the Roadblock.
- Ensure you are solving the real problem, the Roadblock may be stated in terms of a symptom of the problem. Investigate to understand.
- A Roadblock may be stated as material shortages prevent making test samples. When the real Roadblock is the standard Purchasing procedures do not allow for expedited deliveries.
- Resolution of Roadblocks normally requires the Scrum Master to work with others outside the Scrum Team.
- May need to leverage Product Owner relationships to get buying.
- Often requires “political” skills to resolve the Roadblock if the work around impacts the “turf” of a senior manager or a department.
- Standard business processes are not compatible with the Agile/Scrum “self-organizing” team model and the procedures and systems do not allow the team do what it wants to do.
Hints and Tips
- If this project is one of the first few Agile/Scrum projects in the organization, expect many Roadblocks since the business systems and procedures are not aligned around the Agile/Scrum approach. Over time, the work arounds will become standard practice and the number of Roadblocks should reduce.
- It often requires some creative brainstorming to create workarounds for Roadblocks that are embedded in management procedures and policies. You may need to redefine the Story or the tasks to avoid the problem.
- Scrum Masters, it feels like all anyone on the team does is complain to you about what they can’t do. That is the nature of the job. Deal with it.
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