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Most Common Mistakes Made by Scrum Masters
When we talk about Agile Methodology, Scrum is the first thing that comes to your mind.
The massive potential of scrum master,
who happens to be the facilitator of the Agile methodology, can be ignored by
the organizations, which can cause considerable losses to the companies. You
can increase the productivity of your project, and also manage the entire
schedule effectively, if only you know how to manage the scrum master. However,
most organizations don’t understand the difference between a scrum master and a
project manager, which is why the scrum master is not appointed with great
care.
Mistakes of Scrum Master resulting from
insufficient or excessive involvement with the Development Team can destroy the
rhythm of the work. And even contribute to stopping the activity according to
Scrum rules. Therefore it is worthwhile for a Scrum Master to be aware of the
potential errors and the resulting risks. And also to keep an eye on their
relationship with the Team.
Here are the most common mistakes that scrum masters generally make.
1. Practicing a
Project Manager like control
Scrum
masters often mistake themselves to be project managers. Daily scrums are a
part of the Agile process that allows you to define the sprints and plan them
following the project needs. It also addresses any issues that you might face
and will enable you to rectify them as needed. However, most scrum masters tend
to dictate these meetings, behaving like project managers, ready to assign
tasks. The fact is scrum masters are not supposed to lead teams; in fact, the
Agile teams using the scrum delivery method are supposed to be self-organizing.
In this case, the scrum master should involve the entire team, ask them their
opinions, and the decision for the next sprint should be teamwork. The team
members should take ownership for, and the members should decide what task
needs to be taken up next.
2. Taking decisions
without consulting the team
The
Agile development cycle involves an entire team. The scrum master needs to
consult the team before taking up a task. However, in many cases, the scrum
master tends to make decisions for the team. Instead of bringing in agility to
the software development process, the scrum master rings in dependencies, which
causes lowered productivity. Encourage communication and make your team members
talk about what is going on in their minds so that you know how you can move
about the project. You need to include the team members to be a part of the
decision-making process. When people who have a certain level of understanding
of the project give their opinions, you get a better solution.
3. Lack of
connection between the team and the client
Generally,
the scrum master discusses the doubts and all the issues the team faces with
the client. As a result, there is a slight disconnect between the team and the
client. In many cases, the team is unable to provide the client with their
exact requirements, as they are never understood perfectly. The person working
on the project must understand the requirements. However, that is never the
case in many organizations, because the scrum master decides to take up the job
of the mediator.
4. Constant
Follow-up with the Team
Scrum
masters tend to constantly follow-up with their team. This can irk the team,
and ultimately make the scrum master a bad leader in the eyes of the members.
Individuals within the team may feel that the master does not trust them
enough. Constant scrutiny can also lead to reduced productivity. This mistake
can cost the organization a great deal, monetarily as well as time and
effort-wise. The scrum masters should treat the team members as partners and trust
their commitment towards work. Give them space to complete their tasks and be
available whenever they face an issue or need an immediate resolution with
something. Let the team members take ownership of the tasks that have been
delegated to them.
5. Not communicating
the hurdles
Scrum
masters are supposed to remove all the hurdles at the start of the project and
make the whole path smooth for the team members. However, most scrum masters
don’t consider the obstacles or even discuss the issues the team members are
facing. That’s why a lot of projects face delays and get completed way after
the scheduled time, despite following scrum methodology. Scrum masters should
use the daily Scrum as a platform to discuss the project delays, the issues the
team members face, and the possible resolutions.
6.
Ignoring the Agile Principles
Scrum
follows Agile guidelines and principles. However, a lot of scrum masters tend
to ignore the Agile principles when implementing the Scrum methodology to their
software delivery process. In the case of Agile, the people and their
interactions are given importance. However, a lot of scrum masters tend to
forget this basic.
7.
Over-involves himself in the operation of the team
When
the Team is composed of experts who know each other’s skills and
responsibilities and is functioning according to Scrum principles, the Scrum
Masters should not interfere uninvited with the way the Team works. If they do,
they are simply interfering with the smooth running of the team. Good Scrum
Masters, thanks to their well-established position as a coach and leaders, will
be asked for advice in emergency situations or situations requiring a fresh
look. That’s why they should be available on call for Developers without
imposing their presence.
8. Being too rigid
in his adherence to Scrum principles.
If
any aspect of Scrum is not working in a particular Team, the Scrum Master
should try a different approach. Every Team is different, and Scrum is just a
general framework.
9. Looking for a
solution to the problem instead of helping the team deal with the difficulty: Typically the
root of the problem is that the Scrum Master is also an expert in what the
Development Team is doing. Their inability to step out of the expert role makes
them unable to effectively assist the team in finding solutions on their own.
This approach can also lead to one-person, authoritarian decision-making – and
this is probably the biggest mistake a Scrum Master can make.
10. Not allowing the
team to make mistakes: This problem is closely related to the previous
one. If the team is effectively protected by the Scrum Master from making
mistakes, it will not learn to solve problems on its own or take responsibility
for its work. It will always rely on the advice and expertise of the Scrum
Master.
11. Trying to change
people instead of working on the team atmosphere. This problem
includes too much emphasis on changing the behavior of a team member or
members, as well as personnel changes. It is a mistake to change the
composition of the Development Team while working on a Product Goal if it is
not absolutely necessary. It can introduce significant delays in its
realization, and disturb the rhythm of work of the Development Team. And also
disrupt the rhythm of the Team formation, about which we write in a separate
article.
12. Acting as the
supervisor of the Development: Team in the organization. This is a
mistake that does not often result from the Scrum Master’s own decisions.
However, it can exacerbate all the errors that arise from the need to control
the Team.
13. Insufficient
familiarity with Scrum principles and concepts: This mistake
will most likely lead to their improper implementation. And the Team’s work
will only seemingly be Scrum work.
14. Not enforcing
the Scrum principles:
The Scrum Master’s inadequate day-to-day presence means that he is not
protecting the team as he should. This can lead to a lack of protection from
the influx of outside tasks. Or to the failure of the Development Team to meet
the Sprint Goal.
15. Does not make
sure that a consistent Scrum pattern is followed. Carelessness in
organizing Scrum Events can lead to wasting time. This will result in too long
or poorly run Events – Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospective or Sprint Review
(which we’ll write about in separate posts). It is also a mistake to postpone
events or change their duration.
16. Does not respond
to conflicts in the Team: Expecting conflicts on the Team to resolve
themselves over time is a Scrum Master’s mistake. Conflict is not always bad,
but the Scrum Master should not only be aware of its existence and current
state but also engage in it as a negotiator. And also be able to use the
conflict to change and improve the Team.
17. No proper
presence:
The problem arises when the Scrum Master spends too little time working with
the Team and gets involved in specialized tasks, for example. This makes him
listen too little and ask too few questions. This, as we wrote in the previous
article, is a key skill for a Scrum Master. The result is that the Scrum Master
doesn’t know well enough what is the current situation and atmosphere in the
Team. And he is content with the status quo.
18. Does not
question the status quo: In order for the Development Team, and the Scrum
Team as a whole, to grow, it is necessary to constantly challenge the status
quo. This is often a risky and potentially inflictive activity. A Scrum Master
should undertake it with the awareness of the difficulties he may encounter.
However, there is no such thing as a ” mature Development Team that is no
longer evolving”. Leaving it alone will quickly lead to a significant
deterioration in its performance.
19. Does not share
his observations of the Team’s performance with the Team: Keeping this
knowledge to them makes it difficult, or even impossible, for the Team to grow.
While completely focused on daily responsibilities, Scrum Master does not work
on the way the team members work together. This frequently leads to the
accumulation of problems and conflicts.
20. An incomplete
product backlog:
A product backlog that is not completely
ready is one of the most common reasons
for sprint failure and for unmotivated teams.
It is also a root cause for low delivery velocity and not delivering
high value. Most new Product Owners
aren’t ready to be productive on their own.
They need instruction, coaching, and hand-holding for the first few
sprints as they learn to develop and maintain a product backlog that has enough
valuable features estimated at a high level, and prioritized by business
value. Preparing the backlog well ahead
of the next sprint(s) is a must. You
never want the team to run out of work to do, and that work must be of highest value
at that point in time as prioritized by the Product Owner. Being a Product Owner can be
time-consuming. Set the right
expectations, provide all the training, and help the Product Owner to keep the
flow of value coming.
21. Not Conducting
Retrospective Meetings: After Every Sprint One of the twelve principles
behind the Agile Manifesto is “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior
accordingly”. Unfortunately the Sprint
Retrospective is often treated like an add-on or a luxury, and performed only
“if there’s time”. The fact is, Agile is
all about adjustments here and there, fine-tuning and responding to
change. It’s really hard to adjust and
fine tune if we don’t pause to find out where adjustments are needed. The status quo is not Agile; continual
improvement is.
22. Practicing
without the principles: Doing the easy things like implementing Scrum
meetings, filling the Scrum roles, and
using proper Scrum artifacts is good, but is only half (or less) of the
battle. The Agile principles are what
make the practices work well, and make them sustainable in the long run. Principles are much harder to incorporate
than practices, which is why many companies fall short – they don’t do the hard
parts. Using techniques without understanding
why you are doing them can lead to frustration.
Agile is about people, interactions, and culture, not processes,
practices, and tools.
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