A cross-functional Scrum Team holds all the skills necessary to create value each
Sprint. The test is practical. Can the team take an item from the Product Backlog
and reach the Definition of Done without waiting on anyone outside it?
Collective, not individual
Cross-functionality is a property of the team rather than of each person.
Individuals keep their specialisms. What matters is that no skill required to
finish a Sprint's work sits outside the team, because an external dependency
turns a one-Sprint item into a multi-Sprint one.
Why it connects to the Definition of Done
If the Definition of Done includes, say, security review or performance testing,
then the team needs those skills or that criterion cannot be met within a Sprint.
A Definition of Done a team cannot satisfy on its own is a signal that either the
team composition or the Definition needs to change.
Growing skills
Where a gap exists, the team can add a member or develop the skill internally.
The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by coaching it in cross-functionality and
by helping remove the impediments that keep the gap in place.
Common misconceptions
“Cross-functional means every member can do every task.”
It means the team collectively holds the skills needed. Individuals retain specialisms; the team does not depend on anyone outside it to finish a Sprint's work.
“A team can rely on a separate QA group and still be cross-functional.”
If completing an Increment requires a hand-off to a group outside the Scrum Team, the team is not cross-functional for that work, and the Definition of Done cannot be met within the Sprint.
“Adding a specialist to the team solves every skill gap.”
Growing skills within the team is the other route. The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching it in cross-functionality, which includes helping it develop skills it lacks.
1 question test this concept
A Scrum Team cannot release anything without waiting an average of nine days for a separate database team to apply schema changes. Which statement best describes the situation and the direction of the fix?
AThis is normal in large organisations, and the Scrum Team should plan around the nine day lead time.
BThe Scrum Master should escalate until the database team commits to a two day turnaround.
CThe Product Owner should stop ordering items that need schema changes.
DThe team lacks a skill it needs to create a usable Increment each Sprint, so the cross-functionality gap needs closing by acquiring or embedding that skill.