Observing links between behaviors and work outcomes in an agile product development environment

By Anulekha Roy, December 15, 2017

In an agile product development environment, I observed that the behavioral aspect of a team influences their work performance. A range of behaviors were on display during team interactions. Some easy to notice almost instantly, while others were subtle, emerging gradually over time and only in certain contexts. Why was I making these observations?

I was new to the team and wanted to get to know the others. Their behaviors gave insights into the individuals and the team in general. I used the knowledge to uncover if any patterns existed in the teamwork. Anything that would enable me to plan and utilize the available skills to successfully deliver my work.

Some of the observations I gathered are illustrated here. The action plan utilized to successfully deliver products is in the next article.

A group of individuals with different work experiences had come together and built a new software.  Now they needed to create training material for the users. I collaborated with the team to develop E-learning courses and host them in an online academy. The idea was to train users for different skill levels. The content included an introduction to the topic, operating the features and functions of the software, its customization and application in various situations, etc.

Since I was the only one with experience in creating online learning, I took up the responsibility of managing the project.  In order to allocate tasks to the other team members, I needed to first understand their skills. The best way to do so would be to meet them regularly. Since everyone was located in a different city, face-to-face meetings were not practical.

I started to participate in the scrum calls the team had every morning. Though the purpose of these conversations was to report the progress of their work, the behaviors of the team members was instantly noticeable. Initially observed was an entrepreneurial approach, ownership in getting the job done, preference for agile work environment and a virtual team setting, among others.

With the passing of time, subtle behaviors present among the team members started to come into focus. They were usually associated to a specific context. Gradually, the patterns linking the behaviors with work performance became visible. I noted that the pressures of an agile environment were contributing towards the emergence of the behaviors.

Pop-up teams were continuously being formed to deliver results with limited time and resources. Individuals with skillsets needed to get the work done were pulled together. These collaborations were generally alive for the duration of the work. I observed that some individuals got together and produced results, others went down a slippery slope towards complete shutdown of any work. The behavior of the members influenced overall team engagement, attitude towards work and efficiency in creating results.

The partnerships that had successful work results, generally repeated their collaborations. Over time, these cohorts were distinguishable by their behavioral compatibility. It showed up in the mutual trust and respect they had during communication. They exchanged information, voiced their concerns and support to take risks. They made quick decisions, especially while working under the pressures of the agile situation.

I observed that the two styles of teams; pop-ups and cohorts, did combine their efforts to meet the demands of delivering in an agile environment. But the decisions made in the combined group was dominated by the style that contributed more members. Altering any patterns including behaviors was resisted, or given low priority specially during the pressures of agile delivery. This compromised the overall performance of the combined efforts.

The action plan to create the new E-learning products therefore required considering the agile environment and the behavioral aspect of the team which influenced the work performance.

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