Friction is a term I use to describe the effort it takes to implement a task or process. Friction is a moniker for all the inhibitors, both physical and mental, that impede or hinder – it is the resistance to change.
What does this have to do with Scrum? As part of the Inspect and Adjust mantra, we try to improve our processes every iteration, building on the experiences of the previous sprint. We’ve taken the point of view that it’s better to try something new (a certain continuous integration engine, implementing design by contract style assertions on all parameters, using a burn down chart to monitor development activity etc) and feedback our findings (good or bad) to the rest of our internal agile community so they don’t have to learn from scratch.
Friction is the biggest factor in the success or failure - for example, two sprints ago, we tried to implement a burn down chart, using the excel add-in supplied as part of the ScrumMaster Certification course – we were all very excited about using it – we knew all the theory behind it, but wanted to see it in action. The add-in was installed and it was used for about a day, maybe two, before people drifted away from it and stopped using it. We had a discussion about what had happened and everyone agreed that it was too awkward to use – there were locking issues, when people got “into the zone” they forgot about it and it just didn’t “fit” or feel natural enough. We all decided that we wanted to keep a burn down chart and that maybe the excel add-in was a little too high-tech. So our Scrum Master designed and printed out a large A0 burn down chart grid, which we now fill out as part of our Daily Scrum the numbers from the grid are inputted into a excel spreadsheet to generate the burn down chart.
Getting developers to fill out the excel burn down chart had high friction – the medium wasn’t conducive; there were locking issues and the chart had zero visibility (it was virtual rather than physical) – so it didn’t work (but never mind – Inspect and Adjust!) Pinning the chart to the wall and filling it out as part of the Daily Scrum has low friction – it’s been integrated into part of our daily routine (it fits snugly into the “What are you doing today?” – You can simply add – “How much longer is that going to take you to complete?” then fill in the chart). The burn down chart is now also physical; this lowers friction further as it’s a corporeal indicator of progress (and achievement) that can been seen at a glance (rather than at a double click, then a wait, then a scroll) by any pig or chicken.
Friction dictates whether something will be a success or failure. Lowering the friction increases the likelihood of uptake, implementation and continued use.