What Influences the Mood of Agile Teams?

InfoQ research: What Influences the Mood of Agile Teams?

Team mood plays a key role in agile software development, as people are working closely together every day to iteratively deliver a product to their customers and satisfy the needs of their stakeholders.

The mood of a team and its members affects the results that can be delivered by teams. Generally in teams where members enjoy the things that they do and feel happy more work is done in less time. Such teams tend to have higher predictability and deliver products with higher quality. When team morale increases the chances of people leaving the team or getting ill is also reduced.

What do you think are the main factors that influence the mood of teams in agile?

The options

• Experience level: Have the team members worked in teams for a long time, have they worked in other teams before this one?
• Openness: Are team members able and willing to be honest and open about things to each other?
• Level of trust: Do team members trust each other and do they feel that they have the trust of other team members?
• Safety: Is the workplace perceived as a safe place? Do team members feel safe in the team?
• Collaboration: Do team members help each other in their daily work? Do they put the team results above individual results?
• Retrospectives: Does the team regularly reflect on how they are doing their work? Are they able to take action based on the outcomes?
• Shielded from external pressure: Do managers ensure that team members are not put under pressure?
• Celebrate successes: Do team members recognize things that went well, and do they celebrate them?
• Freedom to do their work: Do managers and stakeholders give the team sufficient room to decide how to do their work?
• Camaraderie: Do team members consider other team members to be good friends. Are they close?
• Team members’ feedback: Do team members give feedback to each other and use that feedback to improve?
• Customer feedback: Does the team receive frequent useful feedback from their customers on the product that they deliver?
• Collocation: Are team members working in the same room or close to each other?
• Diversity: Is there sufficient diversity in the team to stimulate innovation and avoid groupthink?
• Social contacts: Do team members do things together outside work?
• Appreciation: Are team members appreciated by managers and customers for the work that they do?
• Social skills: Do the team member possess soft skills that help them to communicate and collaborate effectively?
• Physical workplace: Is the office perceived as a pleasant place to work, it is ergonomically designed and does it provide sufficient space?
• Work environment: Are workspaces available to work quietly and non-distracted and for doing "loud" work like meetings or discussions?
• Tools and Equipment: Do team members have the hardware and software needed to do their work? Is adequate and timely support provided to deal with any problems?