The Art of Agile Development, 2nd Edition

Alignment

AUDIENCE

Coaches, Whole Team

We agree on how we work together.

What is a “team?” It’s not just a bunch of people who sit in the same room. It’s not even a group that’s been assigned to work on the same thing.

A team is a group of people who depend on one another to accomplish a shared goal. That interdependency is the hallmark of a team. It’s what makes teams so successful…and also what makes them so difficult.

You probably remember working on group assignments in school. They tend to be tolerated at best. We’ve all heard the horror stories about one person who ended up doing all the work while the others mooched off their grade.

But we’ve also heard stories of amazing teams. Maybe you’ve had that experience, too: being part of a great sports team, a band, or a volunteer group. When teams work, they’re electrifying.

What’s the difference between bad teams and good teams? Alignment. Team members in an aligned team not only depend on one another to accomplish a shared goal, they’re in agreement about how they’re going to work together.

Chartering Alignment

Your chartering session is a good time to discuss alignment. (See “PLANNING YOUR CHARTERING SESSION”.) Unlike the other parts of the chartering session—purpose and context—stakeholders don’t participate in the alignment discussion. It’s just for team members and people who work closely with the team, such as a product manager.

As with the other chartering discussions, alignment can raise some sensitive topics. It’s ...