Do you really need a Scrum Master? What are the failure cases?

Why do some scrum team members argue that there is no need for a scrum master?

• Scrum master is not needed
• No scrum master required

In the development site where the Scrum Master is not functioning, there seems to be an argument that the Scrum Master is unnecessary among team members.

As the number of cases where Scrum development is introduced increases, is the Scrum Master really unnecessary?

The Scrum Master, who is responsible for Scrum development and supports the team as a leader, plays an important role in sprint progress, identifying and prioritizing important tasks, growing the Scrum team, and increasing velocity, but if he or she is not functioning, the impact can be significant, and sometimes there are whispers of “unnecessary” arguments.

By reconfirming the pitfalls that tend to fail as a Scrum Master and reconfirming skills as a Scrum Master, it may be able to solve current worries as a Scrum Master.

If you’re feeling insecure or insecure about being a Scrum Master right now, read this article all the way through.

Do you really need a Scrum Master?

When you don’t need a Scrum Master

Some people say, “We don’t need a Scrum Master,” but is a Scrum Master always necessary at the development site? If you ask me, it’s not always necessary.

Here are the examples that a scrum master is not needed or it would not be any issues without it;

A small site where the product backlog can be progressed without the support of the Scrum Master

When problems can be identified and resolved by team members alone

In such a small team, each member can respond quickly to problem solving, and even in meetings, if you don’t need a facilitator, you may not need a Scrum Master.

However, except for the specific cases mentioned above, the disadvantage of not having the support of the Scrum Master would be greater.

Need a Scrum Master? Disadvantages of not having it

Depending on the sprint and content, it may not be possible to set priorities within the team.
The Scrum Master acts as a support role for the development members when the team members alone cannot handle the sprint backlog and prioritize.

In a small product development site where the Sprint Backlog can be resolved within the team, there may not be a problem without a Scrum Master, but depending on the contents of the Sprint Backlog, it may be difficult.

In addition, depending on the scale and difficulty of development, it is often difficult for development team members alone to prioritize.

The role of the scrum master is to remove impediments while the team is proceeding with development, support the sprint log, and support the development members.

Having a full-time Scrum Master is also a great advantage that development members can concentrate on development.

Scrum master support plays a big role in schedule management, events and sprint reviews.

Failure factors that prevent the scrum master from functioning

One of the reasons why people say “a Scrum Master is not needed” is that there are many people who have experienced a situation where the Scrum Master is not functioning well.

Let’s think about the cases where the Scrum Master doesn’t work and the factors behind it.

The balance between the thoroughness of the Scrum method and the coaching of the team cannot be achieved well

A common mistake that occurs when a Scrum Master is inexperienced is that he or she gets too caught up in the Scrum method, and even though the team members are thoroughly trained in the Scrum method, the team’s understanding of Scrum cannot keep up, and the balance gets lost.
Team coaching is also an important role of the Scrum Master.
It is necessary to have a balance of coaching and supporting team members as a leader while thoroughly implementing the principles and methods of Scrum.

The scrum master becomes an assistant to the team

The Scrum Master is a support role for the team, but it is a common failure case that he takes on everything and does not have enough time to take on the important work of the Scrum Master.

Dual Duties of scrum master and other roles

There are many cases where the Scrum Master is also a role with other roles.

As a common failure of the scrum master, there are many cases such as scrum master and development member concurrently serving.

The scrum master plays a role of supporting the team as a leader, but even if one statement is made, it is difficult to tell whether it is a statement made by the scrum master or a member of the development team. is one of the difficulties of working concurrently.

There is a tendency for the development team to get confused due to the delay in development, and they tend to not function as a scrum master who should calmly analyze and think about priorities.

By taking the plunge and devoting yourself to being a Scrum Master, it will give you more time to simply think, and more time working as a Scrum Master.

If you are a scrum master and have other roles and feel that you are not functioning as a scrum master, switching from a part-time role to a full-time role is an effective solution.

Lack of skills as a scrum master

Lack of skills and experience as a Scrum Master is also a factor in not functioning as a Scrum Master in a Scrum team.

Here are 5 skills necessary as a scrum master.

If you have lost your confidence as a Scrum Master, or if there is a mood in your team that you don’t need a Scrum Master, please reconfirm.

5 Skills Necessary for Scrum Master

Communication skills

The Scrum Master interacts not only with the development team members, but also with various people such as the Product Owner (PO), upper management of the organization, and customers.

Even in the daily scrum that is held every day, it depends on the communication skills of the scrum master to build a relationship that allows for more active exchange of opinions.

Communication skills to build trust with everyone involved are essential skills as a scrum master.

Schedule management skills

The Scrum Master is responsible for managing the schedule as the person in charge of Scrum development.
Schedule management is essential for product development to proceed smoothly as planned and to be released by the deadline.

In addition to formulating and managing an overall sense of schedule, schedule management skills to grasp the progress of the project and correct the schedule before it becomes a serious delay are essential skills as a scrum master.

In order to correct the schedule, naturally, the skill to determine the priority of the product backlog is also required.

Support skills

Scrum masters also need support skills.

There are variations in the experience and technical skills of the development members, and there is also a big difference in the understanding of Scrum. The Scrum Master is required to support the Scrum Team, which consists of such members, and to ensure the smooth progress of the project.

Scrum master support is not limited to development members.
The Product Owner often communicates and supports the management of the Product Backlog.

In order not to say, “I don’t need a Scrum Master, a Scrum Master is notnecessary”, as a person in charge of Scrum development, important things are building relationships of trust with members and product owners, and experience in support skills for the development site to proceed smoothly needs to gets accumulated.

Teaching skills

In the scrum development site, the skills of development members vary. Perceptions of Scrum also vary.
Teaching skills to teach knowledge and problem-solving methods to members in order for the project to proceed smoothly is one of the necessary skills as a scrum master.

In order to teach knowledge and know-how, it is naturally assumed that the Scrum Master himself has the ability to do the task.

It is easy to think that it is faster to do it yourself than to teach others, but the Scrum Master’s job is to lead the development smoothly. If the skills of individual members improve with easy-to-understand teaching, the level of the Scrum team will rise, and project development will also be greatly dynamic.

Coaching skills

Coaching skills are often confused with teaching, but they are similar and different.
Teaching skills are the skills that teach knowledge and know-how, but coaching skills are skills that make members think about problem solving.

The coaching skill is not that the scrum master will clarify the answer or know-how about problem solving, but that it will give the members the “opportunity” to solve the problem themselves.

Coaching skills are more difficult than teaching skills, and a relationship of trust with members is also required.

See below for the role of the Scrum Master.
It summarizes in detail the skills and roles required for a Scrum Master.

As a training to acquire skills as a Scrum Master, we recommend attending a Certified Scrum Master. Click here to take the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) from world-renowned Scrum trainer Joe Justice

How will the workplace change when the Scrum Master works?

When a Scrum Master is functioning, the trust of team members increases. It becomes easier to express opinions to a trusted Scrum Master, and active communication is encouraged among team members.
Let us pick up some of the most characteristic changes that occur when a Scrum Master is functioning.

Summary

It seems that the theory that a Scrum Master is unnecessary is often heard in the development field, such as “We don’t need a Scrum Master” or ” A scrum Master is not required”.

You might have had the same experience.

If it is a short-term development project with a small team, there may be no problem without a Scrum Master, but in many other development sites a Scrum Master is necessary.

Even if you search for scrum masters on “indeed” site, you can see that there is a high demand for scrum masters.

Scrum Master is evaluated as a required human resource in many sites.

Scrum Master is a rewarding job, and it is a skill that will be a great weapon for changing jobs.

If you are currently losing confidence as a Scrum Master or have anxiety, you may be able to grow significantly by reconfirming your skills as a Scrum Master.

For that reason, what you learn is important, but in a job such as a scrum master where experience counts, “who you learn from” is also important.

The world-famous agile coach Joe Justice’s Scrum Master Course teaches not only the skills and knowledge of a Scrum Master, but also many rules of thumb that Joe himself has experienced.

Joe’s experiential knowledge as a world-class Agile coach is a priceless value that sets him apart from other Scrum Master courses and is appreciated by many of his students.

Is it difficult to become a certified Scrum Master? What is the difficulty level and success rate? Also check out the article.
If you can attend normally, I think you can pass without problems.

CSM course from Joe Justice