Attend but Don’t Participate Unless You’re on the Team - Mike Cohn

Attend but Don’t Participate Unless You’re on the Team -

I’m listening.
That phrase is on my mind because the TV character Frasier Crane has returned to television. Portrayed by Kelsey Grammer in the shows Frasier and Cheers, Frasier Crane dispensed psychiatric advice on his popular radio show.
As each new caller joined the show, Frasier would voice his catchphrase, “I’m listening.”
If you attend a team’s daily scrum meetings but are not a member of that team, consider following Frasier’s lead: listen.
Your team probably welcomes your attendance. But unless you are actively working on sprint backlog items, you should not participate.
As an attendee, listen silently unless the team solicits your opinion or questions.
Daily scrums exist so that team members can synchronize their efforts. These meetings enable team members to be sure the most important tasks are being worked on, to know that two people are not working on the same thing, and to emphasize their commitment to achieving the sprint goal.
When outsiders go beyond just attending and they participate, a number of problems may arise:
 

• Team members may hold information back, not wanting to be questioned by outsiders
• Team members feel less ownership of issues and may wait for outsiders to solve problems for them
• Morale suffers because team members don’t feel trusted

If you attend daily scrums but are not on the team, you may want to stop. Instead, ask the team to notify you about anything they need your help with.
If you can’t go as far as no longer attending, perhaps start each meeting as Frasier Crane would, by saying (or at least thinking), “I’m listening.”
Listening and letting teams run their own daily scrums without (even well-intended!) outside participation will help them succeed with agile.

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