Agile Know-How Magazine • Fall 2017
Cons
• Requires sprints to be synchronized.
• Requires the planning of the different iterations’ backlogs to
be synchronized.
• Requires adjustment of the composition to balance the pace
among the teams.
Dynamic play system
Even if we tend to keep the configuration stable to increase
predictability, it is possible to change the configuration to adapt
to a situation that requires it.
H ere is a real life example. In a business responsible for a plat-
form broadcasting European football games, we were divided
into two teams: one responsible for Internet broadcasts and one
responsible for mobile broadcasts. Both teams were multidisci-
plinary because we could deliver new increments autonomously
on our respective platforms, even if we were sharing the broad-
casting platform’s code.
One day, important work had to be done on the platform, and
it was hard to imagine that this work could be planned through
joint work with both teams. For a few iterations, we then swit-
ched to component teams while we accomplished those tasks.
Once the work was done, we went back to our multidisciplinary
configuration to retrieve our autonomy.
Even if we tend to keep
the configuration stable to
increase predictability,
it is possible to change the
configuration to adapt to a
situation that requires it
This example shows how scaling is not necessarily static, and
that it is possible to switch from one play to another accor-
ding to your needs. This knowledge of the different plays can
provide organizations and programs with the flexibility that is
sometimes required to face a complex situation that involves
multiple teams.
To learn more about the business units and
special units plays, download our white paper
Agile Scaling Practices at pyxis-tech.com in
the Agile ressources.
pyxis-tech.com/agile-resources/ :
1 Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises
2 Disciplined Agile Delivery
3 Large-Scale Scrum
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