What is Scrum Mastery?
Scrum Mastery is the difference between doing agile and being agile
A good Scrum Master takes a 2-day certified class. A great Scrum Master takes the Scrum Mastery Pathway.
Great teams don't just appear
They are nurtured by great Scrum Masters
What is agile without a cross-functional, self-managing team? This empowered value-creating unit iterating both what they are building and how they are building it, constantly gathering feedback, reflecting and learning. All the time, guided by a servant-leader focused on Scrum Mastery – using the principles and values of agile to make the framework of Scrum unnecessary.
What is Scrum Mastery?
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The Scrum Master should do whatever is needed to help the team become high performing and for the organisation to deliver excellent products quickly.
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Geoff Watts
Scrum Mastery
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What is Servant Leadership?
A Scrum Master is a servant-leader.
The term servant-leadership originated from an essay by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, “The Servant As Leader” where he essentially calls for a reversal of traditional leadership (the accumulation and exercise of power by one person at the top of the pyramid). Instead, Greenleaf calls for a leader whose focus is to ensure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.
The guiding principle of servant leadership states that “the highest priority of a servant-leader is to encourage, support and enable subordinates to unfold their full potential and abilities.”
What is Scrum Mastery?
Many people find themselves dropped in to the role of Scrum Master with little preparation other than a two-day introductory course. Some find themselves asked to be Scrum Master for multiple teams while others are asked to do the role on top of their main job.
It’s no surprise that these people barely grasp the role let alone master it. As a result the team, the product and the organisation suffers. When I’ve seen people allowed to grow into the role through focus, support, coaching and mentoring, not only do they thrive but they actually create an organisation that has the potential to outgrow the need for Scrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can one of the Developers be the Scrum Master?
While almost anything is possible, absolutely everything has consequences and while this is not as bad as being the Product Owner at the same time as being the Scrum Master, the extra confusion, conflict of interest and general over-burden means it’s highly unrecommended.
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What skills should a Scrum Master have?
Great Scrum Masters have great facilitation skills and a range of what is often referred to as “soft skills”. The great Scrum Masters I know have high levels of emotional intelligence and resilience as well as the core characteristics I call out in my book Scrum Mastery:
RESPECTED
They have a reputation for integrity both within the team and in the wider organisationENABLING
They are passionate about helping others be effectiveTACTFUL
They are diplomacy personifiedRESOURCEFUL
They are creative in removing impediments to productivityALTERNATIVE
They are prepared to promote a counter-cultureINSPIRING
They generate enthusiasm and energy in othersNURTURING
They enjoy helping both individuals and teams develop and growEMPATHIC
They are sensitive to those around themDISRUPTIVE
They break the old status quo and help create a new way of working -
Can you be a Scrum Master and a Product Owner?
Short answer = No!
These roles are explicitly meant to be different people and doing them both not only means you will quickly get burnout but you also introduce a huge amount of unnecessary risk to the team, product and organisation due to the huge conflict of interest.
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How many teams can a Scrum Master lead?
A great friend of mine – Michael James – once said:
A good Scrum Master can probably cope with up to three teams. A great Scrum Master focuses on one.
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What does the Scrum Master do all day?
A Scrum Master is part facilitator, part coach and part coordinator. They are also part parent, part orchestra conductor and part sheepdog. And much, much more. It is incredibly hard to nail down a definition of the Scrum Master role because what a Scrum Master needs to do one sprint could be incredibly different from what they need to do in the next sprint.There is the facilitation of the Scrum ceremonies, including planning sessions and sprint retrospectives, and the continual general team facilitation, plus 1-2-1 coaching, helping the Product Owner out with the Product Backlog and their stakeholders. Oh and changing the policies, processes and structures of the organisation to more ably support agile ways of working.People looking for a repetitive, monotonous job should not apply!
Take the the first steps towards Agile Mastery
Robin Emmett Testimonials
Scrum Master In A Nutshell
Meaningful Certification
Using Noodles To Coach For Change
Agile to Agility Panel Discussion 2022
Introduction to Scrum Mastery
How Great Teams Stay Great Remotely
How Agile Helped Me Enjoy Work
Do Scrum Masters Need a Manager?
Flourishing With Feedback
Becoming an Inspiring Scrum Master
What is the Agile Mastery Institute?
A completely new way to become a great ScrumMaster
Should The Product Owner Attend The Retrospective?
Do you want to join me in elevating Scrum Mastery training around the world?
Top Ten Tips to Cut The Crap and Become More Productive
Introducing The Scrum Mastery Pathway
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