How much should the Agile Coach know about the team's work? with Justin Thatil, Mariano Oliveti and Erica Menendez

Agile Coaches' Corner

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by his colleague and host of today’s conversation, Justin Thatil; Justin welcomes Mariano Oliveti and Erica Menendez to discuss a recurrent topic: Coaching versus Mastering the Details.

This episode addresses the complexities of coaching, especially considering the different maturity levels and even diverse areas of expertise within a Team. They also dive deep into the matter of a Scrum Master’s expertise, debating whether or not it is a requirement to perform the role better.

Key Takeaways

• To coach anybody doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the master of that specific topic, but it could be really beneficial in certain situations.

• Coaching will depend on the maturity of the Team and even in which areas each Team shows more maturity than others.

• Does the Scrum Master need to understand every single detail of the work the Team is doing? Certainly not, but it can help!

• A Scrum Master must need to know a certain type of technology to be able to do the work.

• A Scrum Master needs to show empathy to know the Team’s struggles and identify their challenges.

• The Scrum Master must ensure the Team knows its purpose and how to reach it.

• A Scrum Master is not defined by their technical background.

• A Scrum Master needs to know the details regarding the Agile Methodology but learns with each new client the aspects of that particular business, process, tools, and overall product.

• A Scrum Master encourages a continuous education mindset within the Team.

• When a Team gets better at sharing information about their learning, it indicates a Scrum Master is fostering a psychologically safe environment.

• A Scrum Master models vulnerability for the Team Members to feel safe to practice it, too.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Scrum Guide

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