Is Scrum Master my Project Manager?

This is 5th blog in Agile Mindset blog series. Recommendation is to start from Blog 1: I Always thought I am Agile! . Notations used – [AZEN]: Agile Zen & [SV]: Its me !??

Let's get started............One day

[SV]: Can you please explain scrum master role? Is this role same as Project Manager role in traditional software development projects?

[AZEN]: That's a very useful question. It often comes to people's mind when they start with scrum methodology. Scrum master is a very important role and it has significant importance in deciding success or failure of the scrum process as a whole. This role is not like any traditional project manager role. Its different in essence and yet much more than a traditional PM role. Scrum Master can be anybody who believes strongly in Scrum Methodology and makes people adhere to it. Let us understand it in more details.

Practically any role that a person takes up for first time, it goes through an evolution cycle. So is true for Scrum Master role as well. Refer this onion diagram below. This is the representation of how scrum master role evolves.

Scrum process champion - A person who takes up this role, should always be at least a scrum process champion. By word champion it signifies that person should be aware and strong believer of scrum process, meetings, roles and techniques involved in scrum process. He/she should be strong believer of the scrum values/ principles and help team to appreciate and adhere to the same. This is an essential responsibility of scrum master role that helps entire scrum team to stay on track.

Facilitator - Apart from scrum process champion, this role either promptly or gradually starts facilitating others in their work. Through facilitation scrum master brings perfect balance on scrum awareness, motivation and achievement of project or product goals. The person in this role facilitates scrum team, product owner and organization. Some of the ways to facilitate teams are organizing agenda based meetings, help remove the impediments that slows team down. On other hand ways to facilitate product owner can be to help organize and/or prioritize the product backlog, user stories writing etc.

Coach/ Agile Coach - This attribute or skill of scrum master comes with some level of expertise in handling scrum teams or agile projects/ products. This topic needs a separate blog. Will add soon.

Some Do's for Scrum Master:

• Ensures scrum is understood and followed in true spirit
• Running meetings on agreed or decided agenda and time-boxed
• Makes sure that collaboration is happening in the scrum team
• Creating a transparent system in which agile scrum team continuously inspect and adapt
• Keep the visible information radiators (dashboards, charts, metrics etc.) for team to self understand and adjust
• Helps build self organizing and cross-functional teams
• Observes and listens carefully for impediments, help remove them and escalates when needed
• Helps in eliminating the waste
• Prevents scrum team from external disturbances
• Balances the group dynamics by looking for patterns like:

1. Who is dominating the group? How to stop them?
2. Who is withdrawn? How to involve them?
3. Who looks bored? How to get their attention?

Some Don't for Scrum Master:

• Giving lectures or big conclusions often
• Handling role of scrum master as well as product owner
• To run meetings superficially for sake of process
• Let meetings flow in any direction
• Being biased to the specific people in the team
• Telling team what to do, in which order, when and how to do their work
• Allow product to be built for non-value items or as per individual preferences
• Micro manage things or make team dependent on himself/ herself

Happy reading and wish you all an Agile mindset!!