Scrum of Scrums

March 23, 2025
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What is Scrum of Scrums?

Scrum of Scrums is a coordination technique that scales Scrum across multiple teams working on the same project or product. When several Scrum teams collaborate toward a shared goal, it helps ensure alignment, communication, and progress tracking. This method extends the core principles of Scrum by introducing a higher-level meeting that brings together representatives from each team. These representatives discuss their teams’ progress, identify dependencies, and resolve cross-team issues. The approach benefits large, complex projects where individual Scrum teams must remain agile while maintaining coherence.

Key Points

  • Scrum of Scrums involves regular meetings where designated team members, often called “ambassadors,” represent their Scrum teams.
  • Teams synchronize, identify blockers, and effectively manage dependencies in these meetings.
  • The format mirrors the daily Scrum but operates at a multi-team level, often occurring daily or several times a week, depending on project needs.
  • Team members can flexibly participate and determine frequency based on the project’s size and complexity.
  • The goal is to maintain agility while scaling Scrum practices to meet enterprise-level demands.

Related Terms

  • Scrum refers to the foundational agile framework that Scrum of Scrums builds upon.
  • A Sprint is the fixed-length iteration during which teams deliver incremental value, forming the basis of discussion in a Scrum of Scrums meeting.
  • Product Backlog items often span multiple teams, making their refinement a key topic in inter-team coordination.
  • The Scrum Master may participate in or facilitate the Scrum of Scrums to help remove impediments across teams.
  • Agile Release Train is a scaled agile concept similar to Scrum of Scrums, coordinating multiple teams for synchronized delivery.

Scrum of Scrums: Example

A software company is developing a new cloud-based platform with five Scrum teams. Each team handles a different component, such as user interface, security, and database integration. The company holds a Scrum of Scrums every other day to keep all teams aligned. Representatives from each team meet to share progress, flag interdependencies, and solve shared obstacles. This coordination ensures that team integration points are identified early and addressed before they become bottlenecks.

Scrum of Scrums: Best Practices

  • Choose representatives with technical knowledge and communication skills to represent their teams effectively.
  • Keep meetings short and focused, using a consistent agenda to address progress, plans, and problems.
  • Document decisions and action items to ensure follow-through and visibility across teams.
  • Adapt the frequency of meetings to match the project’s pace and complexity.
  • Encourage open communication to foster trust and collaboration among teams.

Additional Resources

Scrum of Scrums - Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process     Scrum of Scrums - The Professional Scrum Team

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