Fueling Continuous Improvement in Scrum Teams
Written by: Yamila Solari –
Continuous improvement is an essential component of Scrum. Scrum’s three empirical pillars—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—ensure that continuous improvement is woven into the framework itself. Each Scrum event and artifact provides opportunities for the Scrum Team to continually inspect and adapt. In this article, I will cover important factors that contribute to the success of the philosophy of continuous improvement in a team, as well as some precautions necessary to keep teams motivated to improve.
Measuring Progress is Essential for Continuous Improvement
Measuring progress is crucial because it helps the team spot areas that need work, making improvement possible in every sprint. There are various ways to measure progress in Scrum, such as:
- Checking if sprint goals were achieved
- Using velocity (the rate at which the team completes work)
- Tracking bug density
- Using burndown charts
It’s important to pick the metrics that better allow you to see the progress in your project and set up a reliable system to track them. To avoid overwhelming your team, focus on just a few key metrics—somewhere between three and five. Also, stay consistent with the frequency of your measurements. Many experts recommend measuring after every sprint to keep a regular pulse on your team’s performance.
Elements that Promote Continuous Improvement in a Team
We, as humans, are wired for growth—which naturally requires change and adaptation. However, our brains also prioritize routine and efficiency, which can make continuous improvement tricky. Let’s look at some key factors that help foster a continuous improvement culture:
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Psychological Safety
Cognitive Resource Theory says that when we’re under stress, we tend to revert to familiar routines rather than innovative thinking. Under pressure, decision-making abilities can decline, making it harder to adapt to new challenges.
This is why the first element to consider, as a team leader, is creating a psychologically safe space. Psychological safety is the belief that no one will be punished, humiliated, or ignored for speaking up with ideas, questions, or mistakes. When team members feel safe to share openly, they’re more likely to push for creative solutions and take on new experiments that drive improvement.
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Transparent and Regular Feedback
In a high-performing team, members often share better ways of working with each other in real time. However, it’s also crucial to have dedicated events—like Retrospectives—where the whole team reflects on what went well and what could change. This practice reminds everyone to look inward for those gems of insight that can lead to significant improvements.
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Represent Progress in a Graphic way
Using meaningful metrics or tracking tools is the third element. It helps the team visualize and understand their evolution over time. Whether it’s velocity, defect rates, or burndown charts, consistent tracking keeps everyone aware of the impact of their efforts and highlights where to improve next. Remember to display these graphics in a place of easy access for the team and refer to them during your Scrum ceremonies.
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Frequently Sharing the Vision
A clear vision reminds the team why they’re doing what they’re doing. Reiterating the vision fosters alignment, engagement, and motivation. When everyone knows how their work contributes to the bigger picture, it’s easier to stay focused on improvement and long-term goals.
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Empowering Teams with Autonomy
Ensuring a team has autonomy within the organization is a powerful motivator. When teams know their decisions will be heard and respected, they’re more intrinsically motivated to give their best and continually refine how they work.
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Celebrating Success
Finally, celebrating success is a powerful way to cement progress in the team culture and keep up the momentum. Recognizing achievements—big or small—builds confidence and reinforces positive behaviors. When the team sees that progress is noticed and valued, they’re more willing to experiment and try new approaches.
The Double-Edged Sword of Continuous Improvement
Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban are designed to structure work so it’s efficient, transparent, and motivating for the team. Often, a team that consistently achieves its sprint goals is already high-performing and well-accustomed to improving continuously. However, when a high-performing team is making only minor improvements, metrics like velocity can become less meaningful, or even demotivating. Sometimes the numbers simply don’t show big jumps, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t growing.
In these situations, the role of the team leader or Scrum Master becomes more relevant. As leaders, we should always be ready to pose questions to inspire our teams. Questions like what did we do better this sprint than the last?, In what specific ways are we a more high-performing team than before?, If our velocity has not changed, what has improved?, etc., help the team acknowledge they are moving forward even though the metrics may not show it. Also, reflecting on qualitative improvements—like deeper communication, willingness to take risks, and the ability to advocate for the team’s needs—plays an essential role in understanding true progress.
On the flip side, some teams lean towards complacency. They can be high performing for a while, but then they find Retrospectives no longer yield much value, start skipping them, and adopt a “there’s nothing to improve” attitude. Inevitably, any dip in velocity or other performance metrics will alert the team that something is amiss. At that point, the leader or Scrum Master can moderate a deep reflection on how the team allowed complacency to set in, and how to prevent it from happening again.
Ultimately, embracing a continuous improvement mindset requires a healthy balance. Experiment and try new ways to get better, but also recognize the diminishing returns that can appear once your team is operating at a high level.
Conclusion
Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of Scrum for a reason—it drives better outcomes, keeps people engaged, and helps teams adapt in a fast-changing world. As a business manager and team coach, I’ve seen firsthand how paying attention to psychological safety, feedback loops, and consistent measurements can ignite powerful changes in a team’s performance and morale. But remember, improvements can be both quantitative and qualitative. Recognize the accomplishments your team makes, even if they don’t always show up in velocity numbers. Keep finding ways to grow, and never underestimate the power of celebrating and reflecting on how far you’ve come.
