Build a Remote Agile Team

Background

A Swedish bank and the world’s largest furniture retailer needed a global web application to power short-term loans. The development team (6 people across Sweden, India, and Poland) worked within a SAFe ART structure of 3 trains. Tools: Sitecore + Jira.

The Challenge

• No sense of ownership in a partly remote team.

• Constant rotation of team members in and out.

• Complex regulatory environment.

Our Approach

• Introduced a repeatable onboarding/offboarding playbook (still in use today).

• Structured and documented roles to stabilize the team through turnover.

• Standardized deployment activities so junior devs could execute with confidence.

• Opened direct communication channels for ART and management decisions impacting the team.

The Result

• Higher talent retention and stronger cross-functional skills.

• Faster, more reliable deployment cycles.

• A team that grew in independence despite heavy rotation.

What We Learned

• Earlier focus on T-shaping would have reduced friction when members left.

• Broader involvement in release activities could have prevented support bottlenecks.

Framework Resources Used

Team Purpose Template – Aligned everyone on the problem they were solving.

Roles & Responsibility Builder – Clarified ownership and created a strong 6–9 person core.

Micro–Macro Mission Model – Encouraged proactive ownership instead of waiting for tasks.

SDLC Template – Brought structure and team ownership into the release process.