Chapter 7: Scrum Values Expose Fear, Dysfunction, and Waste
How does the Definition of Done incite organizational change? Cross-functional, dedicated teams? Product backlog? The role of the ScrumMaster?
Are you a ScrumMaster by mistake, choice, or design? Did you realize just how important the role of the ScrumMaster is? Do you think you can carry out the responsibilities of this role?
What are your personal strengths that will aid you in the role of ScrumMaster?
What are your weaknesses? Can you add these to your impediment backlog in the personal category so that you can work on them? How will you know that you've successfully conquered these weaknesses?
What personal convictions do you repeatedly compromise at work? Why? How does this make you feel? What is the ultimate consequence of this compromise? What can you do about it?
Run a waste exercise with your managers; if you're unsure about this, practice it with the team. Use the waste worksheet from this chapter to quantify the wastes in traditional software development as a template. Put dollar signs to the final numbers. Shoot holes in it. Is this something you might feel comfortable presenting to management? If you're really feeling courageous, give the department a waste score (from Chapter 9, Shaping the Agile Organization)
What is initially costly about moving to a dedicated, cross-functional team model? What are the benefits gained from these costs?
Do you have a "personal board of directors"—people whom you trust to give advice that will help you reach your goals? If not, put a list together. Approach each person with why you'd like their mentorship, the goals that you have for yourself, along with your initial plans to get there. Ask if they can agree to check in with you once a month to give feedback, criticism, and suggested next steps.
Tell your story and suggest that team members do the same. As you begin to make progress and see a shining light at the end of the tunnel, ask the team if anyone would be interested to present their story at an Agile conference. There are many smaller groups (as well as international events!) both in person and virtual that love to hear success stories. This can be very motivating for teams!
When's the last time you said "no"? When is the next time you might be able to? Can you commit to saying it?
When is the next time you can serve your team? Maybe it's by bringing snacks to the next meeting, standing up and facilitating, helping the team drive to a resolution. Identify the next opportunity, put it in your calendar, and commit to do it.
Have you self-actualized? Review the checklist in Chapter 9, Shaping the Agile Organization. Answer each on a scale of 1 to 5 (1: barely satisfies; 5: completely satisfies). If your total is between 44-55, you are in the self-actualizing zone. If your total is around 11-20, you have some work to do today. Highlight the lowest-scoring attributes and pick one to start on today. Write them all in your impediment backlog in the personal category and seek opportunities to practice these characteristics. Sometimes the best way to create permanent and lasting change is to fake it until you make it!
When you feel comfortable, have a heart-to-heart talk with your team about your department's performance review process. What works well? What hinders people? What suggestions do you have for improvement? Then, talk to other ScrumMasters. Put together a formal proposal for managers and HR for changes in the performance review system that would enable higher performance and risk-taking in individuals and teams. Start from the ground up.
