What’s Wrong With Scrum?

What’s wrong with Scrum? In my opinion, nothing really. That’s right, nothing.

But Scrum isn’t perfect. Okay, show me what is, please.

But Scrum is missing some key properties. Okay, show me what has ALL the key properties you believe are required for successful software delivery.

But Scrum doesn’t work in MANY situations. You just might be right and I just might agree with you. But does that mean that something is wrong with Scrum? I think not – and I’m not a Scrum defender (even though it seems like I’m becoming one these days).

There are at least a three reasons that I can quickly think of as to why Scrum will NOT work in a given context (I assume you’ll be able to add to the list):

1. The nature of the work is not a fit for Scrum.
2. The organizational culture is not a fit for Scrum.
3. The individual(s) responsible for guiding Scrum adoption are lacking in skill and ability.

In a very unusual turn for me, I want to explore bullet point 3 first, that is, I want to focus on the individual(s). I rarely do this but in this case I believe it to be important, so with that being said, let’s talk about the Scrum Master role.

The Scrum Master Role

The Scrum Guide says this about the Scrum Master:

The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring Scrum is understood and enacted. Scrum Masters do this by ensuring that the Scrum Team adheres to Scrum theory, practices, and rules.

The Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Scrum Team. The Scrum Master helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which of their interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which aren’t. The Scrum Master helps everyone change these interactions to maximize the value created by the Scrum Team.

But actually doesn’t stop there, it goes on to say the following:

Scrum Master Service to the Product Owner

The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including:

• Finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management;
• Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items;
• Understanding product planning in an empirical environment;
• Ensuring the Product Owner knows how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximize value;
• Understanding and practicing agility; and,
• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.

Scrum Master Service to the Development Team

The Scrum Master serves the Development Team in several ways, including:

• Coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality;
• Helping the Development Team to create high-value products;
• Removing impediments to the Development Team’s progress;
• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,
• Coaching the Development Team in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.

Scrum Master Service to the Organization

The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including:

• Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption;
• Planning Scrum implementations within the organization;
• Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact Scrum and empirical product development;
• Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team; and,
• Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization.

I took the liberty to copy directly from the Scrum Guide because I consider this to be important stuff.  (Another good resource is the 42 tasks).

A careful review of this role description hopefully makes it obvious to the reader the vital nature of the Scrum Master role in Scrum.  If you currently serve in the role of a Scrum Master, what does your self-assessment look like taking into consideration the Dunning-Kruger effect? Be honest with yourself. Did you understand what empirical product development was (before you googled it right now)?

I posit that one of the big challenges to Scrum in the industry is the inability of many Scrum Masters working in different organizations to be effective. I might be wrong about this but after working with a lot of Scrum Masters, interviewing many more and participating in online discussions, I believe there is some truth to this.

So why is this the case? There are few reasons in my opinion and yet today I just want to look at three that focus largely (surprisingly) on the individual. (There are organizational factors that contribute to the low degree of skill and ability as well, but those will be addressed in a subsequent post.)

 

The Scrum Master Certification

For a handsome fee and a two-day training session, you can become, wait for it, a Certified Scrum Master. The Scrum Alliance says that: As a CSM, you will be able to fill the role of Scrum Master or Scrum team member.

I am yet to understand how a 2-day training session equips anyone to effectively perform the services required of a Scrum Master (except they were already a practitioner).  I would love for someone to bring clarity around this statement. People tell me that they are going to take the class so they can act in the role. Recruiters present candidates that are CSM’s. Managers look to hire CSM candidates. The services are entrusted into the hands of people who are not qualified to perform the role (but they are certified).

The way the CSM certification seems to have been positioned leads people to believe that just taking the class qualifies them for the role and that there is really nothing much to it. This may not be the intent of the Scrum Alliance, but it is definitely (at least) an unintended consequence. Your CSM trainer might even be good enough to stress what is needed to be really effective and yet I’m not sure that makes a difference to many people. I suppose I could be wrong. My interactions would suggest that I’m not.

As Rob Myers and I discussed the other day:

@eikonne @gdinwiddie you can't swing a short umbrella in downtown SF w/o hitting an unemployed CSM.

— Rob Myers 🍵 禅 ☸️ Ⓥ 🏳️‍🌈 (@agilecoach) January 5, 2016

 

Shallow Commitment to Craft

What’s sad about this point is that I encounter many Scrum Master’s that are more committed to enforcing myths in Scrum (as I pointed out in my last post) than they are to improving their craft and growing in their knowledge. They are victims of a “little learning”. As I asked in my last post, when is the last time you as a Scrum Master reviewed the Scrum Guide? Do you know that the Scrum Master doesn’t actually have to attend the Daily Scrum? How about the Agile Manifesto? What’s the last “people coaching” book you read? How about the last dialogues you participated in on a Scrum forum? How much time are you investing in growing your ability?

Scrum Masters that do not continually evolve their capability actually retard the adoption of Agile in the organization. Facilitating events is only the tip of the iceberg. There is more to the role than meets the eye.  Go back and read the role description again.

If you’re really serious about being a Scrum Master then the Certified Scrum Professional certification may be something you would want to look into.

 

Poor Examples

Albert Einstein is attributed with saying the following:

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.

I find that many people feel they can be effective Scrum Masters because of the examples of other Scrum Masters they see around them on a daily basis. Examples that are extremely poor. Examples that suggest that one can perform the role after a two-day training session. Examples that suggest that the role is only about facilitating meetings and removing impediments. Examples that suggest that the role is just another flavor of a project manager (or release manager or…well you get the point).

I’ve focused on the Scrum Master role here because Scrum is talked about quite a bit. I do need to point out however that these observations are not exclusive to the domain of Scrum. I find them quite applicable to Agile (as a value system) and any of its methods and frameworks that are being used today. Hence, this post is not just focused on Scrum and the Scrum Master role.  Its scope includes all Agile Team Leader-type roles.

At the beginning of this post, I presented 3 reasons why Scrum may not work in a particular context. Interestingly enough, an ineffective Scrum Master will not be able to identify reasons 1 and 2 presented above. It disastrous having people who don’t have the requisite skill guide Agile adoption. I’ve encountered many certified Scrum Masters who want to make every thing they do fit into the Scrum framework. For them, they have a hammer and everything is a nail. The inability to take a step back and look at things through the eyes of the system is severely lacking. Sometimes, Scrum is not initially a fit and it’s in the best interest of the teams and organizations to evolve so that Scrum does become a fit. At other times, something else (instead of Scrum) needs to leveraged. The ability to discern and then influence appropriately is critical and yet I find those skills to be significantly lacking in many Agile Team Leaders.

So for Scrum Masters or for those intending to be Scrum Masters (or similar Agile Team Leader roles), take a few minutes to understand the significance of the contribution you are supposed to be making within your organization. Identify where you have gaps and make a conscious effort to address them. Find someone in your organization or the Agile community who can be your coach or guide. Join Twitter and follow some Agile thought leaders. Join one of the Agile groups online. Engage in conversation, debate and learning.

Don’t be the reason people say something is wrong Scrum or Agile.