Agile fundamentals for teams

In this video, we're going to introduce Team Health. We'll focus on what this is and why it's important. We'll also show a tool that teams can use to measure and improve team health.

Team health allows you to assess how team members feel about their work and environment. That's because how work makes us feel, influences our approach, motivation, and satisfaction. In Agile teams, collaboration and adaptability are crucial. To enable this, maintaining good team health is essential.

Team health checks provide a way for teams to step back, reflect, and discuss these feelings. By assessing your experiences, you can identify what’s working and what could improve.

Team health checks aim to spark conversations. They encourage you to reflect on your experience in a structured way. It gives everyone a voice to express your thoughts and ideas.

When teams have open discussions, it creates a space for improvement and growth. Instead of waiting for issues to escalate, you can address challenges early. It also enables you to identify ways to support each other.

The R&D team at Spotify recognised the importance of this. They went on to create the Squad Health Check model. The purpose was to create the right environment for their teams to thrive. 

This quote, taken from their work, captures why the health check model is valuable. Improving a team’s work environment can feel uncertain and complex. To address this, they created the model to offer a clear, structured approach. This makes it easier to see issues, track progress, and make decisions. This is beneficial as it's based on insights generated by the team, rather than guesswork.

This approach helps reduce uncertainty. It is a structured way to identify specific challenges. It enables you to make progress toward a healthier, more effective work environment.

The Squad Health Check model encourages you to reflect on your work experiences. Teams use this to measure different aspects of their health. It works by using traffic lights as indicators. They represent how the team feels about various dimensions of their work. This could include aspects like levels of support, workload, or innovation.

Using this approach is straightforward. You rate how you feel about each measure and discuss your ratings as a team. It provides a snapshot of your collective feelings. Doing so enables you to identify your strengths and areas to improve.

As a result, you gain visibility into common challenges. It enables you to build trust through open dialogue. and identify practical steps to make your work environment better. The model empowers you to own your team health. It focuses on continuous improvement. It makes it easier to keep collaboration, productivity, and morale high.

We would encourage you to try a health check by designing your own. Reflect on how you feel about different aspects of your work. Use it to start the conversation about how to make improvements together.