5 Essential Traits of an Efficient Agile Team and its Members

Today’s competitive world compels companies to offer the best solutions to their clients all the time. Because of this, businesses choose to invest in effective and productive strategies such as agile software development, in order to create and deliver high-quality products.   

By definition, agile development refers to the iterative software development that can help DevOps teams improve the product-building process by managing work in iterations known as sprints. These sprints are usually one to four weeks long. Efficient agile teams are necessary to execute this process. If you want to have the best agile team, check out these characteristics that define a high quality team of developers practising agile principles. 

The Agile Team Defined  

An efficient agile team constantly strives to understand the goals and vision of the product owner, as well as the needs of their market. They will then break the project down into segments to work on until the product is finished. The team is also responsible for testing and ensuring the product is free from defects.   

They must also complete the project by following the proper agile workflow cycle, which includes:  

• Ideation – It defines the business scope for all project ideas. This stage also sets the tasks, deadlines, and resource management needed to execute the projects.  
• Sprint team creation – After identifying the scope of the project and deliberating it with the stakeholders, the members of the agile team are determined, if there is no pre-assembled team yet. They are then assigned specific responsibilities and a timeframe to finish tasks and share development information with the team.  

• Iteration – This stage occurs once the sprint teams begin working on the project. Iterations begin with minimum functions and repeat until a satisfactory product is achieved.  
• Release – In this phase, the team determines if the product is ready for production, testing it in controlled environments and with various user groups.  
• Production – In this part of the workflow, the team ensures the product is deployed to market and assists in fixing bugs that may not have been found during testing.  
• Retirement – The final stage in the agile software development life cycle is where the team may replace the previous build of the product with a newer version.   

Crucial Agile Team Roles   

A high-performing agile team always fills up four crucial roles: 

• Scrum Master – This person is also referred to as the team coach or team leader. The scrum master briefs the team on their objectives, assigns tasks to other members, monitors the development of the product, and ensures the team dynamics are sound.  
• Developers – These individuals are assigned by the scrum masters to work on specific design or development tasks. They also do initial testing procedures on the product to check for bugs and errors.  
• Product Owner – This person represents the client. They are often responsible for listing backlogs and communicating changes to the project direction.  
• Stakeholders – The stakeholders create the goals and vision behind the product, and initially provide information about their target market.  

Important Agile Team Traits  

Whether you have in-house or outsourced talents to form your team, it’s crucial to check if they possess the following traits. After all, they’ll be working hand-in-hand with you and your team for the project. The project’s success lies in each team member sharing the same fundamental values and outlook. 

1. Respectful

Each member must respect others involved in the development process and other staff of the company. This outlook empowers them to carry out their tasks efficiently and reduces the risks of being overwhelmed.  

2. Committed

Expert agile development teams understand that there is no single solution for unique challenges. They should always be prepared to undergo a repetitive problem-solving process to find the right solution to a specific problem.  

3. Seeks continuous improvement

Members constantly conduct self-analysis by consulting regularly with co-members and leaders to improve their personal skills. 

4. Strategic Planning

The team can achieve their desired success through continuous planning. It allows them to always try to innovate solutions.  

The team plans in such a way that the product’s development is split into iteration levels, which are then distributed into specific tasks in order of priority. In addition, they will handle each iteration by managing product goals and outcomes to determine which level can be finished earlier for faster product delivery. 

5. Prioritises Structure and Creativity 

A good agile team knows how to give importance to completing the architecture and design of the app or the software.  

Completing the structure first gives the developers more leeway time to figure out what parts can be done first or which problems can be solved faster. This way, creative problem-solving is encouraged while being systematic at the same time. 

Conclusion  

Agile teams always work as a whole to achieve a unified goal. If you want your products or software to perform well and answer the needs of your target market, you need highly skilled agile development experts to get your desired results.  

Working with an experienced and successful agile development team or agency can do wonders for all businesses needing high-quality software products. One such agency is Frontline, a leading web and mobile app development firm based in Singapore. We have a pool of qualified agile experts and ICAgile-certified coaches for creating agile teams. Send a message to https://www.frontline.com.sg/contact/ to know more about our development services and other products.