The document compares the roles of a ScrumMaster and a Project Manager. It notes that while a Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects using a predictive methodology like waterfall, a ScrumMaster acts as a facilitator and servant leader within an agile team. Specifically, the ScrumMaster helps remove impediments, safeguards the Scrum process, fosters communication, and serves the team, whereas the Project Manager focuses more on schedules, budgets, resources and requirements. The document provides more details on the responsibilities and skills of a ScrumMaster compared to a traditional Project Manager.

1. ScrumMaster vs. Project Manager
V. Lee Henson CST ~ @AgileDad
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3. V. Lee Henson CST
✤ Certified Scrum Trainer
✤ Project Management Professional
✤ PMI- Agile Certified Practitioner
✤ Certified Lean Agile Professional
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Coach
✤ Author of The Definitive Agile
Checklist
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✤ Information Technology / Psychology
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4. The Agile Manifesto
We are uncovering better ways of developing software
by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals & Interactions over processes & tools
Working software over comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is , while there is value in the items on the right,
we value the items on the left more.
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5. Agile vs. Plan Driven
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6. Scrum vs. Waterfall
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7. Let Us Compare...
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8. Roles - An Overview
✤ Most Agile methods profess the
use of 3-5 different roles.
✤ Many teams adopting Agile
struggle to determine where
their traditional roles fit into an
Agile landscape
✤ Every role fits into 3 Simple
classes:
✤ Customer
✤ Facilitator
✤ Implementor
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9. Traditional Project Managers:
✤ A project manager is a professional
in the field of project management
✤ Project managers can have the
responsibility of the planning,
execution, & closing of any project
✤ In traditional project management
a heavyweight, predictive
methodology such as the waterfall
model is most often employed
✤ Software Project managers are also
expected to be familiar with the
Software Development Life Cycle
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10. How Does It All Divi Up?
PM Responsibilities SMaster POwner
Engage with Stakeholders X X
Develop Project Plan O O
Direct Project Resources O O
Monitor & Manage Project Schedule & Budget O X
Monitor & Manage Project Risk X X
Deals With Operational Issues & Impediments X O
Ensures the Project Meets Requirements & Objectives O X
Manages Project Team Members O O
Looks After the Interests of the Team X O
Communicate Project Status To Sponsor & Stakeholder O X
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11. ScrumMaster:
✤ Should be a full time role
✤ Could be a delivery team member in a pinch
✤ Used to be called project manager but:
✤ No longer has delivery responsibility
✤ Does not commit to dates, budgets, profits, etc.
✤ Is primarily a facilitator and servant leader.
✤ You will have to deal with:
✤ The era of opacity
✤ The tyranny of command & control
✤ Must be able to multi-task - run multiple sprints at the
same time.
✤ Should use spare time to assist the Product Owner in
maintaining and grooming the product backlog.
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12. ScrumMaster & The Team:
✤ Acts as a sheepdog for the team
✤ Improves the lives of the delivery team
by facilitating creativity and
empowerment
✤ Improves the productivity of the delivery
team in any way possible.
✤ Improves the engineering practices and
tools so that each increment of
functionality is potentially shippable.
✤ Removes barriers so that the customer can
more directly drive delivery.
✤ Safeguards the Scrum Process
✤ Fosters Team communication &
collaboration
✤ Serves, Leads, & Facilitates
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13. ScrumMaster & The
Organization
✤ Teaches Scrum as a simple
framework with few rules
✤ Organizations should be
equipped with a resolute,
patient, ScrumMaster.
✤ Sometimes People cannot stand
what Scrum exposes.
✤ A dead ScrumMaster is a
useless ScrumMaster
✤ ScrumMaster’s are the key to
the degree of success in
transforming organizations.
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14. ScrumMaster Skills:
✤ Leading
✤ Learn to lead! It doesn’t always come
naturally
✤ Facilitating
✤ Enhance communications - always and
everywhere
✤ Meetings, one-on-one, in the team,
between teams
✤ Get a facilitation toolkit
✤ Read, practice, improve
✤ Work towards self organizing teams
✤ Ask meaningful questions
✤ Listen twice as much as you speak
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15. A Short Quiz..
✤ Think about what you have learned about
the ScrumMaster Role. Answer the
following questions :
✤ 1) In your opinion, do you feel that the
ScrumMaster should also be responsible
for prioritizing requirements? Why or
Why not?
✤ 2) Do you feel that a technical lead or
manager would experience any difficulty
with being a ScrumMaster? Why or Why
not?
✤ 3) What do you envision are the
differences in responsibilities between a
ScrumMaster, development manager, and
product/solutions manager?
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16. Making The Transition - 3?’s
✤ 1) Have you studied the
differences between Agile & Non-
Agile projects and understand
them well enough that you feel
confident in taking the leap?
✤ 2) Are you willing to act as a
leader without authority and do all
that is needed to assist the team
in being successful?
✤ 3) Do you have the required set of
skills to perform well in the role of
a ScrumMaster? If not, what should
my PM role transition into?
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17. 5 FACTS About YOUR Agile Adoption
1) Management has invested a lot of money and time into
helping your organization adopt and or embrace Agile
Methods.
2) I have been out to train and certify ScrumMasters &
Product Owners on both the business & technical sides of
the organization.
3) Many groups who were trained early on are already
beginning to see GREATLY improved results as a result of
the implementation of this process.
4) Consistency in training & coaching is the key to
successfully rolling this into your group within the
organization.
5) People are willing to invest in your future through Agile
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18. So What Happens To Project Managers?
Do I need to worry?
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19. Open Question & Answer Period
No Need To Worry!
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20. Thank You!
Lee@AgileDad.Com- Twitter @AgileDad - LinkedIn leehenson@gmail.com
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