This is connected to a 4-part series on measuring Agile team maturity: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
After spending a lot of time focusing on engineering, I have finally put together a downloadable version of the actual measurement tool for Team Agile Maturity. Download the PDF (opens in new tab).
How to Use
The file contains instructions on how to interpret the results and how to run the assessment. Below is a short TLDR.
Terminology Used
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Agile Coach | An external role with experience in Agile transformations, responsible for ensuring the team receives the appropriate level of support. |
| Agile Facilitator | A team-internal role embedded within the team and acting as the team's Agile expert. This does not require formal certification, but the person should have knowledge of Agile and insight into the team's day-to-day workings. Can be a Scrum Master or similar role. |
| Team | Refers to the team as a whole or the core engineering team. The questionnaire should be applied to everyone working with the team on a daily basis in a project context, excluding clearly supportive roles such as line managers, IT support, or similar. |
| Agile Events | Refers to Agile team events such as Stand-Up, Retrospective, Planning, etc. |
| External Support | Support provided from outside the team that influences how the team operates, typically through coaching, facilitation, or intervention. |
| Software Engineering Manager (SEM) | Line manager responsible for software engineers, with people management responsibility for team members. |
Questionnaire
The questionnaire can be found on pages 2-3 of the PDF. It consists of a series of yes and no questions. It should be answered by active team members, including the Product Owner or Project Manager and the Scrum Master.
The questions can be presented in order or randomly. They can be distributed on paper or through an online form. The key point is that each team's answers are kept isolated. This is not intended to produce a department or company-wide average, it is designed to assess individual teams.
Important: Responses should be anonymous beyond the team level. It does not matter who answered what, only the collective team result matters.
Scoring
The scoring provides an indication, not a decision. Any actions based on the result require professional judgement and an understanding of how the team actually operates.
To move beyond the category "Support with Regular Guidance", the team needs at least one "yes" in every category. The average score alone is not enough. Individual answers must be reviewed to ensure the team can produce at least one solid "yes" per category. This does not mean one "yes" per question, only that each category has at least one.
If a team answers "no" across an entire category, it indicates that the team still requires additional external support in that area.
Management Usage
Do not use this questionnaire as a measure of department or individual health. It is only intended to assess Agile maturity at a team level. It does not reflect interpersonal issues or individual well-being. There are other tools for that.
Can this indicate larger problems? Possibly. But the results must be interpreted by someone with experience. The output alone cannot be used to conclude that a team has interpersonal issues or low motivation.