EXPOSING THE SCRUM MASTER'S ROLE: The Key Character in Agile Environment

"Scrum"?

It is actually a peculiar name. But why this name? Many wonder if it's an acronym, but it's not. The term 'scrum' originates from 'scrummage', referring to a noisy throng or tumultuous crowd.

It takes its inspiration from the rugby term "scrum." In rugby, a scrum is when the team collaborates to advance the ball together. Similarly, in Scrum, the team unites to drive the product forward.

It all begins with the Scrum framework, outlined in The Scrum Guide, which debuted in 1995 as an improved method for team collaboration in tackling intricate challenges. (*)

This framework is simple, comprising a Scrum Team composed of a Product Owner, a Scrum Master, and Developers, each with defined responsibilities. The focus of this article will be on the Scrum framework itself and the Scrum Master role. The essence of Scrum is a self-organizing team capable of delivering value to the customer in a limited period of time called a Sprint. Scrum defines the artifacts, roles, and events associated with each Sprint. Let's take a closer look at each of these aspects. The Scrum Team engages in Artifacts and Events.

What are Scrum artifacts?

Scrum teams use tools called Scrum artifacts for problem solving and project management. Scrum artifacts offer both team members and stakeholders essential information regarding planning and activities. There are three main artifacts:

Product Backlog

The Product Backlog is a dynamic list of features, requirements, enhancements, and bug fixes that must be completed for a project to succeed. It is essentially the list of tasks that the team will have to carry out, and whose priorities are constantly reviewed and redefined to be adapted to market transformations. The product owner keeps the list updated, removing irrelevant items and adding new requests made by customers.

Sprint Backlog

The Sprint Backlog is the list of items that the development team needs to complete in the current Sprint cycle. Before each Sprint, the team chooses items to work on from the Product Backlog. A Sprint Backlog is flexible and can evolve during a Sprint.

Increment

Increment is a step towards a goal or vision. It is the final usable product after a Sprint. Teams can adopt different methods to define and demonstrate their Sprint Goals. Despite the flexibility, the fundamental Sprint Goal (what the team wants to achieve from the current Sprint) cannot be compromised.

What are Scrum events?

Scrum events, or Scrum ceremonies, are a set of sequential meetings that Scrum Teams conduct on a regular basis. Scrum events include:

Sprint Planning

In this event, the team estimates the work to be completed in the next Sprint. Members define specific, measurable and achievable Sprint Goals. At the end of the planning meeting, every Scrum member knows how each Increment can be delivered in the Sprint.

Sprint

A Sprint is the actual period of time that the Scrum Team works together to complete an Increment. The typical duration of a Sprint is two weeks, but can vary depending on the needs of the project and the team. The more complex the work and the more unknowns, the shorter the Sprint should be.

Daily Scrum or Stand-Up

A Daily Scrum is a short meeting where team members catch up and plan for the day. They report on completed work and communicate any difficulties in achieving the Sprint Goals. It's called stand-up because the goal is to make the meeting last as short a time as possible, as if everyone were standing.

Sprint Review

At the end of the Sprint, the team meets for an informal session to review the completed work and present it to stakeholders. The Product Owner can also rework the Product Backlog based on the current Sprint.

Sprint Retrospective

The team meets to document and discuss what worked and what didn't work during the Sprint. The ideas developed are used to improve future Sprints.

Scrum relies on empirical principles like observation, experience, and experimentation, with transparency, inspection, and adaptation as its pillars. This fosters iterative work, where small experiments inform learning and adjustments in actions and approaches.

Trust is crucial for a cohesive Scrum Team, as its absence can hinder workflow. The Scrum Values — Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness — are equally vital, guiding team interactions and Trust-building. These values are especially important in environments prioritizing experimentation for progress.

The Scrum Master

A Scrum Master is a key role within a Scrum Team responsible for facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring that the team adheres to its principles and practices. Their primary focus is on helping the team understand and implement Scrum effectively to achieve their goals. The Scrum Master serves as a coach, mentor, and facilitator, supporting the team in identifying and removing obstacles that may hinder their progress. Some key responsibilities of a Scrum Master include:

• Facilitating Scrum Events: They organize and facilitate Scrum events such as Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective meetings.
• Removing Obstacles: They work to identify and remove impediments that obstruct the team's progress, ensuring a smooth workflow.
• Coaching and Mentoring: They coach the team on agile principles and practices, helping them understand and embrace the Scrum framework.
• Promoting Collaboration: They foster collaboration and communication within the team and with stakeholders, promoting a culture of transparency and trust.
• Protecting the Team: They shield the team from external distractions and interruptions, allowing them to focus on their work during the sprint.
• Facilitating Continuous Improvement: They encourage the team to reflect on their processes and practices, facilitating continuous improvement through regular retrospectives.

Overall, the Scrum Master plays a crucial role in enabling the Scrum Team to work effectively and efficiently, ultimately helping them deliver high-quality products or services. In order to contextualise what we just saw, I asked few questions to Matthias Mueller Agile Coach and Scrum Master based in Berlin working at Plusserver, let′s see what he has to tell us:

Hi Matthias, thank you for taking the time. How are you today? Please introduce yourself and tell us about the path that led you to be a scrum master today.

Hi Alberto, thanks I’m great. I’m Matthias and I work as a Scrum Master in a cloud company. Before I got into agile and started working in tech, I used to work as a project manager in the music industry. At some point, a friend gave me the book "New Work, New Culture" by Frithjof Bergmann and I was totally hooked on the idea of New Work. I was so fascinated by the idea that you can shape your working environment differently than you've ever done before that I wanted to know more and more and started looking into different forms of organization that promote self-organization. The same friend who gave me the book told me about Scrum at some point. This is where my journey as a Scrum Master began.

Which are your daily tasks and responsibilities ?

I see my main task as accompanying teams, asking questions, making things transparent and supporting the team in finding solutions to problems and constantly improving. My focus remains on self-organization and empowering the team to create value for our customers.

My day-to-day work can look very different here. At team level, this ranges from facilitating Scrum events, one on ones, to vision workshops and so on. As a coach, I am also lucky enough to be in charge of an initiative that runs through the entire organization. It's mainly about ensuring transparency and getting the right people around the table to reduce communication difficulties.

What sector do your customers come from? Do you have preferences regarding industry sectors?

As a cloud provider, we mainly support medium-sized companies, start-ups and the public sector to help them master the challenges of digitalization.

Do you have any tips for those who want to start a career as a Scrum Master?

For all those who enjoy working with people, like to communicate, are curious and have a desire to drive change, I can only say: Become a Scrum Master! I myself started with a certificate from the Scrum Alliance and was lucky to have an excellent coach who made me curious to learn more. In my opinion, that's how you should look at these certificates: As a starting point. In addition, there are a lot of great podcasts and literature - it's fun to get new input and impulses and helps you to make massive progress in your own cause.?I personally find it exciting to look beyond the immediate scope and try to understand the bigger picture: Scrum or any other frameworks are just that—frameworks. At the heart of it are the employees who need to be enabled to fulfill customer desires quickly and with high quality. Sometimes, this goes beyond the team level, which is why I love delving into organizational development.

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https://medium.com/serious-scrum/why-is-scrum-called-scrum-fac5315f6155#:~:text=The origins of Scrum,a tightly packed disorderly crowd.