A Small Scrum Project with just one or 2 Teams has a distinct benefit over big, Traditional Projects when it comes to Communications. The Product Owner owns all Communications that are external to the Agile Project, while the Scrum Master is responsible for assembling Meetings for simply internal Communications, like the Daily Stand-Up Meeting, as well as Meetings consisting of external Stakeholders, such as the Sprint Review. Both the Agile Manifesto and Scrum regard face-to-face Communications as more effective to written or other less direct Communications, and a common Scrum Facilitates this.

Communications on a Large Scale.

The Communications process for a large Project, a Program and a Portfolio is comparable, and has the very same challenges:-.

• Teams included are not always Sitting Together; they may even be on various continents.
• Small Team members are Generalists; with big Projects there can be Specialist Teams, for example IT designers or UX Specialists, and this can produce interdependencies, as other Teams depend on their outputs.
• The structure of Scrum is based around the single Team; in order to accommodate large Projects, Programs and Portfolios, extra Meetings and Artefacts are needed.
• Additional Roles needed to be developed to make it possible for Communications circulation on all levels. These are extra Product Owner and Scrum Master Roles.

While a common process can be used, there are some little distinctions that cater for the different outcomes required by Projects, Programs and Portfolios.

Communications for Large Projects.

The focus for the Project is producing a successful Product.
A big Scrum Project has more than 3 Scrum Teams and the Communications in between them require to be synchronized. There are 2 Roles particularly required for big Projects:-.

• The Chief Product Owner, who has total Product Responsibility and who collaborates the overall Project Backlog across Teams, mainly through each Product Owner for each Scrum, but more comprehensive Communications to all the Teams. He prioritizes the requests at Project level and Communicates these priorities back to each Product Owner. He also Communicates at Project level with the Stakeholders and with the Program Product Owner.
• The Chief Scrum Master, who is the Scrum steward at Project level. He engages with the Scrum Masters from each Scrum Team and is accountable for internal Communications between Development Teams. He Facilitates the “Scrum of Scrums” (SoS).

For large Projects there is a Meeting called the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) that has some commonalities with the Stand-Up Meeting. It addresses what each Team has accomplished since the last Meeting and their targets for the next Meeting, what obstructions have occurred and what interdependencies exist. It is suggested that if there are any issues between Teams that need resolving, they are carried over to a Meeting after the SoS, also arranged by the Chief Scrum Master.

Communications at Program Level.

The focus for a Program is the coordinated Management of Product Releases through oversight of a series of Projects. The Scrum Roles for Program Management are:-.

• The Program Product Owner who collaborates the numerous Projects by interacting with the respective Chief Product Owners and Product Owners, with the aid of the Program Product Backlog. He likewise has a significant Role in the Planning of Product Releases for the Program.
• The Program Scrum Master who validates that Scrum practice is being observed by all the Teams and Projects, coaching and encouraging the Scrum Masters and Teams where required. He is the channel through which issues across Projects and barriers to Projects are addressed.

Communications at Portfolio Level.

The focus for a Portfolio is the Management of Change and Business Value at Enterprise and tactical level.
Once again, comparable Roles have actually been defined for Portfolio Management.

• The Portfolio Product Owner has the Enterprise Product Responsibility through the Portfolio Product Backlog. Coordination of all levels of Product Development rest on his shoulders.
• The Portfolio Scrum Master has the position of Scrum Master at the highest level and is likewise Tasked with the general Management of Risk and Change requests.

A status Meeting at Portfolio level can also be called. It is called the “Scrum of Scrum of Scrums”( SoSoS).

Collaborating Large-Scale Initiatives utilizing a Communications Plan.

The Communications Plan is vital for handling at scale. For anyone acquainted with Traditional Project Management, and the Scrum Plan follows the very same broad precepts of who, what and when.

We found these books great for finding out more information on Agile Scrum:

Who is impacted.

• Audience. Who need to be included in the Communication, such as Stakeholders, Scrum Masters or Scrum Teams.
• Responsible. Who calls for the Meeting and produces the outputs.
• Facilitator. This will normally be a Scrum Master at the appropriate level.

What are the inputs, activity and outputs.

• What is the function of the Communication, e.g. to talk about which Products will be consisted of in the next Release, What Risks need to be resolved, what are the latest priorities at Portfolio level.
• Description of Communication/ channel. Is it a Meeting, a survey, an e-mail?
• What is needed for the Meeting, such as the Scrum Backlog status, and the list of reliances.
• What outputs will result following the Communication being dealt with.

When will it take place?

• How often?
• When is the next Meeting arranged?
• What is the response time, e.g. 48 hours.

There are numerous examples for what a Communication Plan template must contain, particularly on Project-Management related sites. If your Company practises Communications Planning currently under other circumstances, use the format everybody recognizes with.

Use of a Communications Plan is explained in connection with large Agile Projects and massive Scrum Organization, there is no limitation on having a Communication Plan even at the easiest Scrum Team level. As more and more Teams are included, it becomes a crucial tool for lining up Product Visions, Change demands and prioritization of Backlog content. Specifically at Portfolio level, where Enterprise-wide Communication is vital, while Planning how and when to Communicate is a must.