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Scrum Agile self-organization is a fundamental principle where teams have the autonomy to determine how best to accomplish their goals within the Scrum framework. It empowers team members to make decisions, collaborate, and adapt to changing requirements without explicit direction from external authorities. Self-organizing teams are responsible for planning their work during sprint planning, organizing tasks, and allocating responsibilities. This approach fosters ownership, creativity, and accountability among team members, resulting in increased motivation, productivity, and the ability to deliver high-quality products efficiently.

Self-Organizing can be defined as team of motivated Individuals working towards the achievement of a specific goal, self-motivated and have the ability and authority to make decisions and are open to changing demands.

Scrum defines employees as self-motivated group or team who seek to accept greater responsibility. So, they deliver much greater value when self-organized. They pull work for themselves rather than waiting for some on to assign work for them, thus creating a greater sense of commitment and ownership. They tend to manage their whole work as a group and enhance their skills continuously.

Benefits of Self-organization

In order to create a successful self-organizing team, it should consist of four essential components. They are: Team Buy-in, Motivation, Innovation and Creative approach, and selecting the best approach..

Self-organization does not mean that team members are allowed to act in any manner that they want to. Once the Project Vision is defined in the Create Project Vision process, the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Scrum Team get identified. Also, the Scrum Core Team itself works very closely with relevant business stakeholder(s) for refining requirements better as they go through the Develop Epic(s) and Create User Stories process. Team expertise is used to assess the inputs needed to execute the planned work of the project. This judgment and expertise are applied to all technical and management aspects of the project during the Create Deliverables process.

Although prioritization is primarily done by the Product Owner who represents the Voice of Customer, the self-organized Scrum Team is involved in task breakdown and estimation during the Identify Tasks and Estimate Tasks processes. During these processes, each team member is responsible for determining what work he or she will be doing. The Scrum Team also helps the Product Owner identify risks and dependencies. During the execution of a Sprint, if team members need any help with completing their tasks, Scrum addresses this through the regular interaction mandatory with the Daily Standup Meetings. The Scrum Team itself interacts with other teams through the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) Meetings and can look for additional guidance as required from the Scrum Guidance Body.

Finally, the Scrum Team and Scrum Master work closely to demonstrate the product increment created during the Sprint in the Demonstrate and Validate Sprint process where properly completed deliverables are accepted. Since the deliverables are potentially shippable, (and the Prioritized Product Backlog is prioritized by User Stories in the order of value created by them), the Product Owner and the customer can clearly visualize and articulate the value being created after every Sprint; and Scrum Teams in turn have the satisfaction of seeing their hard work being accepted by the customer and other business stakeholders.

Agile self-organization is a cornerstone of effective Scrum practices, fostering teams that are empowered to manage their own tasks and decisions. In Scrum, self-organizing teams are crucial for adapting quickly to changes and delivering value efficiently. By embracing autonomy, team members collaborate closely, leveraging their diverse skills to solve problems and innovate. This approach not only enhances team morale but also accelerates project progress, as individuals take ownership of their work and continuously strive for improvement. Emphasizing self-organization within Scrum encourages a dynamic environment where creativity and accountability thrive, leading to more successful project outcomes.

Scrum believes that employees are self-motivated and seek to accept greater responsibility. So, they deliver much greater value when self-organized. The preferred leadership style in Scrum is “supporting leadership”, which emphasizes achieving results by focusing on the needs of the Scrum Team. Self-organization does not mean that team members are allowed to act in any manner that they want to. It just means that once the Product Vision is defined, the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Scrum Team get identified. Also the Scrum Core Team itself works very closely with relevant Business Stakeholder(s) for refining requirements better. Team expertise is used to assess the inputs needed to execute the planned work of the project. This judgment and expertise are applied to all technical and management aspects of the project.

Self-organization as an essential principle in Scrum leads to the following:

• Team buy-in and shared ownership
• Motivation, which leads to an enhanced performance level of the team
• Innovative and creative environment conducive to growth
• Selection of the simplest and best approach to satisfy given requirements

Although prioritization is primarily done by the Product Owner who represents the Voice of Customer, the self-organized Scrum Team is involved in task breakdown and estimation. During these processes, each team member is responsible for determining what work he or she will be doing. During the execution of a Sprint, if team members need any help with completing their tasks, Scrum addresses this through the regular interaction mandatory with the Daily Standup Meetings. The Scrum Team itself interacts with other teams through the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) Meetings and can look for additional guidance as required from the Scrum Guidance Body.

Finally, the Scrum Team and Scrum Master work closely to demonstrate the product increment created during the Sprint where properly completed deliverables are accepted. Since the Deliverables are potentially shippable, (and the Prioritized Product Backlog is prioritized by User Stories in the order of value created by them), the Product Owner and the customer can clearly visualize and articulate the value being created after every Sprint; and Scrum Teams in turn have the satisfaction of seeing their hard work being accepted by the customer and other Business stakeholders.

Agile self-organization emphasizes the autonomy and collaborative capabilities of Scrum teams. In this framework, teams are empowered to make decisions, take ownership of their tasks, and adapt to changes dynamically without waiting for directives from higher management. This fosters a culture of accountability and innovation, enabling teams to leverage their collective expertise to deliver high-quality products efficiently. Self-organization within Agile promotes flexibility, continuous improvement, and enhanced team motivation, leading to better project outcomes and higher satisfaction among stakeholders.

Scrum believes that employees are self-motivated and seek to accept greater responsibility. So, they deliver much greater value when self-organized. The preferred leadership style in Scrum is “supporting leadership”, which emphasizes achieving results by focusing on the needs of the Scrum Team. Self-organization does not mean that team members are allowed to act in any manner that they want to. It just means that once the Product Vision is defined, the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Scrum Team get identified. Also the Scrum Core Team itself works very closely with relevant Business Stakeholder(s) for refining requirements better. Team expertise is used to assess the inputs needed to execute the planned work of the project. This judgment and expertise are applied to all technical and management aspects of the project.

Self-organization as an essential principle in Scrum leads to the following:

• Team buy-in and shared ownership
• Motivation, which leads to an enhanced performance level of the team
• Innovative and creative environment conducive to growth
• Selection of the simplest and best approach to satisfy given requirements

Although prioritization is primarily done by the Product Owner who represents the Voice of Customer, the self-organized Scrum Team is involved in task breakdown and estimation. During these processes, each team member is responsible for determining what work he or she will be doing. During the execution of a Sprint, if team members need any help with completing their tasks, Scrum addresses this through the regular interaction mandatory with the Daily Standup Meetings. The Scrum Team itself interacts with other teams through the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) Meetings and can look for additional guidance as required from the Scrum Guidance Body.

Finally, the Scrum Team and Scrum Master work closely to demonstrate the product increment created during the Sprint where properly completed deliverables are accepted. Since the Deliverables are potentially shippable, (and the Prioritized Product Backlog is prioritized by User Stories in the order of value created by them), the Product Owner and the customer can clearly visualize and articulate the value being created after every Sprint; and Scrum Teams in turn have the satisfaction of seeing their hard work being accepted by the customer and other Business stakeholders.