Scrum Team Asks: Are Covid Precautions Compatible with Agile?

Are Covid Precautions Compatible with Agile?

I have heard some coaches say no.

(What?!)

Agile is about a flexible mindset. Each team, building, corporation, and industry may have its own rules and needs, that is true, but I think that some covid-19 precautions could benefit teams in ways beyond covid-19. Let's take a look at what some teams have been doing and see what lessons learned we can gather from new ways to collaborate:

Walk & Talk Meetings

Walk and talk meetings are the best format for every meeting or for every team, but they can decompress stress, improve creative flow, and help team members transition between tasks in a healthy way. Here are some ideas to make your walk and talks more productive:

• Keep meetings small, maybe pairing up with a partner or limiting it to 3-4 people
• Schedule them regularly (daily, weekly, monthly)
• 
  Can be used for cross-functional training when paired with a partner with a different skillset
• Team building, nuff said.
• Different activity timeframes maybe more acceptable culturally to your work environment or team (think: 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes)
• Select a safe area for walking (to the coffee shop, around the complex, to lunch, nearby park)
• Could a walking path be installed near your building?

Outdoor Meetings and Outdoor Office Spaces

Some may think that outdoor meetings spaces are too uncomfortable to be realistic. As someone who arranged to do many of my collaborative projects in-person and outdoors during the pandemic, I found strategies that made these times more comfortable.

• Consider scheduling by time of day and weather condition
  
• Shady or sheltered areas are better than brightly lit areas for laptop screens
• Dress for the weather
• Hot and cold beverages depending on weather
• Use outdoor times for in-personal collaboration and to cramped poorly ventilated meeting rooms
• Use indoor times for independent activities to social distance and to recharge laptops and electronic devices
• Collaboration software is great for outdoor meetings because you can see projects on individual device screens
• Get the right equipment in the right spot: tables, chairs, picnic tables, screened rooms, pavilions, outdoor heaters, lawn care and landscape maintenance

Remote Teams

Remote teams are great. So many collaboration tools. It works for some teams and companies but not others. My point that I will make on this is that a lot of times, remote teams are more efficient. If you don't trust your team to be more efficient remote, do you really trust your team? To run a successful remote team:

• Have a communication plan
• Communicate expectations
• Provide flexible structure
• Offer training on how to work from home
• Build camaraderie and culture
• Use collaborative software tools
• Provide all the right equipment
• Show appreciation and celebrate success
• Do all the things you would for an in-office team

Even though these were methods that make some people think of covid-19, they are really how some teams are working pre- and post- pandemic. Good collaboration and teamwork is the goal of every project manager no matter the circumstances, so these tips and tools can be applied at any time. Some managers may consider implementing these tips during high viral transmission times, to limit airborne virus from spreading including covid, flu, strep and more, but these tools are useful in any season.