Chapter 62. Anatomy of an Impediment
Len Lagestee
The Scrum Guide states the Scrum Master has a responsibility to the team to remove impediments; but just what is an impediment? One dictionary defines an impediment as “a hindrance or obstruction in doing something.” From a Scrum perspective, the “doing something” is the ability to produce and deliver valuable outcomes within an ecosystem of flow and agility. There are different types of “hindrance or obstruction.”
Anything Constricting Flow or Constraining Pull in the System
The measure of success for a Scrum Team is how well and how frequently the needs of their customers are being met. A blanket term for impediments keeping us from serving customers with the least amount of resistance is friction. Friction comes in many shapes and sizes:
Unnecessary approval gates and defensive processes, such as testing sign-offs or governance committees, are examples of process impediments and characterize an untrusting environment.
Leadership decision escalations and status reports are examples of legacy impediments and characterize an organization not fully embracing an environment of agility.
Poor craftsmanship and the lack of decisiveness from the Product Owner are examples of capability impediments and characterize a team without accountability.
Friction impediments are frequently ignored, as they often touch upon sensitive areas, such as quality and leader behavior, so the comfort of the status quo will be a challenge to overcome. This changes with you.
Anything Causing Team Tension to Rise Beyond Constructive Conflict
Whereas friction impediments will slow a team down, tension impediments will drag a team down. Tension impediments bubble up when there is a conflict with personality and working styles and the team does not have the ability to resolve that conflict on their own.
These impediments often manifest when someone on the team is struggling with self-awareness or with breaking old habits. Other team members will attempt to compensate for this person by saying, “This is how they have always been,” or by ignoring it altogether.
Tension impediments exhaust a team and, left unchecked, will create dysfunction and burnout. Step in early before tiny fractures become broken relationships.
Anything Keeping a Team from Self-Healing
Self-healing impediments keep a team from evolving beyond their current condition. Without the ability to sense, learn, and respond, teams will not have the ability to be resilient when stressors hit them.
When retrospectives are not providing the space for a team to wrestle with impediments, it’s just a matter of time before they will lose strength and begin to revert to old habits and behaviors. The team relies on the Scrum Master or coach to be able to foster a safe environment for open dialog required to address friction and legacy impediments.
To conclude, every impediment has a story and a deep-rooted origin in something broken within your team or organization. In fact, the current state of your organizational culture is often revealed through your list of impediments.
But impediments are more than just a list. Research, explore, and listen to what each impediment is telling you, then take action with vigor and bravery. The health of your team depends on you.