What can a scrum master do to help a team avoid last-minute rushing at the end of a sprint?

To help a team avoid last-minute rushing at the end of a sprint, regularly tracking progress is crucial. By continuously monitoring the team’s progress against the sprint goals, the Scrum Master can identify potential issues early on. This allows the team to make adjustments to their workload or priorities as needed, enhancing transparency and promoting accountability. It empowers the team to address challenges and organize their tasks effectively throughout the sprint, preventing the accumulation of unfinished work that often leads to a panic rush at the end.

When progress tracking is implemented in daily stand-ups or scrum meetings, team members can discuss their workloads and any blockers they might be facing. This proactive approach encourages collaboration and helps maintain a steady pace, ensuring that the team can complete their tasks without resorting to hasty work at the last minute.

Focusing on the other options, encouraging overtime work can lead to burnout and is generally not a sustainable strategy. Scheduling fewer meetings may miss the opportunity for vital communication and team synchronization. Lengthening the sprint duration might seem like a straightforward fix, but it doesn’t address the underlying issues such as scope planning and progress visibility that lead to the last-minute rush in the first place. Regular progress tracking presents a more effective and sustainable solution to maintain a harmonious workflow within the sprint.