The Scrum of Scrums (SoS) feature in Kendis is a dedicated, real-time workspace designed to facilitate the coordination and synchronization of multiple Agile Teams (Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and other key participants) working within the same Agile Release Train (ART) or Program Increment (PI). It serves as the primary meeting point for all cross-team communication, focusing on dependencies, impediments, risks, and progress against shared objectives.
Key Benefits of the Scrum of Scrums
Benefit Category | Description |
Cross-Team Synchronization | Provides a single, unified view of progress, blockages, and action items across all participating teams, ensuring the ART is aligned. |
Impediment Management | Centralizes the identification and tracking of cross-cutting impediments, allowing the Release Train Engineer (RTE) or facilitator to efficiently drive resolution. Open Impediments and Action Points automatically roll over to the next scheduled session until closed. |
Historical Data & Audit Trail | Automatically archives data from completed SoS sessions, including announcements, open/closed impediments, and action points, creating an invaluable record for future PIs and retrospectives. |
Progress Visibility | Offers an automated, high-level snapshot of team and program progress through configurable progress bars and linked updates (Dependencies, Objectives, Risks). |
Automated Reminders | Uses customizable email reminders to prompt participants to input their updates (Highlights, Impediments, Action Points) prior to the meeting. This maximizes meeting efficiency by replacing status gathering time with discussion and resolution time. |
How to Set Up and Configure the Scrum of Scrums
Access to the Scrum of Scrums configuration is available from the Program Board's header menu. Note that the icon's location changes based on the board state.
1. Accessing the Configuration
Navigate to the relevant Program Board in Kendis.
In the top-right header, click the "More" dropdown menu (or the dedicated Scrum of Scrums icon if the board is in Tracking mode).
Note: The icon will be displayed directly when the board is in Tracking mode. In Draft or Planning mode, the feature is found under the "More" menu.
Click "Scrum of Scrums" to open the setup modal.
If no session is configured, click "Set up this new Scrum of Scrums" in the modal pop-up to begin configuration.
2. Configuring the Session Schedule
The configuration is a three-tab process: Schedule Setup, Teams & Reminders, and General Settings.
Schedule Setup Tab
This tab focuses on the meeting logistics and recurrence.
Action | Navigation and Fields | Details & Context |
Set Start/End Dates | Click the calendar icon next to "Start Scrum of Scrums on" and "End Scrum of Scrums on." | The End Scrum of Scrums on date automatically defaults to the end date of your current PI/ART. |
Set Recurrence | Use the dropdown menu next to "Repeat Scrum of Scrums." | Options include "Every Week" (default), "Every 2 Weeks," "Every 3 Weeks," and "Every 4 Weeks." |
Set Time & Duration | Use the time pickers to set the start and end time for the session (e.g., 10:00 to 10:30). |
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Add Timezone/Location | Click the "Timezone" link and the "+ Add Location" link. | Search for and select a Timezone or physical location. |
Add Virtual Call Link | Click the "Virtual call Link" link. A "Join Room Link for Scrum of Scrums Session" modal pops up. | Enter a Title (e.g., Zoom Link) and the meeting Link. This link populates the Join Meeting button for participants. |
Manage Sessions | Toggle "Show List of Upcoming Sessions." | This displays a list of all recurring sessions. You can cancel/delete a specific future session (using the X icon, useful for holidays) or change the room link for an individual date. |
3. Configuring Teams and Reminders
After filling out the Schedule Setup, click the "Next" button to proceed to the Teams & Reminders tab.
Teams & Reminders Tab
Action | Navigation and Fields | Details & Context |
Select Teams | Click the dropdown menu next to "Select Participating Teams." | Select the teams whose status updates you want to see in the SoS. The statuses of these teams will roll up to the program view. |
Preview Email | Hover over the eye icon (next to the Action Points checkbox). | This displays a preview of the email template that will be sent to the assigned Scrum Masters and Product Owners. |
Configure Reminders | Select checkboxes next to "Email Reminders for": Highlights, Impediments, and Action Points. | The Reminder Flow: These email notifications are sent to prompt assigned users to provide their team's status updates before the session. The email also serves as a reminder to attend the scheduled Scrum of Scrums meeting. Reminders are only sent if updates are missing for the selected items. |
Set Reminder Timing | Use the dropdown next to "Send Reminders if No Updates." | Set a time from 30 Minutes up to 120 Minutes (2 hours) before the session begins. |
Label Program Level | Edit the text field next to "Label to Display for All Teams." | Customize the name of the program-level (top row) SoS, e.g., "ART Sync" or "Tribe Level." |
Assign Roles | Use the "Select user..." dropdowns in the table for each team. | Scrum Master and Product Owner roles are typically auto-populated from the Program Roles view. Users assigned here will receive the configured email reminders. |
4. Configuring General Settings
Click the "General Settings" tab (or "Next" if you're on the Teams & Reminders tab) to finalize the setup.
General Settings Tab
Action | Navigation and Fields | Details & Context |
Impediment Workflow | Note that this is configured externally. | Context: The list of impediment statuses (e.g., Open, In Progress, Resolved) is managed in Administration > Workflows. This ensures a consistent impediment process across the entire organization. |
Select Progress Bar Type | Use the dropdown menu next to "Select Progress by Type." | Choose how the progress bars (the shaded, colored percentage view) are calculated: Stories (count of stories completed vs. total) or Story Points by Estimate. |
Hide Progress | Check the box to hide progress. | This option allows you to hide the progress bar entirely if you do not want to display percentage completion for the current iteration. |
Set Top Impediment Count | Enter a number (e.g., 3 or 7) in the text field. | This determines how many Starred Impediments (the most critical ones) will be displayed by default for each team and the program. |
Automatic Closure | Toggle "Automatic enclosure from scrum sessions" (Recommended to leave OFF). | If enabled, sessions will close automatically based on the scheduled end time. Leaving this off prevents accidental closure before action items are logged. |
Navigating the Live Scrum of Scrums Session
Once configured and a session is active, you can access the SoS view to run the meeting and track updates.
1. The SoS Dashboard Structure and Interaction
The view is vertically structured: a single Program Level row at the top, followed by dedicated, collapsible areas for each Participating Team below. Each row contains four main sections:
Highlights & Announcements: Quick announcements for the program/team.
Impediments: Critical blocks and cross-team dependencies.
Progress Updates: Automated metrics from Kendis (Dependencies, Objectives, Risks, Features).
Action Points: Logged follow-up tasks assigned to specific individuals.
Structure Element | Description | Interaction |
Program/ART Row | The very top row, labeled with the name defined in the General Settings (e.g., "All Teams"). This row aggregates all team data for the RTE/facilitator's high-level program view. | This row is always expanded to show the consolidated program data. |
Team Rows (Swimlanes) | Below the Program Row, each selected team (e.g., Team Venus (TV), Team Earth (TE)) gets its own horizontal, collapsible area. | Click the team name or the progress bar (e.g., "Team Earth (TE)") to expand/collapse the area and view that team's specific Highlights, Impediments, Progress Updates, and Action Points. |
View Past Sessions | Use the Date/Time dropdown menu at the top of the board (e.g., "Wed Apr 09 2025 12:00"). | Click the dropdown to see a chronological list of all completed sessions. Selecting a session loads its static, read-only snapshot data (archived state). |
2. Managing Impediments
Impediments are the most crucial item tracked in the SoS, requiring a two-step entry process for full detail.
Add an Impediment (Step 1 - Quick Entry): Click the "+ Add Impediment" button in the Impediments column. Enter a Title and click Save.
Access Full Details (Step 2 - Expanded Modal): Click on the newly created Impediment title to open the expanded modal.
Here, you can add a Description, assign a Responsible Person, link it to Other Release Trains (making it visible in their SoS lists), and select Impacted Teams (making it appear in their swimlane). You can also add Linked Items, Conversations, and Watches.
Prioritize/Star: Click the star icon next to the impediment title to prioritize it. Only Starred impediments are included in the Top Impediment Count display.
Resolve Impediment: Once resolved, click the checkbox next to the impediment title in the main SoS view. The item will be crossed out but remains visible until the session is closed.
View All Impediments: If more than the configured Top Impediment Count exist, click the "Program Impediments" title (or the corresponding team title) to open a modal view that displays all impediments for that level.
3. Reviewing Blocked Items (ALM Context)
The Blocked Items section provides automated visibility into features or stories flagged as blocked in your Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool.
Jira Users: This feature works by detecting issues that have a flag applied in Jira.
Azure DevOps (ADO) Users: ADO uses a status for blocking, which is not currently compatible with this view. This feature is not available for ADO users at this time, though a Canvas-side solution is being explored.
Roll-up Logic: If a Team-Level Story is marked as blocked in the ALM, the corresponding Feature it belongs to will appear in the Blocked Items list on the Program Level SoS view, providing critical visibility to the RTE.
4. Reviewing Progress Updates (Automated Metrics)
The Progress Updates column provides real-time data from the Program Board.
Metric | Source and Interaction | Context |
Open Dependencies | Number of dependencies open in the current or previous sprint/iteration. | Crucial Context: These dependencies are filtered to only show those that fall within the current PI's iteration range for the relevant team/program. |
Objectives | Number of Objectives linked to the ART/Team. | Click the number to review the PI/Team Objectives and their Key Results (KRs). |
Open Risks | Number of Risks actively open and affecting the sprint, sourced from the Risks Register. |
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Features Not Completed | Count of Features originally planned for the previous sprint but not finished (rollover items). |
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Features Plan for Delivery | Count of Features planned to be completed in the current sprint. |
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Feature Drill Down | Click on any Feature ID (e.g., '14' or 'PI5-123') in the Progress Update lists. | This opens a pop-up with a summary of the Feature (Stories, Status, etc.) within Kendis. To jump directly to the ALM tool (Jira, ADO), click the small external link icon (an arrow coming out of a square) on the left side of the feature ID. |
5. Logging and Tracking Action Points
Add an Action Point: Click the "+ Add Action Point" button in the Action Points column.
Assign: Use the "@" symbol within the text field to tag and assign the action point to a specific user. The assigned user will receive an email notification detailing the task.
Rollover: Open Action Points are automatically rolled over to the next SoS session until they are marked as complete.
Filtering: Use the filters (e.g., Open, Closed) and the "Enter keywords..." search bar to quickly find, organize, and manage action points across all participating teams.
6. Completing the Session
At the end of the meeting, the RTE or authorized user should "Mark as Complete" (using the checkbox icon) to close the current session.
Context: Closing a session freezes the data for that specific iteration, creating an uneditable historical record. It also triggers the rollover of all Open Impediments and Open Action Points into the new session.
Security Note: To prevent accidental closures (as discussed in the transcript), Super Admins should use Global Settings > Permissions to restrict who can close an SoS session. Once closed, the session cannot be retroactively re-opened.