For a scrum master in a scaled program environment, coordinating work between multiple scrum teams can be a little bit like managing home construction. In a new home community, future homeowners have made their selections of a floor plan, location, and amenities (determined their minimum viable product), and negotiated a price and put down earnest money (funded the value stream). Now it is time for the construction manager to convert the initial investment into revenue by delivering a completed house that meets the expectations of the company they represent, of regulators in the form of building codes and occupancy permits, and most importantly of the homeowner.
Likewise, scrum leaders need to satisfy their stakeholders and customers with working products that meet requirements and regulations, generating a return on investment, innovation, and enhanced reputation. To accomplish this mission, they must coordinate the work of multiple teams using the best engineering practices to sustain a continuous delivery flow. In software delivery as in new home construction, maintaining a continuous flow while providing a predictable time-to-market requires the mastery of three primary activities: scheduling work, managing dependencies, and ensuring that the product passes inspection.
