You\u2019re working on a big project with your in-house team and freelance developer when you realize that you might not meet your next deadline because your team is caught in a long feedback loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this scenario sounds familiar, you might want to consider inviting your freelance developer to your daily scrums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s because their time zones don\u2019t match, there\u2019s a lack of interest on either or both sides, or there\u2019s just no perceived need for it, freelance developers aren\u2019t usually involved in their clients\u2019 scrum meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, that doesn\u2019t have<\/em> to be the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re going to walk you through the pros and cons of daily scrums \u2014 with some of Arc’s experienced freelance developers chiming in \u2014 and make the case that because a freelance developer is part of the dev team, he or she should be included in the team\u2019s daily scrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking for top talent fast? See how <\/em>Arc<\/a> can help you:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a1\ufe0f Find developers, designers, marketers, and more Hire top talent with Arc risk-free \u2192<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scrum has been making projects happen since 2001. It\u2019s an\u00a0Agile framework<\/a>\u00a0that revolves around sprints. Several famous companies use Scrum to meet their project goals, including Google, Logitech, Bose, Adobe, and Mckinsey and Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project goals are broken up into sprints, which last a week or two depending on the company. Sprints bring the team closer to achieving a specific goal. Teams have a scrum master who acts as a coach during the daily scrums \u2014 15-minute scrum meetings held every day, at the same time and place \u2014 to ensure the team stays on track to meet their sprint goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scrum master doesn\u2019t need to be a developer though \u2014 you can take on the role of scrum master even if you\u2019re not a developer, as long as you understand and follow Scrum principles and are willing to share power and let the team lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scrum master\u2019s role in the daily scrum isn\u2019t to direct the team, but to facilitate the meeting, where team members share what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any problems they\u2019ve encountered that may hinder their progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Write a PRD Freelance Developers Will Understand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we\u2019re going to talk about the pros and cons of inviting your freelance developer to join in your daily scrums. Although we believe that the pros outweigh the cons, we think it\u2019s worth presenting both so you can make an informed decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Efficient communication<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Inviting your freelance developer to join your daily scrum means less communication lag. By participating in the meetings, he or she knows what is going on without having to wait for sprint\/project updates from a team member. Conversely, your team doesn\u2019t have to wait to be updated on his or her progress either, which makes the sprint more efficient overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Momcilo Popov\u00a0said that for him, as long as the client understood Scrum methodology well, daily scrums \u201chelps improve project organizations on both sides.\u201d Another Arc developer,\u00a0Lance Pioch, agrees that participating in scrum meetings is helpful, because \u201cit\u2019s allowed me more direct and better communication with my clients…and when done correctly, it can be a great asset for many clients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Closer integration and troubleshooting<\/strong> \u2014 If your freelance developer joins your daily scrum, you\u2019ll all know if there are delays or technical difficulties cropping up on the project. By knowing early on if there are issues that could cause problems down the road for your sprint goals (and being updated daily), your team can help the freelance developer (or vice versa), nip technical issues in the bud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Perrenoud\u00a0feels that \u201cthe biggest goal of a scrum is to find impediments that the Scrum Master or Product Owner can then get resolved ASAP\u201d and \u201cis a form of accountability as well, because the developer has to provide an update daily in front of everybody. It\u2019s a good way for the Product Owner to get a view into how things are progressing if they are invited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeps the project on track<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 When everyone is on the same page regarding changes to the sprint or\u00a0project roadmap, your entire team (freelance dev included) can better keep tabs on your progress. Because each sprint is so short, it\u2019s extra important that everyone knows where everybody else stands so the project remains on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lance likes participating in scrums with clients, saying, \u201cI like being able to communicate with the client on a regular basis and let them know of the current progress and what priorities and if they\u2019ve changed or something else has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: 10 Ways to Avoid Failed Freelance Software Projects & Why They Fail to Begin With<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of Sync<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 One major aspect of the daily scrum is that it takes place at the same time and place, daily. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that your freelancers\u2019 schedules may not sync neatly with yours, either because of time zone differences or because of their own prior commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For\u00a0Artem Golovin, who has been freelancing for eight years, scheduling is one of the biggest downsides of scrumming, because \u201cmorning is not morning everywhere in the world, for some it would be too early, for others \u2014 too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not Interested<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Keep in mind also that not every freelancer would be interested in daily scrums with your team, be it for personal, professional, or time-related reasons, and that\u2019s why they chose to\u00a0freelance<\/em>\u00a0in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artem felt that because \u201cdevelopers are not kids, [there\u2019s] no need to sit with them every morning and hear stuff no one is interested in. Let them do the actual job instead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pay to Play<\/strong> \u2014 Finally, if you want your freelance developer to join your daily scrum, be prepared to receive a bill for it. While you do reap excellent benefits from his or her participation in your daily scrums, remember that you\u2019re still financially compensating the freelancer for his or her time spent during the meeting \u2014 time they could have been coding, which can add up over the course of the project<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artem agrees with this point, saying, \u201cImagine, if you have six developers and daily scrums take 10 minutes, every morning. So 10 minutes x 6 developers\u2019 time x 5 days = congratulations, you\u2019ve just wasted five hours of \u2018common\u2019 time, imagine how much stuff could have been done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: 8 Signs Your Freelance Developer Isn\u2019t Working Out & What To Do About It<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you decide to have your freelance developer join in your daily scrums, keep in mind that there may be internal or sensitive information revealed. While the daily scrum is only meant to discuss technical information, and very briefly, there is a risk that more information than you intended could be revealed. This situation, however, could be mitigated if you have your developer sign a\u00a0non-disclosure agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider the type of project you\u2019re working on with your freelance developer. If their work is heavily integrated with the work the rest of the team is doing, i.e., if their work requires working in tandem with one or two in-house devs, it would be more efficient to have your freelance developer join in the daily scrums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How useful scrum meetings were depended on what type of freelance project being worked on, according to Momcilo, who noted, “All in all, I had only good experiences when working on a large project architecture and find it sometimes too robust for medium-sized and small projects.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kian Khosh, noted that daily scrum meetings were useful \u201conly if there are multiple people working on the project,” and\u00a0Humayun Shabbir\u00a0felt that daily scrums were \u201cvery good for long-term projects that last for six months or more\u201d because \u201cunder the right communication it can make things more efficient over time. The worthwhileness of Daily Sprints also depends on team size and then the length of the project. Effective communication is key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Create a Software Development Workflow for Freelance Hires<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n While these tips are still applicable for in-house scrum meetings, they\u2019ve been tweaked for teams working with freelance developers. In addition, we\u2019ve asked some of our own top-vetted developers for their own advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short and Sweet<\/strong> \u2014 Keep the meetings short and focused, which they should be anyway. Your freelancers\u2019 time may be more limited, and you\u2019d rather be paying them to code instead of simply sitting there listening if the meeting becomes inefficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucas Bertoni\u00a0seconds this, noting that clients can make scrums worthwhile by keeping it \u201csimple and constructive,” while\u00a0Michael Urvan\u00a0felt that daily scrums are \u201cefficient if they are limited to a few minutes.\u201d Kiah Khoush echoes this sentiment as well, saying, \u201cThe most important thing is to keep it short (10 mins max) and only discuss: \u2018What did you work on?\u2019 and \u2018What are you going to work on today?\u2019 In that capacity, it can be very useful for everyone to \u2018catch up\u2019 with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tick Tock<\/strong> \u2014 Make sure to set time limits per person and adhere to them. Setting time limits keeps the meetings short. Also, let the freelance developer talk early in the meeting, either first or second. Having the freelance developer go first means that he or she has more freedom to leave earlier if the meeting starts becoming long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kian Khoush points out that when time limits aren\u2019t respected, \u201cdaily stand-up meetings sometimes turn into full-blown meetings and it becomes a regular meeting. These kinds of meetings easily become a waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are You Available?<\/strong> \u2014 Try to plan meetings around a time convenient for both your in-house team members and the freelance developer, but prioritize the freelance developer\u2019s schedule. Your team members have more opportunities to interact at the office, but your freelancer developer\u2019s time may be less flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, for Michael Urvan, in some cases, \u201can every-other-day schedule (rather than a daily scrum) might be better,\u201d but, \u201cas long as it is in the correct Scrum format, it is worthwhile and helps make a freelancer feel like part of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong>: How to Integrate Freelance Software Developers Into Your Current Team<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n While it may be more difficult to set up a time that makes everyone happy, at least initially, including your freelance developer in your daily scrums is beneficial enough to be worth the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the developer\u2019s point of view, across the board, when it comes to scrum meetings, the key to their usefulness is that the meetings are kept efficient, short, and goal-oriented, and Scrum methodology is well understood by the client and the client\u2019s dev team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While on the surface it may seem like a waste of time and money to pay your freelance developer to attend your scrums, in the long run, you\u2019ll save valuable time not waiting for updates or encountering technical issues that were unforeseen because of a delay in communication time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, it\u2019ll be easier for your product owner to more accurately estimate your project\u2019s delivery time and the chances of your sprint\u2019s success. When it comes to your company\u2019s success, it\u2019s better to avoid being penny wise and pound foolish \u2014 that\u2019s why we think it\u2019s best to invite your freelance developers to join your daily scrums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you scrummed with your freelancers? What are your thoughts on scrum meetings? Let us know what you think in the comments section!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also try <\/em>Arc<\/a>, your<\/em> shortcut to the world’s best remote talent:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a1\ufe0f Access 450,000 top developers, designers, and marketers <\/a>Try Arc and hire top talent now \u2192<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learn the pros and cons of inviting a freelance developer to daily scrum meetings & tips from senior devs for running an efficient scrum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management"],"yoast_head":"\n
\u26a1\ufe0f Freelance or full-time remote + fully vetted<\/em>
\u26a1\ufe0f Save up to 80% with global hires<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is a Daily Scrum?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pros and Cons of Daily Scrums with Your Freelance Developer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Additional Points to Consider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tips for Daily Scrum Meetings With Your Freelance Developer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u26a1\ufe0f Vetted and ready to interview<\/em>
\u26a1\ufe0f Freelance or full-time<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n