The process of delivering a product can be intricate, involving numerous activities that need to be coordinated effectively. To tackle this complexity, Nexus is a scaling framework that can be used to scale Scrum when there are three or more Scrum teams working together on the same Product. Built upon the foundation of Scrum, Nexus expands upon it only when essential to minimize and manage dependencies between multiple Scrum Teams. It upholds the principles of empiricism and the Scrum Values, ensuring a cohesive and value-driven approach to product development and delivery at scale.
What makes Nexus stand out among other scaling frameworks is its simplicity. Like its foundation, Scrum, Nexus offers just enough structure to guide teams without burdening them with unnecessary rules. This simplicity is one of the key reasons why Nexus is considered the best scaling framework for organizations embarking on large-scale product development.
In Nexus, a group of Scrum Teams come together with a shared purpose: achieving the Product Goal. This collaborative framework brings these teams under one umbrella, uniting their efforts towards a common objective. By leveraging the collective strengths and expertise of each team, the Nexus drives progress and success towards the ultimate goal of delivering a valuable product.
Within the Scrum framework, the Sprint Goal often doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. However, in Nexus, the focus on a unifying goal is even more important. Each Sprint, the Scrum teams working together in Nexus should establish a Sprint goal for each Scrum team as well as a Nexus Sprint goal which acts as a unifying objective for the entire Nexus, summing up the work and Sprint Goals of all the Scrum teams within it. The Nexus Sprint Goal encourages collaboration and discourages teams from working on separate initiatives. It provides a common focus that keeps everyone aligned and working together towards a shared goal. By emphasizing the power of unity, the Nexus Sprint Goal enhances collaboration and ensures that the efforts of all teams are directed towards a common objective.
During the Nexus Sprint Planning event, the Scrum teams come together to create the Nexus Sprint Goal, which is then added to the Nexus Sprint Backlog. As the teams work together throughout the Sprint, they keep the Nexus Sprint Goal in mind, ensuring that their efforts align with the overall objective of the Nexus. This shared goal fosters a sense of unity and cohesion, enabling the teams to deliver valuable and useful functionality collectively.
The importance of the Nexus Sprint Goal becomes even more evident during the Nexus Sprint Review. In order to receive valuable stakeholder feedback, the Nexus must demonstrate the functionality that has been completed to achieve the Nexus Sprint Goal. This provides stakeholders with a holistic view of the progress made by the Nexus as a whole, rather than evaluating the work of individual teams in isolation.
Here are five compelling reasons why organizations should not omit the Nexus Sprint Goal:
Alignment and Coherence: The Nexus Sprint Goal aligns the efforts of multiple Scrum teams, ensuring they work together toward a common objective. This alignment enhances coherence and minimizes the risk of teams pulling in different directions.
Collaboration and Communication: The Nexus Sprint Goal encourages collaboration and open communication among teams. It fosters a shared understanding of the desired outcome, facilitating effective coordination and knowledge sharing.
Focus and Prioritization: With a clearly defined Nexus Sprint Goal, teams can prioritize their work accordingly. It helps them understand which tasks and features are critical to achieving the overall objective, enabling better decision-making and resource allocation.
Stakeholder Engagement: By demonstrating the valuable functionality achieved to fulfill the Nexus Sprint Goal, the Nexus Sprint Review engages stakeholders in the progress of the entire Nexus. This holistic view fosters trust and transparency, strengthening the relationship between the development teams and stakeholders.
Motivation and Empowerment: The Nexus Sprint Goal provides a sense of purpose and direction to the teams involved. It empowers individuals by offering them a shared vision to work toward, which can boost motivation and drive better outcomes.
Don’t skip the Nexus Sprint Goal
The Nexus Sprint Goal is an essential component of the Nexus framework, emphasizing the power of collaboration and coherence in scaling Scrum. By establishing a common objective, the Nexus Sprint Goal enables multiple teams to work together effectively, ensuring alignment, focus, and stakeholder satisfaction. Embracing the Nexus Sprint Goal is a key step toward unlocking the full potential of scaled Scrum and achieving successful product development at scale.
Want to learn more? Signup for Rebel Scrum’s upcoming Scaled Professional Scrum course to learn how to use the simplest scaling framework to deliver value to your organization. Because when it comes to problem solving; simpler is better.