This document discusses strategies for scaling agile teams as they grow in size. It begins by examining the ideal team size, noting recommendations ranging from 3-9 members. The key factor that determines team size is communication, as larger teams require exponentially more communication channels. The document then explores different strategies for splitting or structuring teams as they increase in number, including by component, feature, or hybrid approaches. It warns against both overly small "pods" that can become silos, as well as traditional component-split teams that result in high inter-team dependencies. Overall, the document advocates for cross-functional feature teams and recommends practices like onboarding, architectural guidance, and collaboration across distributed teams.
40. Spotify: Kniberg calls Scrum Teams “Squads”
• Each squad has a long-term mission: e.g.,
building/improving the Android client, creating the Spotify
radio experience, scaling backend systems, payment
solutions, …
41. Managers lead “Chapters” that span Scrum
Teams
• “Chapters” are manager-led tech organizations
• Managers are called “Chapter Leads”
52. Ron Lichty Consulting
• Software leadership, coaching, training, consulting:
– http://ronlichty.com, Ron@RonLichty.com
• The book:
Managing the Unmanageable:
Rules, Tools & Insights for Managing Software People & Teams
– http://ManagingTheUnmanageable.net <-----tools, excerpts, more rules of thumb
• The video training:
LiveLessons: Managing Software People and Teams
– http://ManagingTheUnmanageable.net/video.html
• The study:
The Study of Product Team Performance
– http://ronlichty.com/study.html
• Training:
The Agile Manager
Managing Software People and Teams
Zero to Agile in Three Days
52
53. Informit.com/lichty
Save 50% on Video Training
• Use code VIDEO50
Save 35% on Book
• Use code SWDEV35
• Good on print, eBooks, and video
• eBook files include PDF, EPUB, and MOBI
Discount codes applicable only at informit.com
Also available on the Safari Bookshelf
54. Ron Lichty Consulting
• Mentoring, coaching, training, consulting:
– http://ronlichty.com, Ron@RonLichty.com
• The book:
Managing the Unmanageable:
Rules, Tools & Insights for Managing Software People & Teams
– http://ManagingTheUnmanageable.net <-----tools, excerpts, more rules of thumb
• The video training:
LiveLessons: Managing Software People and Teams
– http://ManagingTheUnmanageable.net/video.html
• The study:
The Study of Product Team Performance
– http://ronlichty.com/study.html
• Training:
The Agile Manager
Managing Software People and Teams
Zero to Agile in Three Days
54
Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams
But I’m also the coauthor of the periodic Study of Product Team Performance.
In each of the studies, we’ve asked product teams members – developers, testers, PdMs, PjMs, PgMs, scrum masters, … – around the world ...to tell us if they considered their teams to be high performance, low performance or something in between.
And then we asked about various of their practices.
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
“Scaling Agile @ Spotify”, Henrik Kniberg & Anders Ivarsson
“Scaling Agile @ Spotify”, Henrik Kniberg & Anders Ivarsson
“Scaling Agile @ Spotify”, Henrik Kniberg & Anders Ivarsson
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
“Scaling Agile @ Spotify”, Henrik Kniberg & Anders Ivarsson
Each tribe has a tribe lead who is responsible for providing the best possible habitat for the squads within that tribe.
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams
https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work
J. Richard Hackman, the Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Harvard University and a leading expert on teams