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"Struggling Scrum Masters to Thriving Scrum Masters" - by Puneet Duneja @ Scaling Agile Institute
- 1. WELCOME
- 3. How this session will be divided? What will be the take aways ? What is expected from you ? 1) You will be able to identify forces and get rid of them. 2) How and when to Step – In and Step –Out. 3) Develop happy teams and eventually quality products.
- 4. Quick recap of fundamentals …
- 5. What does being Agile mean to you? Flexible Receptive Alert Not Fragile Of good quality Happy
- 6. What is the purpose of Scrum framework ?
- 7. Why Scrum Master Role ? and Why not Project Manager Role?
- 8. Let us talk about Struggles of Scrum Master …
- 10. When to Step-In and When to Step-Out
- 11. • SM feels annoyed because team does not obey him/her, eventually struggles inside. • SM feels annoyed because team does not implement his/her suggestions , eventually struggles inside.
- 12. Team does not understand my role well • Dev Team’s context : Not much load from the business side.. • Dev Team’s context : Business requirements are pouring sprint after sprint..
- 13. • SM observes team members are picking up multiple tasks .. • SM observes that few team members are getting into micro-management with other members.. Team’s set goal for the sprint is not met couple of sprints
- 14. • SM observes ,few team members are influencing the estimates .. • SM is also informed by the team member that few members did not have much say in the estimation… Team’s set goal for the sprint is not met couple of sprints
- 15. Team’s set goal for the sprint is not met couple of sprints • SM observes that team has to discuss and clarify doubts while sprinting .. • SM observes that few team members are not comfortable with the technology ..
- 16. • SM observes that less experienced engineers are struggling to complete tasks, eventually not completed .. • SM observers that there is infrastructure issue popup very often .. Team’s set goal for the sprint is not met couple of sprints
- 17. • SM observes that there is work piling up for review , reviewer is busy in completing his/her implementation … Team’s set goal for the sprint is not met couple of sprints
- 18. • SM is informed by EM that team does not seem to be self-organised … • SM observes and is also informed by EM that team does not seem to be improving , though they retrospect often.
- 19. • SM thinks that If he/she pushes things back to PO then PO thinks ,he/she is creating hurdles in delivery. • SM thinks that if he/she does not push back changing requirement , while team is sprinting then team believes he/she is not playing role well enough.
- 20. • SM says that I have told team that daily stand-up is not the status meeting ,what can he do if they do not understand.
- 21. • SM says some team members skip daily stand- up… • SM has observed few team members are irregular in updating the Scrum board.
- 22. • Be observer – not to find faults , though to provide helping hand. • Be listener – not to answer , though to understand and connect well . • Learn when to step-in and when to step-out. You want to be thriving Scrum Master , bring these in your nature and observe the magic happening …
- 23. • Use 3H – Head , Heart and Hand .(John Nicholls) • Lead by example : Inspire to motivate. • Understand Agility well. • Understand Scrum framework and other methodologies well. • Understand your own role well and other’s role well. • You can add, what helps you to be better as SM…
- 24. THANK YOU
Editor's Notes
- ---------------------What is the Scrum Master role ?--------------------------- Scrum Master – Servant though a Leader and Leader though a Servant It allows the person to lead without power ( without authority) , Individual playing this role has Power to inspire and not power to direct .. This role is very difficult to understand and inculcate by individuals .. ----Why the term “Struggling Scrum Master”--- Do not get me wrong , it is not to de-mean anybody’s capability .. Individuals have Potential but they are confused ..due to this role’s demand of change in leadership style . It is difficult role .. They feel meaning less , frustrated … etc. ---- Why this session ---- So I thought let me create some content … connecting dots from my past experiences and experiences gathered from different Scrum Masters … Help audiences becoming Thriving SMs .. What better we can do for SMs ? -------------------Why it is important to understand why part ---- It boosts up motivation ..
- --- From ur side --- It is not a silver bullet .. It is not a magic wand .. It does not solve problem .. ---From audiences What is the purpose ? Why Scrum Framework ? Who solves the problem ? ---From my side -It exposes problems in the system … it encourages transparency .. -Keep things simple.. -Provide opportunity to be agile .. It depends on us if we want to be agile or not … -It is a framework , it does not provide processes .. Who provide processes ?
- ---From audiences -- What is so cheesy about this role .. ? Any guesses .. Guesses are fine you will not be punished if you give wrong answer .. ---From my side Engineers do not want to be told, how to do work .. They are smart individuals ..They are capable to decide how part .. SM role and for that matter Scrum framework itself focuses on Team empowerment , So Scrum Master roles aligns well with scrum framework .. SM also is smart person and knows , how to do work .. So it becomes difficult to not to tell “how to do” … SM role is defined as facilitator , guide and protect .. These all functions are played while being outside to the dev team .. When I mention dev team , here every engineer be the person involve in writing testcases , creating design .. , business analyst , write code etc. .. A person playing this role does not command and control the team .. Rather demand and monitor the team .. Monitor not to punish , rather monitor to give helping hand .. It allows the person to lead without power ( without authority) , Individual playing this role has Power to inspire and not power to direct .. This role is very difficult to understand and inculcate by individuals .. PM role does not align well with the Scrum framework .. Because PM role is monitor and control , Have you heard it before ---”Why not you estimate this way you do this way ,estimate is done so take this approach .. “ Team reporting to the PM so nobody can say no to it .. There is some proxy PM roles .. Technical lead acting like PM … that kills the motivation and innovation … it does not align well with Scrum and agile manifesto too…
- ---From your side ---- After talking to multiple Scrum Masters , I gathered list of challenges they go through . I have come up with three quadrants where these challenges fit into .. These quadrants are : Understanding Related Result Related Discipline Related Understanding Related : These are the ones which disturb scrum masters and they feel they can not do much about it and eventually impacts their performance or their team’s performance .. Which again impacts their performance.. Result Oriented : These are challenges due to team’s results .. Discipline Related :Challenges due to less discipline in the team ..
- Is team supposed to obey you ? No , Scrum Master role is not a “command and control “.. Rather it is facilitate ,guide and protect role. As a SM you can demand , not command .. Demand and Monitor By Demand you are telling what is the expectation from the team , How they are going to do “leave it to them ..” Observe them from far , when u know they have tried enough and still miss the point , then step in to help and not control .. And then step out (Do not forget to Step-Out).. To monitor .. Observe, to see when they want your help .. Would you want to try this option .. Let them Brainstorm You be observer , suggest wherever required .. Is it command and control role ? Have we understood the role well ?(You can self coach yourself ) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Teams are aimed to be self-organized , they are knowledge workers .. They know how to do work .. So do not tell them how to .. Suggestion is inner way telling them how to do your intention is clean you want to help them .. You are forgetting teams feels Sense of accomplishment when they brainstorm themselves and come up with the process … They themselves have enough option to try at .. It is tempting to suggest because you know your solution might work .. Ask(Coach) yourself ,doing so in the beginning is it taking them away from becoming self-sufficient team ? Are not they take more time in becoming self organized ? Unless they try things themselves how they will become confident ? I know you as a Scrum Master is worried about the outcome , quality , delay etc etc .. Sprint planning team spent too much time almost a day of exercise , you are there with the team looking at them .. Would you want to suggest in the meeting .. ? It is OK they tried it and they are going to implement features now .. U are observer .. You know there day is almost gone .. In the retrospection you meet … would you want to ask them .. How differently would they want to conduct the sprint planning ? How would they generate more time for their implementation ? Team members do not help each other: There can be multiple reason : You need to look at the context in which team is operating Has team taken up neck to neck work and there is no breathing space .. ? This you can understand by observing team , while they are working .. From the answers you get in the daily stand up .. If someone says I am blocked , I need help .. And others are telling they are Very busy completing there tasks .. And you observe that is the case .. Then you know they have taken more than what they work on .. Bring this point as your observation in the retrospection .. Let team brainstorm .. Would you be able to help each other if demand arises if you keep continuing the way you are continuing? Be observer : if what is said not the reality ? Then ? Then there is some other force which is a barrier .. Which could be groupism ? So it is a time to step in , you mention about your observation to the team .. Ask them to figure out how it can be avoided in future .. Empower them to take Some corrective measure .. And step out and observer .. Knowledge workers are smart they know how to do things .. They do not like to be told .. Remember purpose of the Scum Master role and Scrum Framework .. Empower the team If problem still persist then involve Engineering Manager .. Let him take this up with Management to restructure the team ,… Do what is in your purview ? Once you have done well enough .. Involve EM to take care after that .. Though the problem is not solved ,still You are high performer because what comes in ur role you have done it very well .. Can Suggest EM : May be your team size is not appropriate .. Good team size is 6 .. Too less will create silos and too many will create smaller teams within .. Ego issues are also impediments .. Encourage the culture .. Ask the team .. Ask any one who knows ,… Ask any one in the team , who is aware .. Can you help me resolve it ? Can you explain me the scenario so I can discuss with the third party .. No reporting to the team lead or tech lead .. Obeserve it .. Ask the team any one .. Any one can help .. If require mention these reasons on the board .. Group award collaboration award .. No silos award ..
- Depending on the context of the team : If team is very much occupied and business requirements are pouring in one after the other. Then bring the poster mentioning about SM role in the team : Role of the Scrum Master , they might think why is he stressing on his role alone ,might infer different things based On their mental state on that particular day. So Poster with all Scrum Roles mentioned .. Another context is : If team is not much occupied ,there is capacity available in the picking up role .. Then let one person play the role for few days .. Let them be in the shoes so they get to know .. Tip : Build up repo with the PO and Management team , mention why you want to do this .. It tells about leadership skills and interpersonal skills .. ---Failing is not a problem .. If we fear to fail then we will not take next step .. SM is a guide observing team from far .. Failing and not learning – You as a SM is supposed to mention : In the interest of the team and business, I would want to step in and help you correct certain things ..
- For example : If team members are picking up multiple tasks .. You observe what they are doing is not correct with your experience in the similar context .. There are Dev team’s context : Other team members have started working on the automation scripting .. Every body is busy in their implementation There is another context here : Other team member does not implement automation test cases , he is doing with less heart into it, you can make out from the results you observe on first day , Will you monitor or step In ? Not much done by the team member who is implementing automation test cases .. Then third day pace is slow , would you ask ?what help would you want ? Would you ask ?Are you forced into this work ? Would you ask ?How about you getting involved in development of the features .. ? Please discuss with your team .. They should be able to accommodate it .. Brainstorm quickly and see what can be done .. ? You are not the servant .. There is nothing wrong with being the servant alone .. You are a leader at service .. Step-In : As I have mentioned my observations , I would want you to share your observations .Brainstorm as a team keeping the inputs provided and device measures which you are going to take so that set goal is met from consecutive sprints. Please let me know ,how can I help you to achieve this . Lead-by example : (Bring the culture change) When there are impediments which you are supposed to resolve .. You pick up which are high priority and mention once I finish few of them then I will start picking up others .. Please go ahead and pickup other impediments … you are indirectly giving them message that pick how much you think is feasible and let others who have bandwidth can pickup other tasks. 2nd point : Conversation should move from hrs to how I can help so that you can move forward .. Inculcate leadership quality in others too .. SM lead by example : How can I help you with this.. 4th Point : Ask team member to share the concern with the team and brain storm ..
- ------------------------------- Product owner complains that team’s velocity is too low .. Even you have observed about it : What next ? What is that which is stopping my team to deliver stories as expected based on their capacity ? This you get to know from the team in retrospection , inspect adapt on the daily basis , etc .. I will through some of the observation you can get from the team … then you can tell what SM should do in this case .. SM observes that you team has to discuss and clarify doubts while sprinting .. SM observes that few team members are not comfortable with the technology .. SM observes that less experienced engineers are struggling to complete , eventually not completed .. SM observers that there is infrastructure issue popup very often … SM observes that there is work piling up for review , reviewer is busy in completing it’s implementation … First you get to if it is in your purview to correct ? Then act on it ? Else bring to the notice of EM Team does not complete task on time : If you are tracking day to day tasks in hourly basis then there is high chance it will become micromanagement either by team member or by Scrum Master .. You are going to struggle , initially it will look that things are in place later it will be a problem .. Either do not break down User stories to task level in progress of Automation Testing , Implementation , track dependencies .. Or Team believes that diving user stories into tasks helps them in sprint planning to perform capacity planning then let it be.. Ask a question what is that they are going to achieve by tracking on day to day basis ? What are the measures you are going to take so that it does not become micro management ? How your question will be to the team members who are going to reestimate or not complete tasks on time ? How can I help you resolve it ? What is blocking you to move forward ? Encourage the leadership in the team .. Lead by example .. Your question to the team should change .. Have you heard about 3H .. Head Heart and Hand Your conversation with the team should change it should have these three elements .. Let us resolve it after the meeting ? Add on --- Scrum Master’s role is leadership role : Have you heard about 3H? Head , Heart and Hand ?
- Bring a cultural change : How would you do that ? Will telling teams that , please be self organised will help ? To bring a change in culture , you are supposed to bring change in behaviour .. How would you do that ? Lead by example here too .. Put 3H , Head , heart and Hand … ------------------------------ You have observed that team is spending too much time in find out who is the reason of the failures in the sprint .. ---Help them to shift the focus to “what we can do so that it helps in improving as a team “ You have observed that team is team has lot many improvements and Action items identified , and eventually causing Confusion is shuffling between them .. Sometimes ended up improving which has any less impact on the system ..
- TIP : We need to develop emotional intelligence , we need to develop interpersonal skills , we need to change our leadership style to inclusive Leadership style , we should lead by example , we should learn to give ownership before giving accountability , we should often involve team members in bigger picture , that gives sense of totality in their work . ..