Pitfalls that atomizes a Scrum Master

Scrum is the most widely used Agile framework instilled in most of the organizations. These organizations leverage Agile methodologies, mostly Scrum, for disciplined project management exercises such as continual feedback, iterative development, accelerated and premium-quality delivery. The concept is simple but challenging to materialize. Thusly, being a Scrum Master can be a laborious task. 

Here are the ten most prevalent pitfalls a Scrum Master can fall into and, as a result, should shun at any cost.

• Operating as a Project Manager - The Scrum Master is not a Project Manager. There is essentially no overlap between these roles. Not only do both of them do completely diverging things but usually a Project Manager has a hierarchical position above the team, something that is not true of a Scrum Master. Instead, he/she is more fixated on project success by being a constituent of the team. The Scrum Master widens the organizations’ agility, by being a servant leader and encouraging people to understand and portray the Scrum Framework.

• Functioning as a Mediator rather than a Facilitator - Another typical slip made by Scrum Masters is solving the impediments for the team, rather than aiding in doing so. Of course, occasionally they must get included in one issue or another. Nevertheless, in most scenarios, the Scrum Masters should try to evade getting directly involved in the solution and instead supervise, advise, and recommend the solution to the team or the stakeholders. Assuming the next time when the team struggles with a similar problem, they will likely be able to figure it out by themselves. Another situation is when the Scrum Master is utilized as the sole point of contact between the team and the PO and stakeholders. Not only is this amiss, but the quality of communication also gets influenced by the entropy of having one person communicating everything back and forth. This is called the "broken telephone" game.

• Commitment acceptance on behalf of the team - This is a basic misunderstanding. As a scrum master, we should not be making decisions for the team or on behalf of the team. Even if we understand the circumstance and are positively sure that the team will accept it, we are not supposed to make that commitment on their behalf. It should be the team who should collectively vote "Aye" to go forward with a decision. This may incorporate scope change, deadlines, deliverables, etc.

• Not protecting the team - This is the deepest pitfall that a scrum master can fall into. The two major adversaries an Agile team has are team complacency and poor management. Being the servant leader, we should sustain a continuous improvement environment and not let the team slack off once the optimum level of agile induction is achieved. From time to time, we also need to shield the team from management dysfunction to guarantee the team is purely focusing on project delivery along with securing quality. This may include unenlightened stakeholders or over-eager product owners or leadership latching on to "buzz words" or, in the worst case, micromanaging.

• Pounding the team with Agile Handbook - Agile/Scrum doesn't come with a rulebook. Scrum leaves a blank space to be filled for most practices, which is why Scrum is adaptable to many outlines, industries, and companies. These practices and processes are usually picked up by the team and Scrum Master that is considered most suited for the project. Being agile is about honoring the principles and values that conceive agility. If you stay true to these, you can’t drift away, regardless of what some may tell you. These principles are stated in the Agile Manifesto which helps us create an Agile environment that should be preserved throughout the project timeline.

• Not conducting Scrum Retrospectives - One of the principles from the Agile Manifesto states that- “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly”. Sprint Retrospective is often deemed as an add-on and implemented only in unoccupied time. But that is a blunder. Conducting a retrospective is a must. During the sprint retrospective, the entire team investigates the sprint/iteration and decides what can be done to augment the process. The outcomes of such meetings are communicated to all the members; and, the suggestions are fused in the next iteration. It makes the retrospectives a never-to-miss exercise to identify the improvements and modifications on hindsight.

• Assuming an effortless shift to Agile - Agile transformation takes time to materialize in an organization. Predictably, it usually starts with mess-ups. The transformation includes dealing with the extant corporate and cultural predicaments like- poor communication, lack of accountability, heretics, time management, etc. Effective Agile transformation can be a cumulative cultural evolution. Be patient and ready to embrace the cultural changes.

• Ill-prioritized and chaotic Product Backlog - The most obvious reason behind Sprint failure is a product backlog which is "Not Ready". It is also a foundation for delivering low value. A Scrum Master should ensure that the Product Owner is making the backlog ready before the ‘next sprint’ is good so the team doesn't run out of the tasks. Continually heed the point that being a Product Owner, or a Scrum Master can be time-consuming. So, we should set the goals and provide the necessary training on product backlog to the team members.

• Using negative words like Failure - Now and then Scrum Masters are observed referring to a sprint as a “failed sprint.” Usually, this means the team didn’t deliver everything that they projected. There are two things to be considered here. First - Such a failure should not be chronicled as a failure, especially if the team has completed most planned items or if they have deftly handled a crisis. When a basketball player shoots the ball toward the basket and scores, it’s called a field goal. When the player misses, it’s called a field goal attempt. Not a failure. An attempt. Skilled Scrum Masters help teams adjust their reasoning so that they can acknowledge sprints and features that fall short of expectations as endeavors rather than failures.

• Not being comfortable with silence - This is one of the easiest ones to avoid yet human nature makes it the toughest one. Part of being a great Scrum Master is helping teams learn how to solve problems on their own. If we solve every problem team members' face, they don’t get a chance to learn how by themselves. Another merit by not following this practice is that facilitating becomes more effective.