Scrum Data Points: How To Increase Velocity

During the past week, I had the incredible opportunity to undergo training in Scrum@Scale, a framework designed for scaling Scrum. What made this experience particularly special was that it was led by none other than Jeff Sutherland, the very creator of Scrum itself. Unlike some other frameworks, Scrum@Scale isn't overly prescriptive; instead, it builds upon the core principles of Scrum. This training served as a powerful reminder that many of the challenges faced by companies stem from their inability to properly implement fundamental Scrum practices. Consequently, when they attempt to scale, they are essentially amplifying existing flaws. It's a simple principle: if you start with garbage, you will create more garbage.

One of the most remarkable aspects of training with Jeff Sutherland is his wealth of scientific data and extensive case studies that support the framework. Numerous studies have even demonstrated the potential to double a team's velocity – yes, you read that correctly – by implementing Scrum patterns.

Here are some of the patterns for doubling velocity:

1. Co-location

2. Small Teams

3. Stable Teams

4. Dedicated Teams

5. T-shaped Team Members

6. Daily Scrum

7. Interrupt Buffer

8. A Ready Backlog

9. Fix Bugs Within a Day

10. Completing Testing Within Sprints

Each of these patterns is supported by a wealth of data, studies, and research. In the sections below, I'll delve into a few examples to illustrate their effectiveness.

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The Impact of Agile Quantified. Rally Software Development Corp. 2015

Dedicated Teams

Let's look at one of the patterns, dedicated teams. A study by Rally Software (before they were bought) showed a huge increase in productivity when team members were dedicated. Teams that had members 50% dedicated produced around half as much as when teams had members 95% or greater dedicated.

Small Teams

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http://www.qsm.com/process_01.html

If we look at Brook's Law on cost and time to deliver based on the team-size there is a huge difference. Look at the team size of 10 people vs 6, vs 4 and the cost they incur. The Team Size of 6 was able to deliver in twice the time of a team of 10 or 17.

Swarming & Context Switching

Let's just look at one more - swarming, and focusing on one or more projects. 

Weinberg, Gerald M. (1992) Quality Software Management: Systems Thinking. Dorset House, p. 284.

Working on 5 projects at the same time can yield up to 75% waste - that is a lot! Let’s say most people have an average of 3 projects? That's still a 40% loss! This loss necessitates more people to make up the difference. Save money, use fewer people to do the work in a less time.

There are many more studies and patterns that increase a teams' velocity and reduce the company's cost, proving that implementing Scrum correctly is the only way to get ahead of your competition. As Jeff likes to say. "Change or die." Change the way you do work, or your competition is going to take you out.