…are sometimes more effective than if the original intent of a decision were satisfied.
We introduced SCRUM as a means of ensuring that work got done in time and issues were highlighted to managers/teammates quickly. Problems, if possible, were resolved there and then. Ashwini advised that it would also help to ensure that everyone actually did something. You couldn’t come to the meeting everyday and not have anything new to say. In a team where most of us were first time managers, this was very important.
Turns out it helped bring the team closer together. A teammate who quit yesterday sent a very nice email. In it, he explained how he’d felt alienated and part of a 3-member team until the SCRUM meetings started. These meetings, he felt, were an opportunity for the entire (12 member) team to exchange ideas and more importantly to just interact as a team.
I’d actually got a hint of this a while back. Halfway through the project, there came a day when I felt the meetings weren’t helping. My original aims for starting them weren’t being met. Disappointed, I sent a cancellation. The result was surprising and very heartening. Almost everyone in the team questioned my decision (and probably my sanity :) ). They claimed these meetings had helped them all tremendously and insisted they continue.
We’ve continued to have them since. My original aims are still not completely met. Tasks remain undone at times. Problems are sometimes not highlighted in time. But perhaps these aspects need other solutions. For now, I’m happy with what it has done - made the team more of a ‘team’.