Who Makes a Good ScrumMaster
By · CommentsWe have created 7 new Scrum team as we transition toward Agile in our business unit. Each of these teams has been assigned a ScrumMaster. Each of the ScrumMaster has been given some training. The teams have started using the techniques of Scrum such as a planning session, daily Scrum meeting, sprint demo and 3 week iterations. Some teams have started doing retrospective. But are we actually realizing the full benefits of Scrum?
The ScrumMaster plays a pivotal role in helping the team adopt the spirit of Agile. They need to bring the team to an understanding of why certain practices are important. I know for many years as I lead ScrumTeam I have failed in getting the team to understand why we use certain practices.
Here are some qualities of a good ScrumMaster:
- Be a listner.
They need to really understand the team. How are the team members relating to each other? Are they really working together? Do they respect each other? - Be a Team Coach
They take responsibility for the team’s adoption of Scrum. It is important to monitor the teams progress toward adopting the practices of Scrum. - Be a Team Member Coach
The team is made up of individuals. The ScrumMaster takes interest in each individual so that they can achieve their maximum potential. Each individual will accept the tenants of Scrum in varying degrees. We need to know where the individual is in their own adoption of Agile. - Be Humble
They are not doing this so we can enhance our personal resume and show everyone what we have done. We take pride in what the team is doing. It is what the team has accomplished that makes a difference. The ScrumMasters roll is that of a servant-leader. - Be Passionate About Agile
A good ScrumMaster really believes in what they are doing. They have an enthusiasm for Agile. They have been trained and are continuously doing self training in Agile. They want to do the best job they can. - Leave it to the Team
A good ScrumMaster does not make decisions for the team but lets the team make their decisions about the process. The ScrumMaster will train and guide the team but will not make decisions for the team.
There are other traits that are good but the ones I have listed I consider to be critical. Unfortunately I have not witnessed these qualities in most ScrumMaster I work with.
How a Team Thrives
By · CommentsIt is really exciting to see team meet their potential. This is one of the most gratifying experiences I have had as a ScrumMaster. What did make the team such a success? Here are some observations:
- The team was co-located in a large office. Our desks were around the perimeter of a very large and spacious room. This allowed for us to communicate freely.
- We were “isolated”. The team was located 200 miles from the corperate head quarters. The team was self organizing and knew what their objectives were.
- We could move fast. We were working for a startup company. There was less bureaucracy to have to deal with.
- We respected each other as team members. We had been laid off together froma previous employer and knew each other well.
- We were not afraid to try new ideas. Our team tried new technologies with impunity.
- There was no fear of failure. We were confident in our own skills and the company wanted us to try new ideas.
These factors help us to be a very productive team. We were always presenting new and exciting features with everyone of our sprints.
These are all critical factors in forming the team that is high performing.
Team Members as People
By · CommentsThere is a human side to being a ScrumMaster. So many times we forget about this. Do we as ScrumMasters really look at the members on our team as people or as objects. Now I know this seems like a silly question. You will say of course we do think of them as people. But is that really the case? Think about the following:
- Do you ever think of a member of the team as a problem that has to be fixed or do you really try to understand his or her reason for their behavior?
- Do you spend time learning about a team member’s hopes and aspirations?
- Do you know the names of their significant others?
- Are you really concerned with their professional and personal growth?
I know this may seem necessary because we are technical professional like dealing with one and zeros and not with the soft sciences. But as a leader it is important you really know the members on you team not about them. But I must warn you that you must be sincere in this venture. You must check you own attitudes about team members and make sure you are really concerned about them.
Easy but Hard
By · CommentsI have been just reading another pre-release book from the Mike Cohn series. This series has been very impressive. The book I am reading is Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition. The following quote really stood out:
Agile is easy to get going, yet hard to do well. Many reasons collude to make this so. Chief among them is that agile exposes the dirt people have been sweeping under the rug for years. Who wants to look at that? Yet, we must.
Yes the problems are going to be exposed. From my experience this has been one of the most difficult areas of Agile adoption. It causes so much stress for the team. We know Agile should work but to get to the point where it can work requires so much work.
Product Owners
By · CommentsWhat does a product owner do? What is his or her responsibility? Who makes a good product owner?
These are all critical question when adopting Agile. The role of a product owner is unique to Agile. It is the combination of multiple roles.
An excellent new book is being published on the role of the product owner:
I have been reading the electronic version of this book and found it to be very informative. The chapter headings are:
- Understanding the Product Owner Role
- Envisioning the Product
- Working with the Product Backlog
- Planning the Release
- Collaborating in the Sprint Meetings
- Transitioning into the Product Owner Role
Roman Pichler, the author, does an excellent job of presenting the material. This book is another excellent addition to the Mike Cohn series.
The book will be available the middle of April.
Vision
By · CommentsWhere there is no vision, the people perish Proverbs 28:19
The ancient proverb could be restated in development as “Where there is no vision the project fails”.
It is important the every product has a vision. The vision makes the intangibles of the project understandable. The vision gives the road map of the who, why, what and when of the project.
- Who are our customers
We must understand who will be using our product. Product focused on actual customer requirements will help keep it lean and easier to develop. - Why is the product being developed
Again this focuses on the customer. There must be a compelling reason for this product. Will it help the customer to be more efficient in their work? Are we working to keep ahead of the competition by providing innovative features? - What are the critical features of this new product
Do you know what is needed to make the product a success? What are the top priority features the customer desires. - When do we need to deliver
The time box constraint. Product must be delivered to the customer for it to be useful.
The vision can always be referenced when there are decisions to be made about the product backlog. It helps set priorities and make sure the the most critical features are released.
With out the vision how can the team know when they have reached their goal?
Sit with the team
By · CommentsTeams are core to agile practices and a ScrumMaster plays a critical role in optimizing team execution. One of the common impediments that interfers with this is the team work area or lack thereof. Without a common workarea it is very difficult to really understand what is going on with a team. The daily standups are a very inadequate way of tracking team progress. So much more is learned when you hear the intra-team discussions. It is these informal times expose what is really going one with a team.
We as ScrumMaster need to keep in continuous touch with the team. It is imperative that we sit with our teams as much as possible. This is the only effective way you can be an effective gate keeper.
One for the team
By · CommentsAs a ScrumMaster I am really sold on the Agile methodology. My enthusiasm can create angst for the team. I am really proud of the team I am working with right now. They have overcome many obstacles and really embrace Agile. They do not have a “cargo cult” mindset but a real commitment to be the most productive team in the company.
The team is willing to be a leader and will take on the risks. Because of this can do mentality I wanted to have all who were interested to view our first sprint demo. So what I did was use the largest distribution list for our department for our invitation list. Well this was a mistake and really caused the team to become very uneasy. They pointed out that we had overcome many obstacles in this sprint but there was not really much to show for it in the demo. We have completed one user story well and it is “done” according to our new standards of acceptance but it was only one user story.
They were correct. Perception is everything and we only have a “simple” user story to display for all of our work the last 3 weeks. The extended stake holders would not really understand what was involved in what we accomplished.
So I canceled the original meeting and invited a much smaller group to stake holders to the sprint demo. A lesson learned on consulting the team before make a major decision on who to invite to our sprint review.
The Team and Company Culture – Part 2
By · CommentsTeams are powerful entities. They are much more powerful then just a group of individuals. This in itself can be a major deterrent in changing the culture. Once a team is formed, stays together for six or more months and becomes self-organizing it can become very influential.
It is very difficult for managers to ignore the requests of the team especially when it is very productive and working toward the corporate goals. It is interesting that teams usually request changes that will make them more productive. These changes such as a team work area, change in performance review procedures, setting goals and self-governance are actually better for the company.
But all of this runs contrary to most companies management hierarchy. How does one manage a self-organized work team? You don’t! Good teams need to be guided to where they should be going. The manager needs to make sure they do not go off track and provide the best environment for the team to excel. This leadership is very important for a team to function at optimal levels.
The Team and Company Culture – Part 1
By · CommentsDoes a company really believe that is team is more productive than individual contributors? Take a look at the how a company does performance reviews and compensation.
Most performance reviews focus on how the individual performed in the last year. After the review the individual is informed as to what their new compensation with be. Very little is considered about the team they are working on. The following are some of the issues this causes for a team:
- The individual’s performance is more important than the team’s performance.
- Individuals feel reluctant to share their knowledge with the team.
- The team is not rewarded for performing well.
In most companies the culture is based on the individual not the team. So the individual is concerned that they will not receive the appropriate recognition if contributing to the success of a team.