Sprinting Out of Stuckness

Overcoming Moments of Stuckness to Support the Creativity Flow in Agile Team Settings

Conference Paper (2019)
Author(s)

Ashni Shah (Student TU Delft)

Alfonso Huidobro Pereda (Student TU Delft)

M. Gonçalves (TU Delft - DesIgning Value in Ecosystems)

Research Group
DesIgning Value in Ecosystems
Copyright
© 2019 Ashni Shah, Alfonso Huidobro Pereda, M. Gonçalves
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1017/dsi.2019.241
More Info
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Publication Year
2019
Language
English
Copyright
© 2019 Ashni Shah, Alfonso Huidobro Pereda, M. Gonçalves
Research Group
DesIgning Value in Ecosystems
Volume number
2019-August
Pages (from-to)
2347-2356
Reuse Rights

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Abstract

Multidisciplinary agile teams working in fast paced, delivery-oriented sprint cycles of two weeks can experience moments of stuckness. Typically, these moments can be characterised by the inability to continue, which can be quite detrimental in agile settings, where time is pressured. This paper aims to explore these moments of stuckness, to understand when and why they occur and to understand the different strategies Scrum teams use to overcome them, both on a personal as well as team level. A combination of interviews and observations were conducted with six Scrum team members and two experts to understand their process and experiences while working in an agile set up. We have identified five strategies, which strongly rely on agile values of collaboration, communication, and creativity. These are: looking for expert guidance, open communication, creating spike stories, visual communication and incubation. The findings from this study provide both practice and academia with a deeper understanding into how can creativity be supported in agile settings.