HKSM
Swarming
A collaborative practice where several team members pause their individual tasks to work together intensively on removing a specific blocker.
Key Points
- Used when a blocker threatens flow, sprint goals, or critical delivery.
- Short-lived and focused: the team swarms until the obstacle is cleared, then resumes normal work.
- Cross-functional participation allows rapid diagnosis and resolution.
- Improves throughput and learning but requires coordination to avoid excessive context switching.
Example
Mid-sprint, the CI pipeline fails and blocks all merges. Two developers, a tester, and a DevOps engineer swarm to investigate logs, roll back a plugin, and fix a configuration issue. Once the pipeline is restored, they return to their original tasks.
PMP Example Question
During a sprint, a critical defect blocks multiple stories. The Scrum Team decides to suspend individual tasks and collaborate intensively until the blocker is removed. What technique are they applying?
- Pair programming
- Swarming
- Daily standup
- Kanban replenishment
Correct Answer: B — Swarming
Explanation: Swarming is when several team members collectively focus on eliminating a specific impediment to restore flow.
