Scrum Master Accountabilities- just what are they?

Just what are the accountabilities of the Scrum Master? Angela Johnson and Christian Antoine break it down!

4 Signs Your Agile Coach is a Fake

Today’s business world is saturated with Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and certifications. Everyone is “going Agile” (if they haven’t already). Companies across the globe are engaging Coaches to guide their organizations and teams.

Why are some gaining immense value with Agile, and others frustrated and failing? Not to say it’s all contingent upon the Coach – company culture, structure, and leadership have a hand in it too. But without a great coach, what happens to nearly every team?

They lose.

Have you ever encountered an “Agile Coach” who can talk the Agile Talk, but in practice, they’re clueless?

In this post, we’ll share red flags that show whether your “Coach” is actually a Fake! You’ll learn how to spot a dodgy coach, and how to know when you’ve hit the jackpot and found a great one.

Red Flag #1: Your Agile Coach is obsessed with Buzz Words

“They won’t realize I have no idea what I’m doing if I use lots of Agile words.”

While we expect people to be honest on their resumes and at interviews, that doesn’t always happen. I don’t want a coach with an impressive resume and credentials galore if they can’t deliver results.

There seems to be an army of “coaches” these days who’ve never actually been on a team – of any kind – let alone an Agile team. They try to mask it by “sounding smart” and being vague about their experience. They are obsessed with Agile buzz words, and constantly use Scrummy language.

A great coach doesn’t need to show off their vocabulary. They know it’s just “the way we do our work.”

Take Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. Ted successfully coaches a professional soccer team, and he doesn’t even know the rules of the game.

How, you ask? Keep reading to find out.

Red Flag #2: Your Agile Coach is extremely prescriptive

“This is how it’s done. Any other way is simply wrong!”

A Fake Coach sees their beliefs about Agile and Scrum as absolute truth. They are not to be questioned or altered in any way. They know the rules (or at least think they do), and treat everything as set in stone.

A good coach understands that the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide provide guidelines. Yes, there are prescribed roles, events, and artifacts. But how we incorporate these practices is up to the team.

One size does not fit all. No two Agile or Scrum adoptions look the same! People have a significant effect on how everything plays out.

Ted Lasso’s at it again with a radically different approach to managing the AFC Richmond team. They don’t have to function the same way as the team with the most wins.

Ted helps the team discover what’s best for them.

Wait a minute…I thought the coach had the final say?

Let’s dig into that a bit more.

Red Flag #3: Your Agile Coach always has an opinion…and they are always right

What are some other words for “coach?”

Trainer, instructor, teacher, mentor, educator.

I don’t see manager, executive, supervisor, director, or administrator on that list.

So why does your coach impose their opinions and ideas on everyone else?

A Faker masquerading as a Coach always has an opinion…and they believe they are right. They tell people what to do and how to do it. They focus on specific outcomes, putting their own goals over those of the customer and team.

What does a good coach do differently?

They ask questions. A lot of them!

To be great, a coach doesn’t need to know everything about how to do the work. I’ve coached four software development teams, and my technical skills stop at very basic SQL and HTML. Don’t even ask me the difference between C# and Python.

In all these situations, my teammates – the developers – knew what they were doing, and I trusted them to do it. The value I added wasn’t technical. It was focused on people.

The same can be said of Ted Lasso. He’s a soccer coach who doesn’t know the definition of “offside.” But the team, assistant coaches, and staff are experts. Ted asks questions, takes input from everyone, and keeps his ego in check.

We all have egos, there’s no denying it. But on a team, what’s more important – “me” or “we?”

Red Flag #4: Your Agile Coach doesn’t understand teamwork

Consider the synonyms for “coach” mentioned earlier – trainer, instructor, teacher, mentor, educator. Think about the mentors, teachers, and leaders who have most impacted your life or career. What made them positive or negative influences on you or your team?

In your worst experiences, did you feel psychologically safe? Was everyone on the team treated with respect? Was it ok to try and fail? Did you, your teammates, and the coach all have clear expectations? Did people work together and support each other?

Probably not.

A great coach makes people feel safe, and knows that failure is simply an opportunity to learn. They make sure all voices are heard. They understand the complexities of team development and dynamics.

Coaches help people work together, learn together, and improve together. They acknowledge the value each person brings. They are highly invested in other people’s success.

Like Coach Lasso says, “…success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping [the team] be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”

So, is your Agile Coach the Real Deal, or are they a Fake?

I bet you already know the answer to that question.

If the red flags described in this post sound familiar, don’t panic! The Internet is full of misinformation, and “copying without knowledge” happens every day. Your coach may not even know they are too involved, too prescriptive, or that they sound like an Agile dictionary. If they do know and are still doing it…you might want to find a new coach.

Anyone who wants to learn can and will! And if they don’t, now you have the tools to spot your very own Ted Lasso in the crowd of mediocre “coaches.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Agile, coaching, or Scrum Mastery, check out our coaching services and upcoming courses here! 

Apple TV+ Ted Lasso

What is the Point of the Daily Scrum? (Updated for 2020)

What is the Point of the Daily Scrum?

In Marvel’s popular movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill is trying to come up with a plan to stop the villain and save the day and confesses that he only has 12% of a plan put together. As he engages support from his teammates, they each stand as they commit to the goal. As the final member, Rocket, stands he says “Well now I’m standing. Happy? We’re all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”

Does that remind you of your Daily Scrum? That scene struck a chord with me. I hear so many students and clients complain about the Daily Scrum. Yet the things they claim not to like, only reveal that they don’t understand the point of the Daily Scrum. They believe the myths and create anti-patterns that degenerate Daily Scrum into a waste of time.  

The original copy of this post appeared in 2019. It’s time to update it since the official, free Scrum Guide was revised in November 2020. It’s also an opportunity to further clarify a few more facts:

1.     What Does a Scrum Master do Every Day? It’s certainly not conducting the Daily Scrum. That’s right. That wasn’t a typo. It’s a myth that the Scrum Master shows up to the Daily Scrum and call on each person. The Scrum Master is not an adult daycare provider. An empowered team of Developers conduct their own Daily Scrum. A Scrum Master teaches them the intent of the Daily Scrum and ensures it occurs as intended. What if the Scrum Master is out on vacation? Does the Daily Scrum get cancelled?  No! If they have taught the Developers well, the Daily Scrum can go on without them. It’s an opportunity for the Developers to talk to each other about the Sprint Goal and to make a plan for the day.

2.     What’s the Point of the Daily Scrum? The Daily Scrum is intended for the Developers to provide Transparency about the Sprint Goal on a Daily basis so that they can Inspect and Adapt. Why let 10 days, 15 days, 20 days go by to learn that there’s an error message holding someone up or an impediment in getting an item done? Isn’t it better to have a quick check in and find out potentially every day what’s holding up work or the product increment from being complete? Of course, that means people actually have to be transparent but that’s for the Scrum Master to teach. That doesn’t make this a status report to the Scrum Master or to the Product Owner either. The Developers conduct the Daily Scrum - they talk to each other to make a plan for the day. If a person needs assistance and another team member hears the issue they may chime in and say “I can help with that. Can you hang on the line or stay after so we can chat?” If that works for them, great. If staying doesn’t work, they can plan a time that works better. They aren’t holding everyone else hostage while they step through all the details about the item in question.

3.     Do we Have to Stand? No! That’s another myth we often have to bust in CSM® workshops. The Developers conduct the Daily Scrum so they get to decide what time the event occurs and whether there’s an agreement about standing or not standing. And no, it doesn’t have to be in a circle either. Some believe standing keeps the event short and sweet but standing is not “required” nor is that listed in the Scrum Guide as any sort of rule.

4.     Why is the Daily Scrum at the same time each day? This helps reduce complexity and cuts down on needless administrivia with calendars. If it’s at the same time and same place every day, there’s no need to constantly update that information. It’s known.

5.     How Long is the Daily Scrum? The Daily Scrum is 15 minutes or less.  The intent is not to hash through an error message raised or an impediment raised in that short amount of time, the point is to give transparency into what is happening. That way a plan can be made for who needs to be involved, and more importantly who is not needed, after Daily Scrum is over. People also forget the “or less” part of the suggested timebox. It’s intended to take 15 minutes to provide transparency on the Sprint Goal and make a plan to address those items. If that takes less than 15 minutes, get on with your day.

6.     Do we have to Answer the 3 Questions: What 3 questions??? They have thankfully been completely removed from the official Scrum Guide. Why? Because they were ignored or creatively edited over the years. It was never “here’s what I did yesterday, here’s what I’ll do today, no blockers”. Those weren’t the actual suggested questions. It’s no wonder the Daily Scrum is useless if those are the questions that your team is using. It probably has them rattling off a laundry list of tasks including what they ate for lunch and bunch of other things that add no value in learning where we’re at on the Sprint Goal. The questions used to be:

·       What did I do yesterday that HELPED the Development Team MEET THE SPRINT GOAL?

·       What will I do today to help the Development Team MEET THE SPRINT GOAL?

·       Do I see any impediment that prevents me or the Development Team from MEETING THE SPRINT GOAL?

It seems over the years people have just eliminated the sprint goal – which is the whole point of the Daily Scrum: transparency, inspect and adapt on the Sprint Goal. If you’re wondering ‘what the heck is a Sprint Goal’ it may be time to check out that free, official Scrum Guide which can be found here: https://scrumguides.org/Or maybe we’ll do a post dedicated to the topic of the Sprint Goal or feature it on an upcoming Ignite-Agility®podcast.

Hopefully this helps clear up any myths about what a Scrum Master does every day in regards to the Daily Scrum. Come to think of it, maybe we’ll do another post all about how the Scrum Master spends their time effectively. In the meantime, use this dose of reality about the Daily Scrum to get daily planning back on track, revealing impediments quickly and focusing the Developers on working together to accomplish the Sprint Goal. 

How Many Scrum Masters does it take to Change a Light Bulb?

Yep – it's from the old joke about how many psychologists it takes to change a light bulb.

And the punchline remains the same: One but the light bulb has to *want* to change.

People attend Collaborative Leadership Team’s Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) courses hoping to learn to change their company. Or their Development Team members or even their leaders. And they get frustrated to learn it's not possible. These folks waste the learning opportunity hoping to learn to trick or control another person.

The only person that anyone can change is themselves.

Yes – Scrum and Agile approaches mean change. And that starts with every individual involved learning what those changes mean and then making a choice.

Once a group has made the choice to change this only happens by getting together and talking about the best way to do that. And still observe their goals, serve their customers, in the process.

How does this start? In Scrum the Scrum Master is the change agent who works as a neutral facilitator helping the people and the organization to change for the better. A Scrum Master needs people skills, people skills and more people skills! If a Scrum Master is in need of improving people skills, they may need to look outside of the Scrum framework for ideas.

Collaborative Leadership Team partners with psychologist Dr. Harvey Robbins. His book, “The New Why Teams Don’t Work”, has practical advice on identifying our own behavioral style and building plans to work better with others.

This isn't identifying personality types. It doesn’t mean ignoring personalities. It means that personalities are not always revealed in the way we behave. The way we behave with one another affects our performance (or not) as a team and as an organization.

To learn more visit our Ignite Agility podcast and learn from Dr. Harvey Robbins

Check out our upcoming course opportunities here!

Coaching "Up" - New ScrumMaster techniques

A common theme we hear among newly minted Certified ScrumMasters (CSMs) is their surprise that “coaching up” in the organization is part of their job. The official Scrum Guide (https://scrumguides.org/) is clear that the Scrum Master is a servant leader not only to the Development Team and Product Owner but also to the Organization.

What follows is usually the CSM gulping, nervously shifting their gaze or sighing.  When we ask them what’s wrong, they say things like “But I don’t know how to talk to a CIO, CEO, VP (fill in the executive blank).” “They won’t listen to me, I’m supposed to be neutral.”

The fact that the Scrum Master is neutral makes them the perfect person to talk to the organization’s leaders about the use of Scrum or Agile as a way to do work. The Scrum Master also escalates impediments to the Scrum Team’s success on their behalf within the organization.

Here are a few tips and reminders that may help:

·       Exhibit Courage: One of the Scrum values is Courage. Scrum Masters may need to summon up the courage to have necessary conversations with leaders. Remember the organization’s leaders are people too and why wouldn’t they want to know about something that is impeding a Scrum Team’s ability to deliver value to the organization’s customers?

·       Don’t Overuse the Scrummy Language: Scrum is far easier done than said. Leaders may or may not be versed in the vocabulary in the framework. Instead of saying something like - “The Development Team’s impediment to meeting their Sprint Goal is the company process” you could start with a question “If our procurement process is holding up the release of New Product X would you want to know about it?” Any leader vested in the organization’s success is sure to answer “Yes”. Follow with “Here are the details of exactly how that process is preventing our people from delivering that value as we speak.”

·       Be Brief in Messaging: A mistake many Scrum Masters make is approaching a leader in the same way they might approach a Development Team Member, a Product Owner or Subject Matter Expert. Depending on the level of leadership, sometimes they need items “bulleted” or rolled up. Come prepared to deliver your message in a few, short statements. If it makes more sense to ask a question as described in the previous tip and adapt accordingly that works also.

Collaborative Leadership Team recently joined forces with Michael Nir on this topic of how to influence when you do not have authority. Michael is a nationally recognized speaker and author who helps people learn how to have these conversations. Listen for Free to tips from Michael on our Ignite AgilityTM podcast.

To check out our upcoming course opportunities, head to our course schedule!