Escalation doesn’t have to be seen as a "problem." In a high-paced sprint environment, it’s a proactive tool for driving momentum, solving challenges quickly, and making sure everyone has what they need to keep progressing smoothly. This matrix is here to make collaboration and resolution as efficient as possible.
Level 1: Sprint Team (Immediate Issue Resolution)
Responsible Parties: Team members within the sprint (Dev, QA, DevOps, Build & Release).
Purpose: Quickly resolve minor roadblocks that arise in daily work, such as small code issues, configuration adjustments, or cross-functional questions.
Actions:
Sprint team members first try to resolve the issue through direct communication.
Team Lead or Scrum Master may facilitate quick huddles if broader team coordination is needed.
Response Time: 1-2 hours for acknowledgment and initial action.
Positive Spin: Think of Level 1 as our sprint team’s “first-responder” mode. It’s where you get to exercise creativity and solve things in the moment—like mini victories within the sprint!
Level 2: Dev Owners (Prompt Cross-Team Coordination)
Responsible Parties: Leads or owners of each development area.
Purpose: Address issues that need more specialized expertise or cross-functional alignment (e.g., if a DevOps setup is blocking QA testing).
Actions:
Dev Owners work together or with the affected team members to dive deeper into the issue.
Brief, targeted discussions are held to outline the solution path or to identify quick workarounds.
Response Time: 3-4 hours for escalation resolution or a clear next step.
Positive Spin: Level 2 is where collaboration shines! It’s the chance to pull in experts to untangle a more complex challenge—teamwork at its best!
Level 3: Functional Head (Focused Solution Activation)
Responsible Parties: Heads of each function (e.g., Head of Development, Head of QA, Head of DevOps).
Purpose: Tackle critical issues that impact multiple areas or sprint continuity (e.g., access issues, resource limitations, or high-priority feature bottlenecks).
Actions:
Functional Heads align on resource allocation or prioritize tasks to keep the sprint moving.
They quickly communicate any impact on timelines to the sprint team and decide if resources need adjusting.
Response Time: 1 business day.
Positive Spin: Level 3 is about “activating solutions” on a larger scale. When an issue needs that extra boost, Functional Heads are here to empower the team and keep momentum going strong!
Level 4: Department Head (Strategic Support and Adjustment)
Responsible Parties: Department Heads or Executive Leadership (e.g., CTO, VP of Engineering).
Purpose: Resolve high-stakes issues that threaten sprint goals, delivery timelines, or strategic priorities (e.g., environment outages or severe resource conflicts).
Actions:
Department Heads quickly assess and act on resource reallocation, priority shifts, or emergency budget approvals.
Strategic communications may be issued to inform stakeholders of actions and new sprint goals if significant adjustments are needed.
Response Time: Immediate decision-making and communication within hours.
Positive Spin: Level 4 is all about “big-picture empowerment.” When challenges impact the whole sprint, Department Heads provide the support to keep our focus, energy, and goals on track.
Key Points for the Team:
Every escalation is a positive step towards a solution—an opportunity to pull together and support each other’s work.
Communication is key: The quicker issues are flagged and escalated, the quicker we solve them, so our sprint remains strong and productive.
Teamwork and learning: Escalations help everyone learn and collaborate better across functions, building our overall strength as a sprint team.
With this proactive approach, we keep the sprint flowing smoothly and the team focused on achieving the goals within our 3-week timeline.
Food for your Thoughts
We’d love to hear your insights in the comments below!
Can you share your experience on any situation you faced in your organization where you escalated and got it addressed?
Share any use case where you want to know others opinion on how to escalate?
Comments