What is a potential drawback of grouping developers with similar skills into teams?

Grouping developers with similar skills into teams can indeed lead to teams that are not cross-functional. Cross-functionality is a core principle of Scrum, where teams are composed of members who possess a diverse range of skills necessary to complete the work without relying extensively on outside resources. When developers with similar skills are grouped together, they may lack the additional competencies needed to address different aspects of a project effectively, such as testing, design, or user experience.

This limitation can hinder the team’s ability to independently deliver a potentially shippable product increment at the end of each sprint, as they may need to seek assistance from other teams or individuals with different skill sets. As a result, the team may face challenges in collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability, ultimately affecting their performance and the value delivered to stakeholders.

In contrast, a cross-functional team can work more efficiently and deliver higher quality outcomes as they can tackle various tasks within the same team structure without interruptions or delays caused by dependencies on other groups.