What Agile Isn't - A Cross Domain Team Existing Only Of Product Manager Folks

Agile Scrum teams should be made up of team members across business domains. The Product owner should represent the needs of stakeholders and the Scrum team should consist of whoever is needed to deliver the product. This should include product designers, software developers and testers. Ideally all team members can work across disciplines, however in the real world this is most often not the case.

A scrum team should not consist only of Product Managers. This cannot be a scrum team as it cannot deliver anything. Some, although very few, would argue that a team like this can deliver the concept or a 'vision'. Arguably if this was the case that 'vision' would be delivered to a Customer so a Customer can engage with it. However unfortunately a 'vision' is not a deliverable product. In my view a collection of thinkers does not deliver a product.

This is often emphasised when a 'vision' is delivered to a delivery team and it is not possible to implement. There may be many technical reasons why it is not possible to deliver something. Some are so obvious that if a technical representative, i.e. someone from another business domain, were present in the team of thinkers many hours of wasted effort could have been avoided. This is precisely why scrum delivery teams are cross domain. Everybody that is required to deliver a product is available in the decision making process (or at least should be!). When this is the case if there is an impediment to delivery it is seen immediately, by someone in the team with the core knowledge of the reasons why, and can be analysed immediately. Then alternatives that could be delivered can be proposed, agreed and delivered.

Cross domain teams identify potential risks to delivery as early as possible and provide solutions to avert these issues. It is precisely why, when the concept of a 'vision' is discussed, that a cross domain team should be involved. The same principle of early issue identification and risk mitigation applies. By involving a cross domain team when the 'vision' gets to the delivery stage, it will actually be possible to deliver it, as opposed to spending 6 months fighting as to why it cannot be delivered.

Its a very simple, and obvious, thing to do when coming up with an idea.

Cheers

m