ScrumMaster - a strong leader with the right to shoot
Today I want to discuss one of the cornerstone topics in the world of Agile - by what visual and olfactory signs to choose an effective leader of the Agile team working, say, on Scrum, among a multitude of two-day tutorials that can lead the team and projects to chaos.
To begin, let us recall the differences between the traditional control system - repressive, and the humane and creative Agile model.
In principle, it all revolves around the "money-giving" and receiving it, turned out to be "as if" less fortunate and assertive to create their own company. He pays and will “get up” with the staff himself or through the “servants” whatever he wants. Most of the money ... is needed, everyone is silent and ... they are fighting with each other - putting the responsibility on the weaker and slow, and substituting them when necessary.
')
Everything is permeated with the atmosphere of the struggle for power and influence, the possession of resources, talents and good specialists are methodically calculated and raped to death. You openly or covertly say - either work according to our rules, or go out. Employee motivating factors are money, influence, honor. Information hiding and outright lies are actively used. Middle Ages with the smell of burning bodies on fires.
The model is, of course, very effective at short and medium distances. Still - let us remember Fascist Germany, its rapid growth and development. But ... the model has shoals, because “The one who sows the wind will reap the storm” (what the master of the Sith and his followers end with, we know :-)).
In this model, although the same goal is pursued - development and profit making, however, especially in intellectual-intensive areas, where everything is much more difficult than digging the White Sea Channel, it is much easier to achieve success - if DEVELOPING AND MOTIVATING PEOPLE, create conditions for their self-realization.
Moreover, the principles of mutual profitability (Win-Win) go beyond companies, because cooperation on the principles of honesty and professionalism is beneficial not only in the short term, but also contributes to the development of long-term business relations. Companies and people ... they need each other.
In a repressive management model, the leader will, as a rule, select employees either more stupid than himself, or those whom he can “hypnotize” or blackmail in one way or another. They are looking for "dogs" that are easy to control and easy to poison. The idiotic instructions coming down from above will be proxied down without any changes, and those who can proxy them below survive, the rest burst.
In Agile, and especially in Scrum, on the contrary, you need to select ... the smartest, most independent and independent, most gifted, hardworking people who can often easily send a recruiter to an interview ... well or even further for indiscreet questions :-) The key point here will be the ability of a person to speak the truth in his eyes, not to be afraid of neither the company nor the circumstances. In short, looking for "tigers."
As a result, you get a team of very independent, independent, often bright and courageous personalities. (All of them, of course, are potential especially dangerous trolls, so they need the “right” leader)
You know, I sometimes hear that everyone can be a leader in the Scrum team and this right is rotated, for example, once a month. I do not believe. Such a strong and freedom-loving team needs an experienced and strong leader with great composure.
In no case should ScrumMaster become a “cast-iron lid” that restricts the intellectual impulses of team members from above - should he ever argue with his colleagues on a topic in which he is not well-versed, recalling that he is their manager — and for the rest of the days the "stupid bastard" label will be fixed.
ScrumMaster promotes communication, encourages colleagues to openly express their opinions orally or in writing. Especially important - it encourages OPEN discussion of issues in retrospectives. Yes, it allows me to say that the work with uninteresting technologies is not satisfactory, that the project will soon be bent, that the admins are stupid, and ScrumMaster toils foolishness, that they want growth and development, etc. ... :-) But then it will be easier to determine the causes of the problems (Root Cause) and work systematically to eliminate them. And the project will move faster and straighter to the goal.
Of course, it is recommended to use modern tools for collaboration and communication, various boards such as Twiddla , Confluence wikis, corporate portals and document exchange systems , edited for Agile environments , etc. - google it.
ScrumMaster most of the time - eliminates the obstacles facing the team:
- communicates with the system administrators on the hang of servers
- creates and improves communication tools: brainstorming boards, purchases books and forms a team library
- performs other routine work to ensure team promotion: updates progress charts (Burndown), prepares for demonstrations or estimates (PlanningPoker), etc.
- Often ScrumMaster needs help if the task cannot be solved at its level and the help of a higher manager is needed. This is important - support him!
ScrumMaster fucking motivates people ... with a personal positive example, working more than anyone, with a desire to help and a good cheerful mood :-).
Attention. If ScrumMaster turns out to be a weak, depressed person, colleagues will feel it and will intuitively use it as toilet paper. This is a very dangerous situation for the project team, since outwardly, everything will look good, but - the team will increasingly direct their efforts to the wrong place, leaders will start to appear and wage war with each other, etc. People will start self-pumping at the expense of the company, hang out, promote and relax. Be careful and monitor this risk factor.
If you managed to pick up such an Agile team - expect high efficiency in achieving the project goals due to synergy (1 + 1 = 11, not 2) the abilities of the team members, constant work on mistakes, high motivation and positive. It is a pleasure to do projects with such a team. Fair. This is a real, genuine, high-performance Scrum-core reactor with a graphite rod inside - ScrumMaster. :-)
Nature works like this :-) that the “dark side of power” can sometimes take possession of one of the team members and instead of the project goals that all team members share:
- independence
- a responsibility
- professionalism and self-development
- mutual aid
- openness, honesty
- achieving the goal in the shortest way
a colleague will want to hide “in a house for personal masturbation”, start lying, transfer responsibility from himself to others, look for the guilty, panic, sort out relationships, humiliate colleagues openly or imperceptibly for others.
In this case, ScrumMaster will try to return the colleague who has sinned to the system, or, if it does not help, take advantage of his ... “right to shoot” and go to a higher-level manager. And Troll will be shot.
And sometimes, the “dark side” takes possession of itself ... ScrumMaster - in this case, you need to use the right to shoot :-) Good luck in building an effective Agile team!
To begin, let us recall the differences between the traditional control system - repressive, and the humane and creative Agile model.
Repressive management model
In principle, it all revolves around the "money-giving" and receiving it, turned out to be "as if" less fortunate and assertive to create their own company. He pays and will “get up” with the staff himself or through the “servants” whatever he wants. Most of the money ... is needed, everyone is silent and ... they are fighting with each other - putting the responsibility on the weaker and slow, and substituting them when necessary.
')
Everything is permeated with the atmosphere of the struggle for power and influence, the possession of resources, talents and good specialists are methodically calculated and raped to death. You openly or covertly say - either work according to our rules, or go out. Employee motivating factors are money, influence, honor. Information hiding and outright lies are actively used. Middle Ages with the smell of burning bodies on fires.
The model is, of course, very effective at short and medium distances. Still - let us remember Fascist Germany, its rapid growth and development. But ... the model has shoals, because “The one who sows the wind will reap the storm” (what the master of the Sith and his followers end with, we know :-)).
Humane control model, Agile
In this model, although the same goal is pursued - development and profit making, however, especially in intellectual-intensive areas, where everything is much more difficult than digging the White Sea Channel, it is much easier to achieve success - if DEVELOPING AND MOTIVATING PEOPLE, create conditions for their self-realization.
Moreover, the principles of mutual profitability (Win-Win) go beyond companies, because cooperation on the principles of honesty and professionalism is beneficial not only in the short term, but also contributes to the development of long-term business relations. Companies and people ... they need each other.
We collect the Scrum-team - "dogs" and "tigers"
In a repressive management model, the leader will, as a rule, select employees either more stupid than himself, or those whom he can “hypnotize” or blackmail in one way or another. They are looking for "dogs" that are easy to control and easy to poison. The idiotic instructions coming down from above will be proxied down without any changes, and those who can proxy them below survive, the rest burst.
In Agile, and especially in Scrum, on the contrary, you need to select ... the smartest, most independent and independent, most gifted, hardworking people who can often easily send a recruiter to an interview ... well or even further for indiscreet questions :-) The key point here will be the ability of a person to speak the truth in his eyes, not to be afraid of neither the company nor the circumstances. In short, looking for "tigers."
As a result, you get a team of very independent, independent, often bright and courageous personalities. (All of them, of course, are potential especially dangerous trolls, so they need the “right” leader)
Leader in the Agile team, ScrumMaster
You know, I sometimes hear that everyone can be a leader in the Scrum team and this right is rotated, for example, once a month. I do not believe. Such a strong and freedom-loving team needs an experienced and strong leader with great composure.
Vertical transparency
In no case should ScrumMaster become a “cast-iron lid” that restricts the intellectual impulses of team members from above - should he ever argue with his colleagues on a topic in which he is not well-versed, recalling that he is their manager — and for the rest of the days the "stupid bastard" label will be fixed.
Promotion of communication
ScrumMaster promotes communication, encourages colleagues to openly express their opinions orally or in writing. Especially important - it encourages OPEN discussion of issues in retrospectives. Yes, it allows me to say that the work with uninteresting technologies is not satisfactory, that the project will soon be bent, that the admins are stupid, and ScrumMaster toils foolishness, that they want growth and development, etc. ... :-) But then it will be easier to determine the causes of the problems (Root Cause) and work systematically to eliminate them. And the project will move faster and straighter to the goal.
Of course, it is recommended to use modern tools for collaboration and communication, various boards such as Twiddla , Confluence wikis, corporate portals and document exchange systems , edited for Agile environments , etc. - google it.
Removing obstacles
ScrumMaster most of the time - eliminates the obstacles facing the team:
- communicates with the system administrators on the hang of servers
- creates and improves communication tools: brainstorming boards, purchases books and forms a team library
- performs other routine work to ensure team promotion: updates progress charts (Burndown), prepares for demonstrations or estimates (PlanningPoker), etc.
- Often ScrumMaster needs help if the task cannot be solved at its level and the help of a higher manager is needed. This is important - support him!
Motivation and positive atmosphere
ScrumMaster fucking motivates people ... with a personal positive example, working more than anyone, with a desire to help and a good cheerful mood :-).
Turning a roll of toilet paper
Attention. If ScrumMaster turns out to be a weak, depressed person, colleagues will feel it and will intuitively use it as toilet paper. This is a very dangerous situation for the project team, since outwardly, everything will look good, but - the team will increasingly direct their efforts to the wrong place, leaders will start to appear and wage war with each other, etc. People will start self-pumping at the expense of the company, hang out, promote and relax. Be careful and monitor this risk factor.
Nuclear reactor
If you managed to pick up such an Agile team - expect high efficiency in achieving the project goals due to synergy (1 + 1 = 11, not 2) the abilities of the team members, constant work on mistakes, high motivation and positive. It is a pleasure to do projects with such a team. Fair. This is a real, genuine, high-performance Scrum-core reactor with a graphite rod inside - ScrumMaster. :-)
Right to shoot
Nature works like this :-) that the “dark side of power” can sometimes take possession of one of the team members and instead of the project goals that all team members share:
- independence
- a responsibility
- professionalism and self-development
- mutual aid
- openness, honesty
- achieving the goal in the shortest way
a colleague will want to hide “in a house for personal masturbation”, start lying, transfer responsibility from himself to others, look for the guilty, panic, sort out relationships, humiliate colleagues openly or imperceptibly for others.
In this case, ScrumMaster will try to return the colleague who has sinned to the system, or, if it does not help, take advantage of his ... “right to shoot” and go to a higher-level manager. And Troll will be shot.
And sometimes, the “dark side” takes possession of itself ... ScrumMaster - in this case, you need to use the right to shoot :-) Good luck in building an effective Agile team!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/124716/
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