Is the Scrum Master the Secret to Scrum Success? with Phillip Lisenba

Agile Coaches' Corner

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by his colleague, Phillip Lisenba. In this episode, they explore the value that a Scrum Master can provide. Often, organizations reach a moment in their transformation when they question whether or not a Scrum Master is needed and how significant their role is. Listen to Dan and Phillip diving deep into the heart of the role of a Scrum Master and how it is essential for an organization’s success.

Key Takeaways

• The Scrum Master Role:

• The primary purpose of a Scrum Master is not administrative; it is to empower and help the Team self-organize and self-manage.

• In a Daily Scrum, a Scrum Master is optional.

• A Scrum Master should do more coaching from the back of the room than he does from the front. The Scrum Master empowers the Team to the point where they run the meetings independently.

• At the beginning of his career, a Scrum Master can tend to do all administrative tasks and more to prove his value but later realizes his job is to empower the Team and set it up for success even when he is not around.

• The Scrum Master role also reminds the Team that they are all together, not about pointing fingers but solving problems together.

• Servant Leadership:

• A Scrum Master must know how to influence the Team while serving them.

• A Scrum Master finds ways to improve continuously.

• The Team wants to create what the customer requested and innovate on the architecture to support that. Everyone needs to be on the same page and also be willing to pivot.

• A Scrum Master needs to know the Team’s needs: What does the Team need? More ownership? More Process?

• How do we know if the Team is actually improving?

• Don’t confuse activity with results.

• A Scrum Master should ask himself: Are we getting a good return on the investment? Are we getting increments of value?

• The importance of conducting a Sprint Review:

• The Sprint review is an opportunity for the Team to check on the work they delivered and work with the Product Owner, the business, and the stakeholders to verify they are receiving what they expected.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Renew your certification at Scrum.org

OKR Institute

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