Succeeding with Agile

Chapter 11. Teamwork

Teamwork is at the heart of every agile process. The Agile Manifesto proclaims that we are to favor “individuals and interactions over process and tools” (Beck et al. 2001), meaning great software comes from great teams. Scrum itself derives its name from the view that a product development team should behave much like a rugby team—a group of individuals moving the ball down field as a unit. Considering the central importance of teams to successful agile development, it should be no surprise to encounter a chapter called “Teamwork.”

Scrum teams succeed together and fail together. There is no “my work” and “your work” on a Scrum team; there is only “our work.” This is a radically different way of working for most people, ...