How does it all work?
Firstly, Agile teams are formed of people who WANT to be there.
The Product Owner (foreperson) holds responsibility for the demand/need (the project) and will own the vision. Meanwhile, the team itself will be self-selected and self-directed. This can be a challenge as the entire business needs to buy-in to this philosophy. There needs to be an understanding that teams are brought together for the benefit of the organisation, with parameters set for much how much commitment will be required.
Finally, the team will be disassembled on completion of the project. Every project must have a defined endpoint.
The maximum project term is typically three months, with the average timescale being six weeks.
You can have simultaneous sub-teams working on a project, provided they each have an Agile Coach to guide them.
Practical tip: HR teams should start to think in terms of ‘product’. E.g – a new policy is a product.