What Does a Quality Agile Team Look Like?

Organizations increasingly turn to Agile methodologies to remain competitive, responsive, and innovative in this fast-paced and uncertain world. While the Agile values, principles, and practices are well-documented in the Agile Manifesto, the heart of its success lies in the teams and leaders that implement, adopt, and nurture them.

What is an Agile team?

A good Agile team is not merely a collection of individuals working together on a project. It’s a finely tuned, collaborative unit where every member plays a crucial role in driving measurable outcomes that align with organizational goals and customer needs. Orchestrating such a team requires skills, knowledge, leadership, and willingness to learn continuously.

A great Agile team should exhibit the following qualities

Cross-Functionality

A high-performing Agile team is characterized by its cross-functional nature. Unlike traditional teams, it breaks down barriers that may be siloed by function, such as developers in one team and testers in another.

Each member brings diverse skills, enabling the team to tackle every aspect of a project, from conceptualization to delivery, while minimizing dependencies. This cross-functionality fosters greater collaboration and enhances the team’s ability to deliver complete increments of work at the end of each iteration.

Self-Organization

High-performing Agile teams should exhibit self-organization and autonomy in conjunction with cross-functional skills. Agile teams thrive when empowered to make decisions, allocate resources, and determine the best path forward without constant direction from management. This autonomy fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to higher engagement and a more substantial commitment to success.

Communicate and Collaborate

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any Agile team. Daily standup meetings, where team members briefly discuss progress, challenges, and next steps, are a staple of the Agile process to ensure everyone is aligned and obstacles are addressed in real time.

Since Agile teams rely on transparency, tools like Jira and Azure DevOps (ADO) are adopted to ensure that everyone understands the big picture and is aligned with the project’s direction.

However, communication in Agile is more than the formal meetings and planning tools. Agility is also embedded in the team’s culture. Informal conversations, spontaneous problem-solving sessions, and continuous feedback loops are all encouraged.

Given many teams operate remotely and virtually, digital tools like Slack, Miro, and Google Docs have become essential for strategy and execution.

The constant flow of information and ideas creates a collaborative environment where the best solutions can emerge organically and collectively. Collaboration is prioritized over competition, and team members are always ready to assist one another, knowing that the success of one is the success of all.

Flexible and Adaptable

Agile teams are defined by their adaptability, especially in an era when change is the only constant. They do not tolerate change; they embrace it.

We recognize the importance of adaptability when considering all of the markets that have been disrupted over the past decade. Companies at the top of nearly every industry have demonstrated an ability to capitalize on change, from travel companies like AirBNB and Uber, to electric and autonomous vehicles like Tesla and Waymo, and subscription services like Amazon Prime.

In a constantly evolving marketplace, an enterprise’s Agile-minded teams must harness perpetual growth to survive. When working in an established company, decisions that may disrupt the status quo can be difficult, but data shows that people and companies must rapidly adapt to keep up with new opportunities.

Agile teams utilize short cycles, known as iterations or sprints, as a framework to pivot quickly in response to new information or shifting priorities. This iterative nature of Agile helps teams reassess their direction frequently, ensuring that they remain aligned with the most current business objectives.

##Why do Agile teams use iteration goals? Setting iteration goals for each short work cycle is comparable to setting waypoints on a hike, keeping a focus on reaching milestones and ensuring the team doesn’t wander off the trail.

Iteration goals help teams see progress, offering opportunity for the team to inspect and adapt on the current state of a project and reevaluate objectives if necessary.

The end of each iteration should be a mini celebration, boosting morale and providing a sense of accomplishment on both what the team learned and even goals that may have been achieved. This approach breaks down overwhelming projects into manageable chunks, making the journey purposeful and more enjoyable. You can also adjust your path based on lessons learned along the way, staying flexible and ready for any surprises.

Customer-Centric Focus

An Agile team’s top priority should be an ultimate focus on the customer’s requirements and goals. Rather than following a rigid, predefined plan, Agile teams prioritize work that will deliver the most value to the customer.

Project management uses the “Iron Triangle” to measure project success based on three factors: scope, time, and cost. For Agile teams, “scope” isn’t just a box to tick; teams must continuously tune into the customer’s evolving needs and priorities and adjust accordingly.

Agile experts explained the value in aligning team leadership with a company purpose of customer-centricity in Harvard Business Review’s Embracing Agile (2016).

“By taking people out of their functional silos and putting them in self-managed and customer-focused multidisciplinary teams, the agile approach is not only accelerating profitable growth but also helping to create a new generation of skilled general managers,” explained authors Darrell Rigby, Jeff Sutherland, and Hirotaka Takeuchi.

Feedback loops are integral to delivering value to the customer. Agile teams seek customer feedback early and often, using it to refine their product and adjust their strategy. This continuous engagement with the customer ensures that the final product is not just a technical success but also a market success.

Continuous Improvement

Like the Navy Seals, a hallmark of an effective Agile team is its dedication to continuous improvement. Agile is not just a project management framework; it is a mindset. Teams that excel in Agile constantly strive to improve their processes, skills, and outcomes.

Retrospectives held at the end of each sprint provide a structured opportunity for the team to reflect on what went well, what didn’t work out, and how they can do better in the future. These sessions are pivotal moments for learning and growth.

Continuous improvement also extends to the individual level. Agile teams encourage their members to pursue ongoing learning and development.

Whether mastering new technologies, improving communication skills, or deepening their understanding of Agile principles, team members are expected to evolve alongside the team. This commitment to growth benefits the individual and enhances the team’s overall capabilities, making it more resilient, efficient, and innovative.

Sustain High Performance

Agile teams recognize long-term success is not achieved through sprints of excessive workload but through a consistent, balanced approach to work. Burnout is the enemy of productivity and innovation. High-performing Agile teams understand the importance of maintaining a work-life balance that allows them to remain focused, energized, and creative over the long haul.

These teams working in short iterations are committed to delivering quality. In delivering the next iteration and meeting deadlines, they do not sacrifice the integrity of their work.

Rigorous testing, code reviews, and adherence to best practices are non-negotiable. By maintaining high standards, Agile teams ensure that each increment they deliver is robust and reliable, building trust with customers and stakeholders.

How does your team stack up?

Use this checklist to evaluate the health of your Agile team:

Cross-Functional Skills

Team members possess diverse skills covering all aspects of the project.

Self-Organization

The team is autonomous, managing tasks and decisions without external direction.

Strong Communication

Frequent, open communication ensures alignment and addresses obstacles quickly.

###Collaboration Team members work together, prioritizing collective success over individual achievements.

###Adaptability The team embraces change and adjusts priorities in response to new information.

###Customer-Centric Focus The team prioritizes delivering value to the customer, seeking feedback regularly.

###Continuous Improvement The team reflects and iterates on processes and outcomes to enhance performance.

###Sustainable Pace The team maintains a balanced workload, avoiding burnout while delivering high-quality work.

###Quality Assurance Rigorous standards are upheld to ensure each deliverable is robust and reliable.

##Final Thoughts: Creating a Great Agile Team A quality Agile team is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a dynamic, cohesive unit defined by collaboration, adaptability, and a relentless focus on delivering value. By fostering cross-functionality, empowering self-organization, and cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, Agile teams can navigate the complexities of modern work environments while maintaining a sustainable pace. Whether you’re building a team from scratch or refining an existing one, remember that Agile is a journey, not a destination. The principles that guide Agile teams are timeless, but must be continuously nurtured. By embracing these qualities, your team can create meaningful, lasting impact while staying aligned with both organizational objectives and customer needs.