Three engineers were shipping. Then management hired a Scrum Master
3 pointsby ghostinit3 hours ago2 comments
  • adamzwasserman2 hours ago
    I can't help you now, but for next time:

    Preventive measure: get Scrum Master certified yourself. The training can even be fun with a good instructor.

    Then when professional managers come sniffing around muttering about Scrum, you say: "I am a certified Scrum Master. Our process is already 100% Scrum.

    • ghostinit2 hours ago
      Interesting strategy. I've thought about getting certified just to have the credibility. The irony would be certified Scrum Master saying "we don't need full ceremony right now" harder to dismiss as "doesn't understand Agile."

      Smart defensive move.

  • PaulHoule3 hours ago
    Isn't the scrum master supposed to be a rotating role from somebody on the team?
    • ghostinit2 hours ago
      Yeah in theory. Scrum Guide says it can be anyone, but when you hire a dedicated full-time Scrum Master... they need to justify existing.

      That's when it stops being team member helping out and becomes process person from outside.

      • PaulHoule20 minutes ago
        The key issue in conflicts over scrum is trust. When trust is there it does not really matter what process you use, things go pretty smoothly. People look to process when trust isn't there, but no process can really create or restore trust.

        If there is something positive about agile in low-trust situations it is, without agile, people can kick the can down the road a long way (six months!) before there is a confrontation that reveals the low trust problem. With agile it leads to meeting after nerve-wracking meeting... which of course can wear you out.