How to handle the situation further
Hi,
I am the lead developer and the scrum master in the team. Today we had a confusion about how to develop a story. The differents in opinions specially between me as developer and one of the other developers in the team led to a heated conversion and at points screaming match. at points the developer in question said if we don't develop it this way then I cannot work and I will go home. Now I agree that disagreements in the team are normal but as the scrum master I think that I need to have a talk about how things went with this developer. however as I was the other party in this discussion I also see a conflict of interests. Now I am wondering how to handle this situation?
Thanks in advance for your help.
however as I was the other party in this discussion
I don't think you were, unless there are only two Developers in the team.
What were the other Developers thinking, and what were their opinions on the matter? The Developers are all collectively accountable for work being Done.
The situation has several problems that are likely to make it difficult.
There are some inherent difficulties when combining the Scrum Master accountabilities with any other accountabilities. Facilitation is a vital aspect of the Scrum Master accountabilities. However, it's incredibly difficult to participate in a discussion while also facilitating that discussion. Facilitation requires, among other things, making sure that all involved parties have the ability to participate while avoiding owning the discussion. Balancing the desire, as a knowledgeable party, to contribute to the conversation is often at odds with these aspects of facilitation.
On top of this, identifying as a "lead" developer means that you have legitimate power over the other developers. The Scrum framework doesn't recognize hierarchies within a Scrum Team. Still, organizational dynamics are often at play, with various role levels or people put into lead or manager positions above the other members of the team. This power can be used to influence others, and even if not directly used, can change how communication is perceived.
Ian also brings up a good question - what about the other Developers? Unless this is a team of two, participation from the other Developers could slightly mitigate some of the issues. Ultimately, though, finding ways to reduce your participation as a Developer while still using your domain and technical knowledge to support the Scrum Master accountabilities would be better. Alternatively, finding a different Scrum Master and coach to help the team would be a good choice.
To answer your question Ian The other developers in the team just stopped participating and decided to stay out the discussion.
I agree with you Thomas that there should be no leads in scrum and I often when possible stay away from development and focus on scrum and helping the team grow. but there are times where my knowledge as developer is needed.
I'm going to take a little bit different tact. While I agree with what @Ian and @Thomas has said, if I were in your shoes I'd do it a little different. (BTW, I have been in your shoes). As a Lead Developer and as a Scrum Master one of the things you are responsible for doing is helping the individuals on the team grow. This is a perfect opportunity for it. Instead of letting the other Developers back away, bring them into the conversation. I hear myself saying "You have heard what the two of us think, now I'm interested in hearing what you think because you will have to work with whatever solution is chosen." Get them involved. I don't care if they are more junior. They were hired to write code that would benefit the company and the product. Get them involved.
After hearing all of the others, the entire team should come up with an solution that they can all support. Are you familiar with the "disagree but support" position? As a group, decide on something that everyone can support even though they may disagree. No one person gets "their way". Do the work that everyone agrees on, then learn from the results. That is empiricism in action.
As a Scrum Master and a Lead Developer, lead by example. Let the entire team be part of the solution.