When a hybrid agile team struggles with constant changes and interruptions to their project work, the project manager should collaborate with the team to define a plan for managing sprints effectively. Open communication and adaptability are key.
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Question
A hybrid project team is working on an upgraded version of software for their product owner. The team is also responsible for supporting the existing product and customers. For the last three sprints, the team had to stop their project work and focus on major support items for the product owner. The testers are struggling to cope with the constant changes to the plan, which has resulted in a number of emotional outbursts.
How should the project manager proceed?
A. Schedule a session with the team to discuss the issues and work with them to define a plan to manage the sprints going forward
B. Schedule a session with the product owner to explain that no support items can be taken into the sprints going forward
C. Ask human resources (HR) to send the team members to a change management workshop
D. Request a replacement for those team members who are unhappy with this way of working
Answer
A. Schedule a session with the team to discuss the issues and work with them to define a plan to manage the sprints going forward
Explanation
As a project manager, the best approach in this situation is to have an open discussion with the entire team to understand their concerns and collaboratively develop solutions. Hybrid projects that involve both project work and operational support can be challenging, as the team needs to balance competing priorities and deal with interruptions to planned work.
However, simply refusing to take on any support items (Option B) is not a viable solution, as supporting the existing product and customers is part of the team’s responsibilities. The project manager should work with the team and product owner to set reasonable expectations and define a sustainable approach for handling both project work and support.
Sending team members to a change management workshop (Option C) could be helpful for building change resilience skills but does not directly address the immediate issues and frustrations the team is facing. It’s important to first have a direct conversation as a team.
Requesting replacement of unhappy team members (Option D) is a drastic step that should only be considered if individuals are unwilling to constructively work through the challenges. Most likely, the testers’ frustrations stem from constantly shifting priorities rather than the nature of the work itself. Replacing team members also does not solve the underlying problem.
The project manager should schedule a retrospective or problem-solving session with the team to discuss:
- Root causes of the issues (e.g. unclear priorities, lack of buffer for unplanned work)
- Impact of constant changes on the team (e.g. missed sprint goals, testing challenges, morale)
- Potential process improvements (e.g. capacity allocation for support work, definition of “major” support items, SLAs)
- How to replan the project scope and timeline given the realities of their hybrid responsibilities
- Ways to improve communication with the product owner about support needs and project progress
By having an honest dialogue and defining a pragmatic plan together, the project manager can help realign the team and mitigate the issues caused by the constant changes. The team will likely be more accepting of the approach if they are involved in shaping the solution. With better planning and expectation-setting, the team can strive to fulfill both their project and support responsibilities successfully.
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