摘要：一份提供給Scrum Master的實踐指南，可以為分布式團隊改善工作過程提供一些必要的參考。
原文標題：Supporting Distributed Scrum Teams
原文地址：https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2015/november/supporting-distributed-scrum-teams
分布式Scrum，從來都不簡單。
Distributed Scrum is never going to be easy.
Scrum的基石——透明性、開放性、自組織——在分布式Scrum團隊的環境下的實踐難度均有著不同程度的提高，溝通協作障礙重重、團隊建設難上加難。但與此同時，受成本節約的影響，很多公司又認為分布式Scrum是大勢所趨。
The very cornerstones of Scrum — transparency, openness,self-organization — are all more difficult for a distributed team to practice.Communication and collaboration will not be organic, and team-building will beharder. Still, the cost-saving implications for many companies mean thatdistributed Scrum looks likely to stay.
與上述爭議無關，本文只是一份提供給Scrum Master的實踐指南，可以為分布式團隊改善工作過程提供一些必要的參考。
By disregarding the arguments for and against, thisarticle is a practical guide that you can follow as a Scrum Master of adistributed team to make the process work as best it can.
適用于分布式Scrum團隊的5項最佳實踐（5 best?practices for distributed Scrum teams）
1、做團隊成員的同地匯聚，頻率越高越好、時間越早越好（Make an effort to colocate as often and as early as?possible）
你可能面臨著場地租用和成本削減的爭議，盡管它們是采用分布式Scrum的幕后推手，但對某些產品開發過程而言，整個團隊同地辦公的重要性卻是無論怎么強調都不過分的。
Despite the arguments you may face about colocation, andeven if cost reduction is the driving force behind using distributed Scrum, theimportance of the whole team being together for some parts of the productdevelopment process cannot be stressed enough.
即使是在產品開發的初期，或者是產品主框架的首次構建期，在工作啟動時把整個Scrum團隊（沒錯，產品負責人要包含在內）匯聚在一起，對于促進透明性、團隊協作和團隊精神都是至關重要的。
Even if it's just at product kickoff or when theframework is first implemented, getting the entire Scrum team together (andyes, this includes the product owner!) is imperative to foster transparency,collaboration, and teamwork from the start.
把大家聚集在一起能夠為整個團隊創建一個絕佳的交流時機，較為正式的文化交流可以有，團隊聚餐、咖啡茶歇等業余團隊活動也可以有，千萬不要低估會談和閑聊對于打造強大團隊的重要性。
Being together in person gives the team a chance to formproperly and also to have an invaluable cultural exchange and out-of-workbonding through events such as team meals and coffees. Don’t underestimate theimportance of organic conversation and small talk in forming a strong team.
如果有可能，針對一些較為正式儀式，最好是Sprint的結束和啟動，整個團隊應該盡可能地匯聚在一起。在我們的分布式團隊中，成員同地匯聚的頻率是每月1次，每次1周。當然，可能很多團隊無法做到，但是每個季度來一次成員同地匯聚對團隊的積極意義也是較為可觀的。
If possible, the whole team should make an effort tocolocate on regular occasions, preferably at sprint end and start, when theceremonies take place. On our distributed team, we make an effort to colocateon average once a month, when we spend a week together. Of course, this may notbe possible for many teams, but even a trip to get together once per quarterwill make a positive impact on the team.
2.建立非正式的交流渠道（Have an informal communication stream）
會談是高效團隊的重要組成部分之一，具體來說，就是在工作地點選一個合適的地方，大家坐在一起談談昨晚的電視節目，或者共進午餐。但在分布式團隊中，這種自然閑適的交流往往是極度缺乏的。
Organic conversation is a vital component of ahigh-performing team. In a colocated office, you sit near colleagues, chatabout the TV show you watched last night, or eat lunch together. In distributedteams, this natural communication is often lacking.
在我們的開發團隊中，我們給自己的小組起了名字，還利用WhatsApp搭建了專用的討論組，有些時候，我們用它來傳遞工作信息（可以讓大家及時了解到某人快遲到了或者生病了）；但更多的時候，我們把它當作一個灌水樂園，大家聊體育，聊倫敦的或是布加勒斯特演唱會上的那些照片。盡管我們的辦公地點分布在多處，這個非正式的、簡單的、無所不包的聊天渠道卻將我們大家時時刻刻聯系在了一起，讓我們可以隨時捕獲日常工作中那些違背敏捷理念的點點滴滴，從中發掘出無窮的樂趣。
Within our development team, we gave ourselves a groupname and set up our own WhatsApp messenger group. We sometimes use if for work stuff(normally a quick way to let everyone know when someone’s running late or isill), but more often than not it is the home of our group banter — sports talk,photos of days out in London, or pictures from concerts in Bucharest. Thisinformal, easy, and inclusive chat stream allows us to keep in touch with eachother even when we can’t be colocated. We can have those fun catch-ups overwhat people are doing when they’re not being Agile!
3.引入工具（Invest in tooling）
敏捷宣言的原則之一是“個人和互動高于流程和工具”，這里的關鍵之處在于“我們認為左項的價值大于右項”，而不是否定右項的價值，對分布式團隊也同樣如此，好的工具必然能夠促進團隊的交流和協作。
One of the tenets of the Agile Manifesto is valuing"people and interactions over process and tools." The key point hereis that we value the items on the left over the items on the right, not at the expenseof them. For distributed teams, this message is still the same; however, goodtooling is vital to enable communication and collaboration and to empower theteam.
利用增強音頻手段進行面對面的交流是分布式團隊不可或缺的組成部分，要做到這一點，就意味著團隊成員都需要配備相應的硬件和軟件：合適的耳機和網絡攝像頭，移動電話，諸如Skype之類的通訊程序。
Face-to-face communication with strong audio is anintegral component for distributed teams. That means the team members allhaving access to the hardware and software they need to make this happen:decent headsets and webcams, mobile work phones, and access to programs such asSkype for Business.
針對Sprint計劃會議，我們引入了估算撲克應用軟件；針對Spring回顧會議，我們發現基于白板的涂鴉是提升實時交流會議效果的絕佳手段（MURAL，官方網站https://mural.ly/）。現實中存在很多種工具，就分布式團隊而言，針對工作小組探索并引入優質的工具能夠有效地促進團隊交流和討論。
For sprint planning, we use a Pointing Poker application,and for our retrospectives we find MURAL a fantastic way to enable people tocontribute in real time to a collaborative board, thus fostering conversation.There are numerous tools out there, and for a distributed team, experimentationand investment in the tools best for the group will enable you to encouragecollaboration and discussion.
4.提高推動工作的能力（Develop your facilitation skills）
在任意情景下推動工作是Scrum Master的關鍵能力之一，這是任何團隊都迫切需要的。這項能力讓我們能在最佳時機做出最佳舉措，通常是極難掌握的，在分布式團隊環境下難度還要更大一點。你必須掌握團隊成員的性格特點，哪些人內向，哪些人外向，誰愿意悶頭干活而疏于分享，誰又樂意滔滔不絕地描述個人觀點，如何有效發掘內向型團隊成員個人觀點中的價值點，同時又不抑制外向型團隊成員的表現欲，是一門微妙的藝術。在推動工作時你必須充分參與進去，這樣才能夠識別“何時引導大家進入討論”，“何時結束當前的主題”，以及“何時解決沖突”。
One of the key skills a Scrum Master on any team needs isthe ability to facilitate in all situations. This is a difficult skill to dowell at the best of times; on a distributed team, it is much harder. You needto be aware of the personalities on your team, of the extroverts and theintroverts, of who will be doing their thinking internally and be less likelyto share, and who will be quick to verbally intervene with their ideas. It is adelicate art to bring out the valuable thoughts and ideas of quieter teammembers while not suppressing the more outgoing ones. You need to be fullyengaged while facilitating so that you can recognize when to bring people intothe discussion, when to move the topics forward, and when to resolve conflict.
要時刻溫習這些寶貴的技能。作為一個分布式團隊的Scrum Master，你要持續不斷地閱讀和學習，以掌握積極傾聽和團隊動力學理念；要積極地與其他Scrum Master進行知識分享，以豐富你的技巧和技術儲備。
Make sure that you brush up on these invaluable skills.As a Scrum Master for a distributed team, you should be constantly reading andlearning about ideas such as active listening, team dynamics, and adding gamesand techniques to your arsenal through knowledge sharing with other Scrum Masters.
5.時刻莫忘說“謝謝”（Don’t forget to say thank you）
無論是分布式團隊還是常規團隊，時刻不忘說“謝謝”都是至關重要的。
This is equally important for distributed and colocatedteams: Make sure you say thank you!
由于深刻地認識到了團隊成功、貢獻、知識分享、應對新挑戰的重要性，很多公司配備了諸如電子卡片、公共論壇之類的內部表彰系統，這可是表達謝意的好東西，對分布式團隊尤為如此。在完成了某項偉大的工作之后，如果有機會湊在一起，你主動為大家買上一些飲料（啤酒、咖啡請隨意）來表達謝意也是一個好主意。
Recognizing team successes, contributions, knowledgesharing, and the taking on of new challenges is important. Many companies haveinternal recognition systems such as e-cards or public forums, which are agreat way to say thanks, especially on the distributed team. If you have theopportunity to occasionally colocate, then buying a round of drinks (beer orcoffees!) is also a nice way to thank teams for having done a great job.
在我們的Sprint回顧會議上，我們定期設置了一個“鳴謝”環節，每個人都可以采用“把便簽紙貼到白板上”的形式對團隊中的某個人表示感謝，時間限制在當前Sprint之內，緣由不限。這是一個讓我們自由傳遞感激之情的好方法，也是在Scrum團隊中凸顯團隊協作和團隊精神重要性的好方法。
In our sprint retrospectives, we regularly include a slotfor "Appreciations," in which everyone is free to add a sticky noteon our board to show appreciation for someone, for any reason, during a sprint.This has been a great way for us to show our gratitude to one another and tostress the importance of collaboration and teamwork within the Scrum team.
結束語（Conclusion）
在分布式團隊的大環境下，追求成功乃是整個Scrum團隊的奮斗目標，利用上述思路你可以構建適合于自己的最佳實踐，讓你的開發團隊盡可能地提前武裝起來去克服分布式團隊所面臨的各項挑戰。
Achieving success in a distributed team is something that the wholeScrum team needs to work on. By using the ideas above and building your ownbest practices, you can ensure that your development team is as well equippedas possible to be prepared for and to overcome the common challenges facingdistributed teams.
