Sep 25, 2020
This week, Dan Neumann is joined by his co-host and collaborator, Sam Falco, to discuss the topic of professional Scrum.
What does professional Scrum refer to? What is professionalism? What does a professional Scrum Master look like? What does it look like to practice Scrum professionally through principles and values laid out in The Scrum Guide? What does professionalism look like on a Scrum team? Sam and Dan answer all of these questions and more in this episode!
Key Takeaways
What does professional Scrum refer to?
Ken Schwaber’s definition: “A professional is someone who works for money and follows the rules established for the profession. Professionals act and work according to standards where they exist. They also embrace and embody a set of ethical principles established by their profession.”
Adhering to the rules set forth in The Scrum Guide
The Scrum values fulfill the role of the “ethical principles” in the software development industry
A mindset of professionalism and a commitment to a certain set of standards
An emphasis on communication and empathy between business and development (so that you can ensure that you are delivering what the customer actually wants and can use)
Professionalism includes really understanding why you’re doing the things that you are doing
Examples of professionalism:
If you are shooting to release a product to end customers by a certain date, how do you use the Scrum events, the sprint planning, the daily Scrum, and the sprint review within the sprint timebox to make sure that you’re on track?
In the sprint review, identify which adjustments and decisions are needed, and iterate
Important notes about doing Scrum professionally through The Scrum Guide:
It’s not just about having the roles, artifacts, and events in place; you also need to be cognizant of the rules that bind these three things together
Commit each sprint (as a team) to a goal, not a scope
When a sprint goal is a laundry list of things to do it can become overwhelming — it is much better to commit to a goal and negotiate your scope as you go throughout the sprint
Focus on delivering on the goal; delivering on the value
It is important that the organization gives the Scrum team(s) space to be professional
“Professionalism is not just for the Scrum team, just as the Scrum values are not just for the Scrum team; they’re for the organization to live and make space for.”
The responsibilities of a professional Scrum Master:
They are responsible for coaching the Product Owner, the team, and the organization on how to use Scrum in an effective way
The Scrum Master should not be a glorified administrator
The Scrum Master should be working with the entire organization to help it achieve business agility and valuable outcomes rather than just lots and lots of output
Look for ways in which the organization is inhibiting your team’s further growth and success
Look for the areas and opportunities in the organization for further agility
Aspects of professionalism on a Scrum team:
Strong collaboration (i.e. the Product Owner and the team need to collaborate, and the Scrum Master needs to collaborate with the team, the Product Owner, and the organization)
“What does it mean to be a professional Scrum developer?” It’s more than “I’ve got my work done”
The team should not be working siloed
At the daily Scrum, the team should be collaborating on the most effective thing to do that day to get closer to the sprint goal, figure out who needs help, and understand who’s doing what
Toward the end of the sprint when development work is winding down, it is important that developers are helping the test activities happen
“The development team is not just the people that are writing the code; it’s all of the people on the Scrum team that are needed to deliver that increment, aside from the Product Owner and the Scrum Master.”
It is important to find the balance between being a “busybody” and being a “T-shaped person”
A healthy team spirit is vital
Reduncies in skill sets of team members are incredibly valuable
Being open to learning new things beyond your expertise and having the intellectual curiosity to step outside of your role makes for a healthy, well-rounded team
Mentioned in this Episode:
The lawsuit between Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc.
Want to Learn More or Get in Touch?
Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com!
Email your thoughts or suggestions to Podcast@AgileThought.com or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!