This document discusses how distributed teams can benefit from using agile frameworks like Scrum. It summarizes a study that found distributed software projects took nearly twice as long to complete as colocated teams. The document then provides recommendations for how distributed Scrum teams can address common "leaks" in communication, collaboration, relationships, and techniques through practices like short sprints, daily stand-ups over video chat, frequent interactions between product owners and developers, and ensuring development teams spend time colocated.

1. Making Distributed
Scrum Great!
Pete Deemer
petedeemer@goodagile.com

2. Is “Distributed” and “Agile”
a contradiction?

4. Distributed projects actually
benefit the most from Agile

5. …because they have the most
room for improvement

6. 2007 Study of software projects
of similar size and complexity
Average time required to complete:
Colocated teams
Distributed teams
48.3 days
97.3 days
Espinosa, Slaughter, Kraut, and Herbsleb
Organization Science, Jul-Aug 2007
Why?!

7. So how does Scrum help us?
Working software early and often
Inspection and Retrospection
Visibility about the “leaks”
Adaptation: Action to improve
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8. The Big 4 “Leaks”:
Communication
Collaboration
Relationship
Techniques

9. • ScrumMaster should be located with Dev Team
• Short Sprints – 2 weeks or less
• Dev Team does Daily Scrum during local business hours
• Real-time meetings between Dev Team and Product
Owner must be visual, not just audio
Product Owner in Location A
Dev Team in Location B

11. • ScrumMaster should be located with Dev Team
• Short Sprints – 2 weeks or less
• Dev Team does Daily Scrum during local business hours
• Real-time meetings between Dev Team and Product
Owner must be visual, not just audio
• Standing weekly call for Product Owner and Dev Team (in
addition to lots of other interactions)
• Product Owner to Dev Team location for project kickoff
• Product Owner visits Dev Team location regularly
Product Owner in Location A
Dev Team in Location B

12. • To be effective, Dev Team bonding must occur
• Dev Team members colocated for first Sprint
• Ongoing “ambassadorship”
• Multiple forms of continuous live communication
• Daily Scrum live via webcam
Dev Team split between two (or
more) separate locations

14. • To be effective, Dev Team bonding must occur
• Dev Team members colocated for first Sprint
• Ongoing “ambassadorship”
• Multiple forms of continuous live communication
• Daily Scrum live via webcam
• Scrum Artifacts maintained using electronic tool
• Test-driven Development
• Continuous Integration
Dev Team split between two (or
more) separate locations

15. free download from distributedscrumprimer.com