Confessions of a scrum mom - how the heroics of a scrum mum doesn't scale
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The document discusses how acting as a "Scrum Mum" by taking over tasks and directing teams is not sustainable or scalable. It evolved from initially knowing little about agile and taking on too much work to help teams. This prevented teams from becoming empowered and self-managing. The author realized she needed to coach teams by empowering them, asking questions, and helping them improve and learn rather than just focusing on the process. An effective agile coach treats each team differently based on their needs and context, and acts as a leader to help teams progress through maturity levels to continuously improve.
Confessions of a scrum mom - how the heroics of a scrum mum doesn't scale
- 1. Confessions of a Scrum Mum How the short term heroics of a Scrum Mum doesn’t scale Presented by: Mia Horrigan Partner Zen Ex Machina @miahorri
- 2. Soccer Novice • Knew nothing about soccer when Gem started • Started to learn rules, watch EPL, play FIFA xbox • Picked up some ideas and became Soccer Mum
- 3. Soccer Mum • Run around trying to “help” prepare for the game • Directing play, yelling instructions from sidelines • Tell her what she did right and wrong • Then Gem got picked in Development Squad…..
- 4. Parents briefing at AIS • Congratulations your child has skills….. • We were to watch in silence, provide no coaching • No place for Soccer Mums at squad level
- 5. Dear Scrum Mum…… • Was I being a “Soccer Mum” at work? • I feel protective of the team and wanted them to be successful but was I holding them back?
- 6. Evolution of a Scrum Master Angel Medinilla
- 7. “The Scrum Guy” • Rudimentary skills , very little experience • Team secretary, lists impediments • Black and White on process • Results into low-performing teams
- 8. “Scrum Mum” • Protective to their teams • “Takes care of everything” to remove impediments • Teams functional, but not challenged • Results in Team stagnation
- 9. “True Scrum Master” • Mentors and develops high performing teams • Involves everyone, progressively delegates • Challenges the team to be innovative • Encouraging, collaborative and motivating • Team able to learn and continuously improve
- 10. “Agile Sensei” • Listens to understand context • Asks why ( “5 Whys pattern”) • Masters silence • Promotes innovative thought
- 11. Parallel to my evolution as a Scrum Coach • 15+ years of program management and practitioner roles in service delivery • Was used to being the “Manager” directing teams, making decisions, resolving problems
- 12. Trying to be a Scrum Mum at Scale • Agile Coach across 8 teams • Component teams delivering services • Digital Transformation • Running around trying to plug holes, make decisions and directing the teams
- 14. People learn skills in 4 stages Shu: Learn a technique Ha: Collect techniques Ri: Invent / blend techniques Kokoro: Simplify
- 15. Knowledge makes things more complicated until it starts to simplify
- 16. Stuck in the “Shu” box • Stuck in process land • Stagnation, burnout, no improvement, no innovation • Succeeding because of a few good individuals
- 17. “Scrum Mum” Anti Pattern • Directing and telling the team what to do • Teams never become empowered or self managing • Not sustainable, NOT scalable
- 18. Rules that are broken • #5 - Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. • #11 - The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. • #12 - At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behaviour accordingly.
- 19. Treatments?????? • Looked at what other coaches did
- 20. Soccer Coach - Academy • Saw how he helped her consolidate the 10 key skills in soccer • Did drills, showed how to read the play so she could make split second decision required
- 21. Treatments •Learn contingency based patterns •Apply based on an assessment on environment and capability (Fiedler, et al 1967)
- 22. 8 Elements Coaching Model
- 23. “A” Level Coach • Gem made elite squad (FIFA World Cup 2015) • Coach was practitioner (ex Matilda), trainer, mentor, motivator, leader and change agent • Made it simple, targeted, focused disciplined
- 24. Elite Agile Coach Core behaviours: Listen Ask deep questions Empower Enable to act Reinforce behaviour Increase insight
- 25. Heart of Agile Coaching
- 26. Conclusions • Being a Scrum Mum is an anti pattern – not sustainable, not scalable • Just looking after the integrity of the Process not enough either to enable teams to learn or improve • Good Leadership requires a contingency based approach (Fiedler et al, 1967) • Coach needs to be a leader – help the team through its maturity based on its context of need for improvement to be repeatable, sustainable and long-lived
- 27. Fin! • Mia Horrigan • Zen Ex Machina • @miahorri • [email protected]