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Posts Tagged ‘scrum master’

Changes for the Certified ScrumMaster Examination Process from the Scrum Alliance

News | Posted by liz.weatherhead
Jan 23 2012

Scrum Alliance CSM Examination is changing

In the past, the Certified ScrumMaster examination process has been relatively simple. If you answer all the questions, you are awarded the certification. You could answer every question incorrectly and still pass. That is about to change in April, 2012.

The Scrum Alliance is building credibility into the certification designation by modifying the standard of passing the exam. From April 2012 forward, the CSM’s will have to demonstrate a minimum level of knowledge and proficiency of Scrum/Agile methodologies.

I think this is good news for our industry. It takes our integrity up a level. We can’t imagine all doctors passing their exams simply because they answered questions. That would be crazy. While we are not doctors, we should expect high performance standards from our peers and colleagues who regulate our trade.

All of you who have taken the CSM exam previously, I am sure you answered all the questions brilliantly and contribute highly to your Scrum teams. To all of you who will take the exam after April 1, you know you will have earned your certification. All of us need to continue to move Scrum to the forefront of great development teams and beyond.

Any questions related to these changes should be directed to the Scrum Alliance.

 

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One Scrum Team. Four Languages.

Musing, Well Formed Teams | Posted by liz.weatherhead
Aug 24 2011

Does it ever appear that your Scrum team members can express the same thought in  four different ways?

  • “Let’s knock this product out of the park!”
  • “If we can reach consensus, we can move to the next level.”
  • “The SOP will tell us what to do next.”
  • “To be efficient, we must eliminate the fluff and complete only what is absolutely necessary.”
Some of these languages are pleasant and palatable to us.  Others repel us like vinegar. Our challenge as Product Owners,  ScrumMasters and teammates is to peel the words and find value in the thought.  Let’s revisit the statements and reveal what the intent truly is.
“Let’s knock it out of the park.”  This person is a risk-taker and consistently pushes us to move from good to great.  They share information though experiences and action.  They learn by jumping in and doing.  If the doing is wrong, well, then they learned something!
“If we can reach consensus, we can move to the next level.”  Team community is the cornerstone value of this team member.  They truly embrace the well-formed team approach.  They are reflective, yet thrive in environments that are experiential.  Feelings about teams and the product are not to be discounted.  There is deep realization that teams produce better products when they work in harmony.
“The SOP will tell us what to do next.”  Structure and rule following drive this team member to do their best.  This person thinks in black and white, right or wrong.  They will strive to keep the team on the correct path.  As reflective, analytical thinkers, they speak with great precision and deliberation.
“To be efficient, we must eliminate the fluff and complete only what is absolutely necessary.”  This team member is built with pure efficiency in mind and they expect the team to follow suit.  They are active and analytical and it is a powerful combination. They get down to business and get it done. Executing the thing right trumps doing the right thing every time.
As ScrumMasters and team members, we must navigate the terrain of foreign languages everyday.  They may pop with our customers, our vendors, or with each other.  The sooner we understand the source of the language, the sooner we can find value in it.

Join us at 3Back to learn more team navigation skills with 4MAT for Scrum Teams.

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Learning can be Agile

Musing, Well Formed Teams | Posted by liz.weatherhead
Apr 08 2011

Agile is defined as a ‘quick, resourceful and adaptive character’.  How can we be quick and adaptive in problem solving on our teams? By tapping into the hard-wired learning machines that we are.  Diverse learnings styles that are present on every Scrum team can be tuned for driving rich and vibrant solutions to project challenges.

Learning strengths and weaknesses are hard-wired, but, through awareness, we can grow our abilities as a team to chew through the learning curve. Team members abilities to process information in diverse patterns, is an untapped resource.  A resource that is both efficient and effective.
basic scrum team building block
Preferences in learning are not complicated. People perceive, or take in, information  through experience or through thinking and judging.  Some of us would like to learn by the experiences of feeling, tasting, touching, smelling; being immersed in an experience.  In other words, they prefer to go to Disney World, not read about it.  Others would perfer to read about Disney, to learn about it.  In fact, credible resources, whether print or people,  are very important to analytical, thinking learners.

Once we have taken the information into our brains, we need to process, or digest it. Again, there are two preferences.  Reflection is hard wired for some of us.  The need to ponder and draw purposeful conclusions by observations, serves them well in developing solutions.  Others are active learners.  They process information by doing something with it.  Testing it, adapting it or plunging head first and learning by trial and error.

This world of ours demands that we go fast, fast. It requires that we churn though complicated, complex and even chaotic problems in a rapid fashion. To do that, we need awareness of our team learning strengths and learning gaps.  When Scrum teams have thinking and experiential learners that are both reflective and active, they can derive solutions from multiple perspectives.  With diverse learning styles, they can understand the many voices of the stakeholders.  Well formed teams can question and learn more effectively in daily stand-ups and Sprint Reviews.

A resourceful and adaptive team spins the Scrum wheel and embraces the learning wheel to listen to their product and stakeholders effectively and efficiently.  This will raise your team from formed, to well formed.

Find the latest team tools and skills in our 4MAT for Scrum teams course.

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Teams: Meet Connie

Development | Posted by liz.weatherhead
Feb 14 2011

connie scrum team memberKnow a team member who sits in meetings with their arms crossed and brows furrowed?  Is she always watching the clock?  I bet she has more details to share than the rest of the entire team put together.

That would be Connie.  Learning through reflection and analysis, she is an asset to any team.  Deep in reflective thought and analyzing the discussion, lends to possible negative body language that can be misinterpreted!  Connie crosses her arms because she is internalizing the conversation.  As for clock watching, Connie runs a tight schedule and expects other team members to show the same respect.

Challenged with how to implement processes, moving to action is not her strong point.  What to do is always clear, but to Connie, how to do it is puzzling.  Decisions are ” either/ or ” for Connie; being correct has a high priority.    Connie prefers to think about what will probably happen, rather that what the possibilities are.  Looking historically for solutions is her thought pattern, rather than projecting big picture, risk-taking solutions.  Maximizing certainty is where Connie operates best.

Connie’s biggest strength is knowing the experts, the data and the latest information from the super highway.  Separating fact from feeling gives Connie the ability to make decisions without personal involvement.  Not getting involved in the drama on the team is a breath of fresh air!  Organization is her strong suit and follow through with projects and reports comes easy to her.  Connie has the utmost respect for authority and expects it to be returned.  Logic and linear thinking come naturally and Connie will have great patience with you as she explains every detail in the process.

Connie will lead your organization to a reputation of outstanding tradition and prestige.

Have you seen Connie? If you have and are looking for tools to maximize her contribution to your Scrum team, join 3Back for our new teams course, 4MAT for Scrum Teams.

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ScrumMaster

Scrum Terms | Posted by rod.claar
Feb 21 2010

scrummaster scrum master roleScrumMaster is a role in the Scrum Methodology. Sometimes it is written as “Scrum Master“.  Either spelling is correct and commonly used. The reason for the spelling is related to naming conventions in software development and the original Wiki. The ScrumMaster is responsible for the health of the team. They are sometimes referred to as the project manager but, this title is usually not appropriate.

The ScrumMaster removes impediments or helps identify impediments to be removed. The ScrumMaster helps both the team and the organization become better. A good ScrumMaster is someone who likes to work with people and can establish a pattern of continuous improvement.

The role of Scrum Master is distinctly and purposefully separated from that of the Product Owner so that there is a balance in both a a separation of interest and concerns.

A ScrumMaster with technical background is not required but, can help. However, the ScrumMaster does need to be passionate about people.

For more reading

Read Certified Scrum Master and how this key industry certification fueled an industry.

Read Scrum FAQs for a better understanding of Scrum.

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ScrumMaster Training

Scrum Terms | Posted by The 3Back Team
Feb 18 2010
ScrumMaster training is intended to prepare you to lead Scrum team. Leading a scrum team as a ScrumMaster is radically different than traditional project management. Traditional methods of plan, instruct, and direct are replaced with facilitation, coaching, and leading.
Most training courses today follow a 2-day format and offer a Certified ScrumMaster designation. Training should provided the fundamentals you need to begin a mastering  Scrum. Training is typically provided by Scrum Alliance recognized trainers.

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