Vote with your fists

If there was a single tool I use more than any other with teams it is Fist of Five voting.

If a session with a team does not feel right, at the end I ask the group to provide some feedback. I create a scale from 1 (or 0 if you like) to 5 and give a description for the highest and lowest. I make these up every time, something like "Where 1 is 'please never ask me to do this again' and 5 is 'can we do this every day, it was so much fun'" seems to work well.

You can vary the description to fit what you are looking for. You could choose to describe the scale in terms of effectiveness or return on investment, for example.

Every one then gives a score using their fingers, allowing us to get some insight what people are thinking.

I follow up by asking anyone with a score of 3 or less to suggest one thing we can change that would improve their score. As a group, we quickly decide which ones we will try and then we call the meeting to a close.

This is such a simple mechanism but it works for a couple of reasons:

* The feedback we get from the group is at the same time as the problem they observed, making it easier to act on
* Changes are often small so they are easier to implement in the next meeting
* We encourage group ownership of our ceremonies and meetings which helps people engage and take responsibility for their success

An obvious place to try to this is in you standup. If it feels wrong, this would well get some instant feedback that you can put into practice the next day.

The Sarcastic Scrum Master

As a Brit I am unbelievably sarcastic at times. Some might say uncontrollably, which can cause problems.

Just recently, I have been trying to channel this urge for good. I do this using my new favourite start to a conversation, "If Only...". This is the setup for my call to action, delivered with a sarcastic punch.

Here is an example:

Frustrated Developer: "GOD! What is going on with communication in this team? Nobody seems to know what is going on, everybody is running around like headless chickens - it's soooooo frustrating!"

Sarcastic Scrum Master: "Oh, that is SOOOO true! If only there was a point in the day when we are all gathered, in receive mode and trying to actively organise ourselves. That would be a great time to share knowledge or highlight a conversation that might need to happen."

Frustrated Developer: "What? Like the standup...."

Sarcastic Scrum Master: "OMG! I had forgotten about that! You're right that would be a good time to share things with the team. You would need to remember to say something of course, maybe we could add some sort of cue for you to let the team know something important...."

Frustrated Developer: "Erm. Like when you say 'Is there anything else that we need to share?"

Sarcastic Scrum Master: "Hey! You're right. I DO say that everyday.... what a ninny. That would be a super time to let the team know anything that they should be aware of."

It would be so easy to just say "That's what we have the stand up for" and be done but there is no learning attached to that.

Yes this is gently mocking and I know it works in my team with the relationships I have built. Your distance may vary.