How can I become a Scrum Master?
I passed my PSM I and would like to become a Scrum Master in a company that implemented Agile in Belgium.
Is there a list of companies that are really Agile (cause I've worked in several banks that are called 'Wagile', which is a combination of Waterfall and Agile, and that doesn't really work)? And does anyone have suggestions for next steps, as I don't have any experience as a Scrum Master (only as an analyst)?
I don't know the culture in Belgium, but I'm on the same journey myself. I think it's a matter of becoming an Agile advocate. You may have to make a business case for utilizing Agile, whether it be Scrum or XP, or Kanban or some other framework and then start applying it where you are. Where I work there's an entrepreneurial culture that focuses on making opportunities, not asking for them. So what I did to start my journey toward becoming a scrum master was start making suggestions to my team that would get us closer to Scrum without explicitly saying, "I want to do Scrum"
I don't expect there will be a curated "list" - even if there was a, that's probably not what you want.
Besides Larry's recommendations above, if you're really looking "outside", what I can recommend is, go to Agile/Scrum events in your area (check on Meetup, for example), talk to the people there. More importantly, listen, see them interact and discuss topics and get a feel for the organizational culture in various companies.
I am also new and when i was job searching only few doing SCRUM as it should be done, i got then 2 interviews, got the second one thinking company doing real scrum, being here for 4 weeks says other way around, doing SCRUMbut.
I do not see this as a bad things but opportunity to grow myself and to help company/teams come out from SCRUMbut step by step, if i am able to do that then i can call myself real SCRUM Master.
My recommendation:
- Certification is not enought, does not give you all details
- Read books on SCRUM ... helping a lot, going deeper then certification ever would
- Be active here in community
- Many good youtube clips on SCRUM
- Give companys a chance and do your best, no risk no fun
- Make notes on what you learned, it happend few times, understanding differently the book as other people and they were right
+1 Denis In my mind, the important thing to remember is that Scrum is a framework for being Agile, not the other way round. Stay focused on creating desired outcomes, regardless of the framework you decide to use. What you want to avoid is becoming part of the Agile Industrial Complex, where you talk a lot about Agile, without actually being able to implement anything.
While Scrum is a complete framework, nothing says you can't introduce it incrementally. Start with 1 or 2 events, say sprint planning and sprint retrospective so that you have the opportunity to plan and then look at how you executed. Add in review and daily scrums as you go, or vice versa, depending on what works with your team.
Doing Scrum and Agile is a lot like riding a bicycle, you have to take it slow until you get up enough speed to stay upright. On the way you may end up with a few skinned knees and a few aches and pains, but the end result is worth it.