Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) — Question 12

An organization has just hired you as a new Scrum Master to help them transition their teams from their current traditional process to Scrum. The teams are currently structured to specialize in a single function. This is also known as component teams where a team would only address a single layer (i.e. design, frontend, backend, database, testing, etc.). You've introduced the concept of cross-functional teams where all the skills needed to produce business functionality, from end to end, are inside of a single team.
What should you keep in mind when transitioning from siloed teams to cross-functional teams? (Choose two.)

Answer options

• A. It is easier to compare the performance between cross-functional teams in order to identify to which teams to assign tasks and which teams need additional coaching.
• B. Newly formed teams will need time to stabilize before reaching their peak performance. During the initial stages of forming, performance will suffer and productivity may be low, although even then delivery of business value is still likely to increase.
• C. Without feature teams, you cannot do Scrum. Postpone Scrum adoption until the teams are reorganized in feature teams.
• D. People from the different layers and components will need time to become accustomed to working and delivering unified functionality together as one Scrum Team thus productivity may suffer.

Correct answer: B, D

Explanation

Option B is correct because newly formed cross-functional teams typically experience a phase of adjustment that can lead to decreased performance initially, but overall delivery of business value often improves as they stabilize. Option D is also correct as it acknowledges the adjustment period required for team members from different specialties to work cohesively, which may temporarily affect productivity. Options A and C are incorrect; A oversimplifies team performance evaluation, and C misrepresents the Scrum framework by suggesting that Scrum cannot function without feature teams.