time to try a little exploratory testing.
We see this willingness to work outside expertise in agile teams when people collaborate to swarm around a feature. People are willing to work outside their expertise but not far from it. To learn more about this ability, ask, "Tell me about a time you took on work to help the team. What was that like?"
A candidate may not be able to answer that question. You may then have to set the context with something like, "We work on things we may not be comfortable with in order to finish a feature for an iteration. Have you ever been in that position?" If the candidate does not say yes, you'll have to ask the question differently. For example, I've had some success with the following: "Tell me about a time you did something you thought was not in your job description. What did you do?"
Summary
These may not be the only behaviors you need for your agile team. Make sure you do a job analysis to see how your agile team is different, and then you'll know the kinds of candidates to consider.
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About the author
Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” helps organizational leaders see problems and risks in their product development. She helps them recognize potential “gotchas,” seize opportunities, and remove impediments. Johanna was the Agile 2009 conference chair. She is the technical editor for Agile Connection and the author of these books:
- Manage Your Job Search
- Hiring Geeks That Fit
- Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects
- The 2008 Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management
- Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management
- Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets and Science of Hiring Technical People
Johanna is working on a book about agile program management. She writes columns for Stickyminds.com and projectmanagementcom and blogs on her website, jrothman.com, as well on createadaptablelife.com.
