Cross-Team Sync

Cross-Team Sync

Submitted by: Dave Witkin, Thoralf Klatt, Donald Patti
Date Created Date Updated
0
Cross-Team Sync

Play Description

Also Known As/Similar To

Coach Sync, Scaled Daily Scrum, ART Sync, Portfolio Sync, Executive Scaled Daily Scrum

Pattern Group(s)

Cross-Team Coordination, Scaling Events

Challenge Categories

Cross-Team Coordination, Cross-Team Communication, Dependency Management, Impediment Resolution, Alignment with Goals

Challenges Addressed

The following challenges are likely to be improved or addressed by implementing this pattern:

  • Multiple teams working together are struggling to coordinate, collaborate and delivering a product, service or solution together effectively.
  • Multiple teams that are developing a product, service or solution together are struggling to effectively deliver a cohesive, well-designed product. It is also possible that the product does not function.
  • Multiple teams that are developing a product, service or solution together are not effectively managing or eliminating cross-team dependencies, resulting in delays in delivery or integration defects.
  • Multiple teams working together are struggling to overcome impediments, impacting the delivery of all teams in the network of teams.
  • Multiple teams working together are not achieving product goals or strategic goals on a reasonable schedule.

Definition

The cross-team synchronization meeting (cross-team sync) is a frequent, recurring event to enable multiple teams to coordinate their shared work more effectively. It involves at least one representative from each team, who participates actively in the cross-team sync shortly after their individual teams conduct a team sync.

The cross-team sync aims to identify obstacles faced by each team, discuss any delays on one team that might affect other teams, manage or eliminate new dependencies, avoid future impediments, and share any notable learning that might benefit other teams. The topics discussed and the format of the meeting may differ depending on the framework.

In Frameworks

In Scrum@Scale, the Scaled Daily Scrum is daily, recurring event to enable multiple teams to coordinate their work more effectively. It involves at least one representative (typically a Scrum Master) from each team, who participates actively in the Scaled Daily Scrum shortly after their individual team’s Daily Scrum. The maximum duration of the Scaled Daily Scrum is 15 minutes.

The event aims to identify obstacles faced by each team, discuss any delays on one team that might affect other teams, manage or eliminate new dependencies, avoid future impediments, and share any notable learning that might benefit other teams.  The Scaled Daily Scrum is typically facilitated by a Scrum-of-Scrums Master (SoSM) who is elected to function as the Scrum Master for the team of teams. (Scrum@Scale Guide)

In Scaled Agile Framework, the Coach Sync, which brings together the Scrum Masters (Team Coaches) from each of the team-of-teams at least once a week for 30 to 60 minutes to coordinate their work. The topics discussed are similar to those in the Scaled Daily Scrum. A Release Train Engineer (RTE) serves as the facilitator of the Coach Sync meeting. This meeting is part of the SAFe Framework.

The LeSS framework (Large Scale Scrum) generally discourages a cross-team sync approach in favor of a more organic “Let’s Talk” approach that encourage use of Scouts, Communities of Practice and Communication in Code. A Scout (or Ambassador) is an individual from another team who can bring back what was learned in the team syncrhonization to their team, as well as help to coordinate cross-team activities. This meeting is part of the Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) Framework.

How to Use

In general, multi-team syncs occur frequently and on a regular, recurring schedule to create stability and frequent communication across the teams.

  • Schedule it at the same time(s) every day or week to create consistency and stability for the participants
  • Schedule to occur right after any team synchronization event (e.g., Daily Scrum, Team Sync) so that important information about team activity is fresh in the minds of participants
  • Keep it short so that everyone focuses on only essential communication and coordination
  • Use an immediate “meet-after” to address challenges that do not require all participants and can be addressed immediately
  • Select a person to facilitate so that the discussion remains focused

Evidence of Success

If successful, this pattern generally results in:

  • Fewer impediments created by one team’s work impacting another
  • Faster resolution of impediments
  • Faster delivery of features that require mutiple teams to complete
  • Fewer issues or defects when integrating the work created by multiple teams

Tags/Keywords

Cross-Team Sync, SDS, Scaled Daily Scrum, Scrum, Coach Sync, Team Sync, Cross-Team Coordination

Use When…

The “Cross-Team Sync”  pattern is best used when:

  • When there is an existing Network of Teams that needs to coordinate closely to achieve a shared objective.

 

Do Not use this pattern when:

  • When multiple teams need to deliver objectives with few or no dependencies on other teams, and can therefore remain largely disconnected.

Play Authors

  • Jeff Sutherland and Scrum Inc.
  • Dean Leffingwell and Scaled Agile
  • Inc.

Advantages

  1. Fast identification of impediments that require support or help from individuals on other teams
  2. Transparency on progress towards objectives
  3. Reduction in product and/or effort risk
  4. Reduction in surprises
  5. Reduction in duplication of work efforts

Disadvantages

  1. Requires additional coordination time that may be unnecessary or not beneficial
  2. May be seen as a challenge to individual team self-organization and self-management
  3. May be seen as a challenge to the bureaucracy within an organization
  4. Real-time identification and communication of impediments removes the need for a separate meeting

Additional Notes

Note: Some variants of the Scaled Daily Scrum or Coach Sync were once called the Scrum-of-Scrums. However, this term is no longer used by most frameworks because it causes confusion between the daily event and the team-of-teams, which is often called a Scrum-of-Scrums.

Sources:
1. Coach Sync - Scaled Agile Framework. (2023, March 14). Scaled Agile Framework. https://scaledagileframework.com/blog/glossary_term/scrum-of-scrums/
2. The Scrum@Scale Guide, Version 2.1 — February 2022. | Scrum@Scale Framework. (2022, April 1). Scrum@Scale Framework. p. 9. https://www.scrumatscale.com/scrum-at-scale-guide-online/#event-the-scaled-daily-scrum