Ken Buttrey scratched his head as he looked over an e-mail from John Barbata. Ken was the team lead on the Jasper Jones project. He and 13 other developers were charged with creating Jasper Jones (JJ), a new character to appear in the next edition of the popular video game Hidden Galaxy. Hidden Galaxy was the flagship game for NYAS Games. The team was cross-functional and included designers, artists, writers, engineers, QA, and producers. NYAS has applied Agile methods to their projects for the past three years, believing it to be one of the keys to their continued success. For the most part Ken was happy with the team and how things were going on the project. 

There was one big exception: graphic designer Graham Nash. In fact, the e-mail he was reading was another complaint about Graham:

This is the second time in two weeks that Nash failed to report changes he made in JJ’s mobility. This really screws  things up. I had to spend most of yesterday adjusting the sound to accommodate the changes. Unfortunately, this was not the only complaint. Callie Faries, an artist, had just left Ken’s  cubicle with a similar complaint.

Graham had a reputation at NYAS of being a brilliant designer. He was credited with the creation of the popular Thongor character. In fact, Ken was surprised that his counterpart, Xien Xong, was willing to let him go and work on JJ.

Ken admitted that at times Graham’s work could be brilliant and his work ethic was above reproach. But that was part of the problem. He would get so absorbed in his work that he would forget about the rest of the team. This issue kept being raised at the sprint reviews. Graham would agree while making little eye contact with the rest of the team. It didn’t help that Graham was an extreme introvert. Rarely did he say anything unless he was asked a question. You have talked to him about being more responsive to the needs of the rest of the team. You also have gotten into the habit of asking him specific questions at the daily standup meetings.

1. What options does Ken have in dealing with the Graham Nash situation?
2. What would you recommend Ken do and why?