The role of the Scrum Master is often misunderstood. It’s helpful to consider WHO were the early adopters? What was their interest in Scrum? What did they bring to the role of Scrum Master?
Try to imagine 1995 through ~2005. It was common they had a well-established career. They had been a manager of teams for many years. They were likely to have founded a company of their own. They were likely to have had 10 to 20 years of software engineering experience. And, with significant in-the-trenches experience, they developed an interest in mentoring others.
If your Scrum Master (or if you're a Scrum Master who) has limited experience, limited scope, limited authority, and limited influence regarding organizational design…it will help you to consider the historical context of Scrum and the role of the Scrum Master.
Let's go for a walk…
- 0:47 People have a skewed perspective of the role of the Scrum Master
- 1:38 Job descriptions call for 2 or 3 years experience
- 2:04 Maybe they've been a developer, or experienced project manager
- 2:43 Systemic misunderstanding
- 2:52 The early adopters
- 3:40 The early majority adopters were…
- 4:48 The late majority adopters believe…
- 5:31 I was introduced to Scrum in 2007
- 6:10 I saw in it a way to mitigate risk and minimize waste
- 6:36 Imagine a Scrum Master between 1995 and 2005
- 9:54 Scrum Masters are were able to negotiate org change
- 10:19 Embody the values of Scrum
- 10:35 If you find Scrum Masters have limited authority…
Closing
What’s your take on this? Is your experience similar to mine?
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