Comments on Powers of Two: Charging Fees for Tardy Meeting Participants is Av...

There is another good reason against fees: they ca...

2009-08-14T08:13:05.540-07:00

There is another good reason against fees: they can shift the whole team culture from social norms (doing things because they are good for the group) to market norms (doing things because they provide more personal benefit than cost).

In "Predictably Irrational", they cite a study where introducing a fee for parents who pick up their children late actually increased the number of late commers. Because of the fee, they didn't have to feel guilty anymore - they paid for the "right" to be late. Interestingly, removing the fee again then caused even more parents to be late - know being late was free, guilt wasn't restored.

Top comments, with which I concur. Also much of re...

2009-08-12T12:29:20.394-07:00

Top comments, with which I concur. Also much of relevance in "Software for Your Head" ~ Jim McCarthy

+1. the penalty for missing a daily stand-up is mi...

2009-08-11T01:15:34.255-07:00

+1. the penalty for missing a daily stand-up is missing the stand-up. If you have an arsey non-attender, you've got a different set of problems to solve.

Absolutely. I add my voice to the choir of those s...

2009-08-11T01:03:27.758-07:00

Absolutely. I add my voice to the choir of those saying "Please stop it!" All too often I see Scrum Masters trying to fix behavior of people in their team to conform to Scrum rules rather than taking time to understand the root cause. Remember folks that the first value of the Agile Manifesto is "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools". To coach a team you must appreciate each team is a unique set of people and help them work out solutions that respect their individuality.

11.45 is my favorite time for stand-up meetings. ...

2009-08-10T15:29:25.508-07:00

11.45 is my favorite time for stand-up meetings. The late-arrivers are present, the early departers are present, and as you say it has its own built-in motivation for keeping the meeting short.

I have never brought into the late-fee idea, and all the other tricks people do at standup meetings, like talking in silly voices, or singing when late just seem demeaning to me. The talking stick idea though (or toy or other token that gets passed aroun), seems to work well to keep conversation flowing and not overlapping.

I also have an aversion to "working agreements" as I usually see them heavily weighted by "don'ts", and even without those it seems patronizing to spell out normal, decent behavior in a document. We are not children.

Good post Rob, especially the phrase right at the beginning: Pleas stop it!

Rob, I like that you are seeking root causes. Her...

2009-08-10T11:28:02.824-07:00

Rob,

I like that you are seeking root causes. Here is an idea: run a retrospective specifically on the theme of the Daily Scrum. What is working well, what is challenging or puzzling, what new agreement would we make based on this discussion. Hang agreements on the wall. Invite regular retrospection on agreements "Are these still serving the team?" and "How can I serve the team in making our Daily meetings as effective as possible?"

Another idea: Be a servant leader, and ask persistently late individuals, "How can I help you? I am concerned about you and about the team WRT to your impact on the team. Your tardiness could be misconstrued as disrespect to the team. I need your help with this, so tell me how I can help."

Here is another idea: the underlying cause may have to do with overall lack of team commitment as the purpose of the Daily meeting. If it is considered just a status check-in with the Scrummaster, why should anyone care about arriving late. The ScrumMaster will still get the late arrivers status in due course. Emphasize the sense of commitment in the readout by each individual. Emphasize that it is for them not for you. Find out how you can support them in this daily commitment.

Finally, it may not be that people don't care. It may be that there is no real cross-functional work. Therefore, they don't need to hear what others have to say, and they don't really need to have anyone else hear what they say. Retrospect on this to uncover the truth of that.

Some ideas to throw in the mix!
Jean

Rob, I could not agree more. Sometimes a littl...

2009-08-10T06:30:16.611-07:00

Rob,
I could not agree more. Sometimes a little peer pressure is needed, but I have seen people pay for their lack of dedication to the team. I even had one team member say "How much is it for a week or two? Here's $10." Obviously this person was not in it for the team.

Rod Claar