Is the scrum master a developer?

Hi,

I hope you're having a great week. Here's one thought, one quote from me, and a question for you to consider this week.

One Insight

In the beginning, when teams consider the opportunity of scrum and what the agile values and principles can contribute to the environment, it can be easy to think about incorporating members of the development team into scrum master and product owner roles.

In theory, having a strong developer who is potentially a line manager acting as a scrum master sounds like a great idea. If they have a deep understanding of the work and possess the necessary skills and authority to make judgement calls, that must be an excellent thing for the team.

In practice, it isn't that simple.

It would be best if you remembered that the scrum framework was created to free the team from the rigid, control and command style of management that is waterfall-style project management. The whole purpose of creating agile frameworks was to leverage that opportunity of self-organising teams,

A scrum master does not carry any authority, nor do they decide who should do the work and within what time frames that team must complete work. That is what a project manager does, which is the antithesis of what a scrum master is and does.

A scrum master focuses intensively on helping the team create an environment where individuals can excel—creating environments where the team can evolve, improve, and collaborate effectively.

Their role lies in helping facilitate conversations, events and exercises that help the team make the most valuable decisions about their work and the problems they are solving. They aren't the best developers, nor do they tell the team how to solve problems or build products.

A great scrum master doesn't need to possess any technical developer knowledge.

So, combining the role of a line manager, software developer, and scrum master in a young scrum team can create more problems than it solves. It can quickly derail the team and create an environment that scrum tries to avoid.

In my opinion, you are served better to have a solid, skilled group of developers than you are in diluting skills and roles. You want the best developers working at the coalface of the problem and instrumental in helping the team create the most valuable product for customers.

You don't want to move that person into a scrum master role and set them up for failure in both positions. It's easy to think it will work, but it is challenging for that person to wear both hats within a high-pressure product development environment.

I recommend you help the developer move into the scrum master role and support them in developing their skills and capabilities in that role. Or you can invest in a skilled, experienced scrum master; they can help the team build momentum from day one.

Don't have people straddling roles and positions within the team environment; it is counterproductive and will profoundly impact team morale and effectiveness.

One Quote

"There is nothing in the Scrum guide or framework that prevents a software developer from being a Scrum Master and a member of the development team, but it can be exceedingly difficult for them to perform effectively in both roles, especially if they are an experienced, senior developer.

Why?

Because a Scrum Master acts in service of a scrum team, and their focus lies in creating an environment where others can excel. It is their job to help the team to evolve as an effective problem-solving, creative, and collaborative unit whilst focusing on removing impediments to progress and continuous improvement."

– John McFadyen

Watch the full video "Is the scrum master a member of the development team?"

And A Question For You

Have you worked in an environment where the scrum master was also a line manager? If so, how did that impact your ability to work with them in dual roles and capacities??