Professional Scrum Master - Some thoughts

Hello beautiful people,

Another day, another week, another blog post!

How are we all doing? Hope everyone is doing well and making the most out of confinement...

Let me tell you about my week and what I've been doing so far.

For me, it's currently mostly about focusing on getting Scrum certified. My goal is to pass my first Professional Scrum Master certification by the end of the week.

For those of you who might not know what Scrum is, let me tell you what that is in a few words.

Very simply put, Scrum is an approach/methodology to building software and managing software projects. It is very widely used and is a relatively modern practice.

Note to self: write a jargon-free article about the waterfall model and other methodologies followed to manage and build software.

Note to self 2: write a super simple article to explain (the way I've previously explained to non-technical clients) what Agile is, why it's needed, and how it can be achieved.

Now let's dive in, let me take you through some thoughts I had while preparing for that Scrum certification.

Wait! 

I have a feeling you might first want to know why I'm doing that certification?

What's my opinion and how do I really value these certifications?

Well that my friend(s) is another discussion to have for another day.

Note to self 3: write about "Certified Scrum Master! What does that really mean?" and "Hey I just heard of that thing called Scrum, let me get some certification..."

For now, I'm sorry I don't want to be too long. I just want to share some thoughts and go back to preparing for my exam.

Topic 1: Why is it easier to do proper work in startups where smaller teams are fully engaged?

Good question mate! Answers itself honestly; you've already said it, "teams are fully engaged!".

Teams tend to be more aligned on the definition of what is considered as "done" work, and on quality standards.

They are so engaged that they’re not doing their work just to satisfy observers and inspections... 

They are not doing it and putting all the effort out of fear, or just in wait for a return. Of course, in return, they know that the success of the product is directly linked to their own success.

Topic 2: Do you need Scrum to be a great team?

Great teams are teams that align in terms of values, work ethics, and a common definition of what good quality is.

Scrum might help you align a bit more with others on those key points.

But honestly, if you suck and if your team sucks at being a team, then sorry but you just suck! You might go from mediocre to good. But can you really become a great and efficient dream team?

Why is that so important you might ask?

Cause you could have the best developer, designer, marketer, or any other team member who are best at what they do, but if you don’t share those 3 pillars (for ex. same values) you can forget about being a 10x team (10x = being so efficient that, 1 person can produce the work of 10 people) that can work effectively and efficiently up to its full potential.

Topic 3: Oh wait we didn't do any real work, did we?

Unfortunately, so many teams focus so much on their Scum or non-Scrum processes...

Please don't get lost, stop wasting time. Just remind yourself that Scrum itself is not the project! You have a great product that's waiting to get built!

Which means do more "real work" than anything else!

If you’re spending more time planning than doing actual work! Then you’re doing it wrong! 

If you’re spending more time on your management tools, than actual work! Then you’re doing it wrong! 

If you’re having more meetings than doing actual work! Then you’re doing it completely wrong!

Reflect on this; think of the complexities of your project and your organizational needs. Not every project needs to follow the same processes and techniques. Actually, no two projects should follow the same processes and techniques. They can, but it shouldn’t be the rule.

Topic 4: Sorry but who's your Product Owner? Who's your Scrum Master?

In your company, any person leading any part of work needs to be an expert and needs to know what they’re doing. 

Do you want to have clowns leading? Do you want to have clowns checking the quality of work? You will only end up having a funny project and a funny product and a funny organization.

Your managers are managers cause they're good at managing. Your developers are developers cause they're good at developing. Your ___ are ___ cause they're good at ___.

Topic 5: Daily Scrum...

When you have great performing teams and efficient teams with great smooth friction-less communication, then you'll always achieve things faster. 

For example, you wouldn’t need to wait for a formal inspection event, to adapt. You wouldn’t need to wait for the daily scrum (daily meeting), to fix things and adjust. 

You would know, how and when to raise issues; when is important as you would know when not to interrupt others' work; how is important as you would know how to find the best solution and how to keep everyone aligned and in agreement.

Topic 6: Scrum values

They say:

"When the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect are embodied and lived by the Scrum Team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life and build trust for everyone." - The Scrum Guide

Commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect; are the Scrum values.

These values are crucial! But these values are crucial for any team! Aren't they? I mean regardless of Scrum; isn't it?

This is how team members are aligned and this is how trust is built. It is only with trust that great companies and great products are built!

Topic 7: Trust: why teams and projects fail

Again! Trust!

A major reason for team and project failures: T.R.U.S.T. Trust.

Unless trust is settled across the whole organization, true success and real performance can never be achieved and can never reach their peak. 

I am disgusted when I still hear managers not trusting their employees and still thinking their employees only work because someone’s overlooking over their shoulder.

In cases like that, there’s a core problem: you either are a terrible manager, you suck amazingly at being a manager, and you should have never been in a management position! 

Or your employees suck, and again in a way you suck too, cause after all who even hired them. You have a big organizational problem, my friend.

Topic 8: Hire professionals, don't hire dummies!

Software is difficult. Software is complex.

They say computer science! But is it really a science? And to what degree?

Generally, the way I see it is: anything that has the word science in it, is not really a science.

For example in what way is political science a science? With all due respect to political scientists!

I believe it's easier to understand Math being a science, or physics, chemistry, biology. These all have rules and theories that are strictly followed: a2 + b2 = c2...

Software is not science. 

They also say software engineering; Civil engineers build bridges and buildings and they following clear rules.

Software is different. Software is a craft. Software is an art.

All that to say: don't hire dummies. Hire Software Craftsmen and Software Craftswomen!

Hire developers who understand you and understand your business as well!

Hire developers who know how to communicate! Gone are the days where the stereotypical programmer only sits in his cubicle... in the dark!

That applies to hiring anyone (not only developers) involved in the process of building software and a product.

You'll have much higher chances of success!

Topic 9: Accountability belongs to the team as a whole; regardless of who did what or who does what.

You did not need to wait for Scrum to tell you that. Did you?

Topic 10: Why smaller teams are more efficient?

“Large Development Teams generate too much complexity for an empirical process to be useful” - The Scrum Guide

 

Other topics: potential for later discussions:

• Thoughts on Scrum. I mean in general; regardless of the Scrum Master certification.
• Scrum is not Agile. Don't take my word for it yet. We need to discuss that. I can explain why I think so.
• Why Scrum fails and why Scrum is for losers?
• What can be learned from Scrum, and what to remember from Scrum.
• Why Scrum is practised so badly in teams around the world.
• Why Scrum can be considered modern slavery and why some aspects of it should be abolished!

That's it for today, enough talking about Scrum for today!

At least for you (lucky you), I need to go back to studying it.

Hope you enjoyed this article.

I appreciate it's quite a technical topic, but don't worry I'll be writing some more introductory articles around the subject.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy them more if you haven't already enjoyed this one.

And as always, let me know your thoughts in the comments box below 👇

Have you heard of Scrum before?

Have you used it before? Have you used any variation of Scrum?

And of course any other thoughts and ideas you might have around the subject.

Whether you agree or not, your comments won't be deleted 😉

And of course, as usual, until the next one.

✌️