Following are two strategies that can be used to align means. To provide you with some ideas. To start the discussion.

Patterning – Going Through The Motions

In essence, with this strategy the project team is told what the means are; the larger organization knows best. This idea originates from Jeff Sutherland in “Shock Therapy: Bootstrapping Hyperproductive Scrum”. If you have a new team that has no experience with Scrum, you will put a very experienced Scum Master in charge and he will set the rules. Relentlessly.

Only a few rules, that make up the basics of Scrum, but they have to be followed with strong discipline. The Scrum Master will make sure this happens.
Set the rules first, than, after a while, let go when it becomes natural. This is called “patterning”.

Continuous Transparent Feedback

A human system always communicates with its environment and based upon the feedback it gets from it, alters its behavior. If a group of animals will drink water from a well and one of the groups dies because of it, they entire group may search for a different well. If a company introduces a new product, and sees its stock plummeting because of it, it might change its strategy.

It is therefor essential that the project members get continuous feedback on their own performance and the environment. This is where the use of analytics, metrics, “in-your-face” information visualization and plain old coaching comes in. By providing feedback to the team on how well they perform under the current project rule set, they will adapt to more effective means if needed.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Two Strategies For Aligning Means is a post from: Project Shrink.

“We need people that can use any technique, any mindset, any approach at the right time.”

One concern was raised by Craig Brown: “Freestyling is for experts. Beginners need guides.” or, as Akshay put it: “Expert chefs can freestyle. Normal people need recipes.”

But how do you turn beginners into chefs? Fast?

I think the answer can be found in what Jeff Sutherland describes in “Shock Therapy: Bootstrapping Hyperproductive Scrum“. If you have a new team that has no experience with Scrum, you will put a very experienced Scum Master in charge and he will set the rules. Relentlessly.

Image by otisarchives4.

There are just a few rules, not a binder of procedures.

Only a few rules, that make up the basics of Scrum, but they have to be followed with strong discipline. The Scrum Master will make sure this happens.

Set the rules first, than, after a while, let go when it becomes natural.

It’s called “patterning”: keep repeating certain behavior until you get it, and it becomes natural.

Of course, if you are drilling teams with desctructive behavior and try to manipulate everyone involved, this “shock therapy” becomes dangerous.

Jeff clarifies:

“Therapy without the heart of compassion could be misused. However, misuse is not likely to create a hyperproductive team so there is a self-correcting mechanism here.”

Could a series of Shock Therapies (in Scrum, PMBoK, Prince2, XP…) turn a beginner into a Freestyler?

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Shock Therapy: Turning A Beginner Into A Freestyler? is a post from: Project Shrink.