Do you follow Scrum to enable Following the Sun? ☀️

Following the Sun only works when teams are disciplined.

Scrum provides the structure, cadence, and transparency needed to hand work between time zones without losing momentum or context.

Without Scrum, global handovers quickly become guesswork. With Scrum done properly, each team knows exactly what’s been done, what’s next, and what “done” really means, no matter where they are in the world.

✅ Do this

• Use Sprint Planning to agree on clear goals, priorities, and ownership that apply across all locations.
• Run Daily Scrums consistently so teams can prepare clean handovers at the end of each day.
• Keep work aligned to Sprint Goals, not individual time zones or offices.
• Use Sprint Reviews to demonstrate progress to stakeholders and validate that global delivery is working.
• Use Retrospectives to improve handovers, communication, and flow between regions.

❌ Don’t do this

• Don’t skip or shorten Scrum ceremonies because “the other team isn’t online.”
• Don’t rely on informal handovers or private messages instead of Scrum artefacts.
• Don’t let each location “run Scrum their own way.”
• Don’t confuse activity with progress. Unfinished work is harder to hand over than no work at all.

💡 Example

The team in Australia completes their Daily Scrum, updates the sprint board, and clearly marks what is Done, In Progress, and Blocked.

They finish the day by ensuring stories are in a handover-ready state.

When the team in Europe starts their day, they don’t need a meeting or explanation! They can immediately see the sprint goal, current priorities, and next steps, and continue the work with confidence.

✅ Figure: Good example - Using Scrum to Follow the Sun