👩‍🏫Agile Team Process

Agile teams map and evolve their own process as they govern themselves. Learn more about how teams build their team process below.

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What is Agile Team Process?

You may think that someone dictates how a team should work in Agile.

After all, we have all of the rules written in Scrum, right? Don't all Agile teams operate the same? They tell us what meetings to do, when to do them, and how to do them.

This is a misconception.

Agile teams govern themselves and own their own process together. Everyone on the team, even the interns, even the apprentices, should have a say in how they work together.

This is a principle called self-organization, and it's crucial to build on Agile teams. In order for them to do their best work, they must be handed the keys to ownership of the process.

A team process looks different on every team. At its core, it's a summarized agreement for how a team wants to work acrsoss functions to get work done.

The process is visualized in a flow chart so that everyone can understand how work gets done. When the team takes retrospectives and discusses how to change their process with working agreements, they should update this team process flow chart to ensure it's accurately depicting how the team operates.

Why is it Valuable?

Agile team process maps are valuable because they align a whole team in their understanding of how work happens together. When new team members join, they can be onboarded faster. When someone is uncertain what to do next, they can point to the team process and build clarity. It helps a team operate in a smooth fashion.

How is it Made?

Agile team processes are created by building a consensus with the team, and mapping it out in a flow chart. There are steps of the team's process and statuses of work. They must outline both.

Here's an example:

This is an example of a team process map showing how a team can take on work. It shows steps involved across all functions and the statuses of work throughout the process. Credit: Tech Fleet.

Who Maintains Agile Team Process?

The Product Operations function maintains the team process. This is usually handled in Scrum teams by the Scrum Master role or the Product Owner role.

Agile Team Process Workshop

[ Figma Workshop Template for Agile Team Process design coming soon ]

When Should Teams Build their Agile Process?

Before a project begins, a team shouldn't be expected to build a full process. They can use a templated process of work where they define outcomes and deliver them for the first sprint.

Teams should re-build their process after their first Sprint retrospective once they have completed a round of work together.

AND REMEMBER: the Agile Manifesto says we value "Interactions with Individuals over Processes", so don't let this block work if you team doesn't have a process that's mapped! Proceed in the work without a mapped process. Talk with your team and figure it out in voice. Progress over process.

Key Components of Building an Agile Team Process

1. A good team process has steps: these are decisions or tasks that get made as part of a team's operations, and help people understand what to do.

2. A good team process has actors: this will show who is responsible or accountable for a step in the process so that the team has understanding about responsibilities.

3. A good team process has statuses of work: each "point of completion" from intake to delivery should have a status. The statuses then get added to Kanban Boards so that a team can manage their work in progress based on the statuses they agree to on the team.

4. A good team process is accurate: the process must show how a team operates, even and especially when it changes after sprint retro action items and working agreements get shifted.

How to Build and Maintain an Agile Team Process

Here are the steps:

1. Get together as a team

2. Define the project goals and deliverables and the project roadmap

3. Review the templated kanban board and backlog

4. Plan your first sprint

5. Re-build your team process after one sprint retrospective