This document summarizes Em Campbell-Pretty's experience facilitating a self-selection process to form agile teams at scale. The process involved defining constraints, answering FAQs, and conducting selection in rounds. Lessons learned include being clear on expectations, not seeding teams, and communicating effectively. The result was teams formed in only 3 rounds without management intervention.

1. Em Campbell-Pretty
Partner, Context Matters
@PrettyAgile
www.prettyagile.com
au.linkedin.com/in/ejcampbellpretty/
em@contextmatters.com.au
Self-Selection:
An Agile Approach to
Forming Teams @ Scale

7. http://nomad8.com/the-self-organising-organisation/

8. “Self-selection is a facilitated process of letting
people self-organize into small, cross-functional
teams. Based on the belief that people are at their
happiest and most productive if they can choose
what they work on and who they work with…”
- Sandy Mamoli & David Mole, Creating Great Teams

11. What if no one
wants to work
with someone?
What if
someone gets
left out?
What if the teams
make the wrong
choices?

12. Trust
the
Team

14. Define the
Constraints

15. Seven ± Two

16. The Feature
vs.
Component
Teams debate
http://www.scaledagileframework.com/features-and-components/

17. http://blog.crisp.se/2012/11/14/henrikkniberg/scaling-agile-at-spotify

18. Identify the
Scrum Masters

19. Nominate the
Product Owners

20. Minimise
Constraints

22. Answer
FAQs

23. How should I
choose a squad?

24. When will I start
with my new squad?

25. Can I be in more
than one squad?

26. What should I do if
I can't be there on
the day?

27. What about my
current work?

28. I just want someone
to tell me where to
go, can you just put
me in a squad?!

29. How long will I be
with my squad for?

30. Where should I put my
photo if I just don't
know where to go?

31. What if someone else
is already doing what
I want to do?

32. ü Venue booked
ü Constraints agreed
ü FAQs written
ü Handouts printed
ü Product Owners briefed
ü Photos taken

40. ROUND 1 & 2

42. ROUND 3 & 4

53. Lessons
Learnt

54. Don't assume
everyone knows
everyone else

55. Be crystal clear
on your
expectations

56. Be crystal clear
on your
expectations

57. For feature team ARTs:
Don’t seed the teams
with missions

58. Communicate,
Communicate,
Communicate

59. Re-Squadifiction

60. Re-Define the
Constraints

62. SM PO
i
?

64. Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/efuVjs

65. Image source: https://flic.kr/p/78ahEy

67. Lessons
Learnt

68. SMs & POs should
not be pitching the
features they hope
to pull

69. Be crystal clear
on your
expectations

70. Sometimes
management
intervention is
the right call

71. Communicate,
Communicate,
Communicate!

72. Round 3
Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/pBtHHx

73. Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/6q5tx

75. The Result?
ü Only 3 rounds
ü No management intervention
ü Done in 40 minutes

76. …whilst we have probably invested
significantly more time up-front in
planning the event this time around, we
have landed in a better spot.

77. What was different?
- Communication
- Tie-breaker process
- No Feature pitches
- Clear expectations

78. Em Campbell-Pretty
Partner, Context Matters
@PrettyAgile
www.prettyagile.com
au.linkedin.com/in/ejcampbellpretty/
em@contextmatters.com.au
Make UNITY Part of your Tribe’s DNA
Check out my blog on Facilitating Self-Selection:
http://bit.ly/FacilitatingSelfSelection