11.30.2020

The Field Principle

Hello Quarantiners !!!

Today I want to share with you one of my last and fresh thougths. 

The Field Principle 


The Soccer teams has a big advantage over Software Teams: they have a Field. 

In this Field managers cannot walk in during the game play. 

This Field is the space where they can play the game. Inside this constraints, they can be self-organized. That means: they can take a sort amount of decisions by them self. In front of a problem, they are empowered to immediately implement a solution. Actually, they are accountable for. 

Imagine how annoying could be for the players if outside people just walk in, control the ball, give them some indications, tell them "what to do", and a long etcetera...

Let your teams play 


Let your people do their job. They will be thankful. 

In a Scrum Team, the scrum master is accountable for keeping the rules in the game, and in this case, to keep the "Field" clean from intruders. 

But be careful with the metaphor, "putting a foot into the field" does not means specifically "to not put a foot into the developers office". Yes, that's one meaning. But there is more: 

Decisions. 

There is some sort of decisions, that should belong to the team. That's the meaning of "empowering" them. but, coming back to the "field" metaphor, to "invade the field" is also to take decisions that belongs to the team. 

There is no general model, and in everyplace this may vary, so I cannot tell you exactly what sort of decisions belongs to the team. You should decide and design in your space, what's better for you. Anyway, I can share some "field invasion" examples:

  • Assigning a Commitment without being accepted
  • Deciding about Team structure, without asking the Team 
  • Doing estimations without asking the Team 
  • Micro management and micro controlling 
  • Writing requirements and detailed plans, without communicating a Vision neither nor transparent Strategies. 
  • Sitting the developer as far as possible from customers and end users

 



As you can see, and maybe understand, is not only about respecting "physical space" but also "decisions space". 

And what about you? 

  • What way are you invading and dis-empowering your teams? 
  • What kind of "healthy distance" can you stablish to enable your teams to perform? 
  • How much are you interfering and cutting  their Flow? 
  • Do your teams has everything they need to create value? 
  • How does your processes help everybody to see the Field limits and co working rules? 

Have a nice and safe day...

Daniel