In the Scrum Framework, the accountability of the Scrum Master is often metaphorically described through various “hats” they wear, indicating the diversity of their responsibilities and the adaptability required to fulfill their role effectively. Here is a well-known list of the main “hats” of a Scrum Master:
- Servant Leader: This is perhaps the most crucial hat. The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team and the wider organization by removing impediments, facilitating Scrum events as requested, and supporting the team’s efforts to improve their practices. They lead by serving others, focusing on the needs of the team members and those they lead to achieve outcomes in line with the organization’s values, principles, and business objectives.
- Facilitator: The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator during all Scrum events (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective). They ensure that these events take place and that they are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox. The Scrum Master helps the team reach consensus during discussions and decision-making processes.
- Coach: In this role, the Scrum Master coaches the Development Team, Product Owner, and the wider organization in understanding and adopting Scrum. They help everyone to understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.
- Impediment Remover: The Scrum Master works to identify and remove impediments that may obstruct the Scrum Team’s progress. These impediments can be internal or external to the team, ranging from technical challenges to organizational obstacles.
- Change Agent: The Scrum Master acts as a change agent by promoting and supporting change that increases productivity and the adoption of Scrum and Agile methodologies. They work with the organization to help it understand and enact Scrum, often leading to change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team.
- Protector: The Scrum Master protects the team from external interruptions and distractions. They shield the team so that the team can focus on the work during the Sprint and ensure that the team’s process isn’t affected by external influences.
- Mentor: The Scrum Master mentors team members in agile practices and thinking, fostering a collaborative environment where knowledge and skills are shared openly.
Each “hat” signifies a different aspect of the Scrum Master’s role, emphasizing the versatility and multifaceted nature of the responsibilities involved. The ability to switch between these roles as needed is a key part of being an effective Scrum Master.
However, there are also certain hats that Scrum Masters should consciously avoid. These include the Clown, the Puppeteer, the Superhero, and the Secretary. Each of these roles can detract from the effectiveness of the Scrum Team and hinder its development and productivity. Let’s take a closer look at these “harmful” hats, understand how the dysfunctions associated with them manifest, and learn to recognize each of these hats on your Scrum Master.
1. The Clown Hat
The Clown focuses primarily on fun, often prioritizing entertainment over productivity and progress. While fostering a positive team environment is important, an overemphasis on fun can lead to a lack of focus on goals, diminishing the seriousness with which work and obstacles are approached. A true Scrum Master should balance team morale with productivity, ensuring that while the team environment is positive and supportive, work and achievements are not sidelined.
Detection: A Scrum Master who has become overly engrossed in the role of a clown is easy to spot. We will see many bright, fun posters, and a plethora of engaging formats for conducting Scrum events (with retrospectives suffering the most). In such a mode, the Scrum Master pays a lot of attention to relationships and people, but always seems to lack the time to assist the team in organizing value delivery.
2. The Puppeteer Hat
The Puppeteer is a micromanager, someone who tries to control every aspect of the team’s work, essentially wanting to become the boss of the team. This behavior is contrary to the principles of Scrum and Agile, where autonomy and self-organization are key. By micromanaging, the Scrum Master undermines the team’s ability to self-manage, potentially stifling creativity and innovation and leading to dependency and demotivation.
Detection: A puppeteer-micromanager masquerading as a Scrum Master can also be easily recognized. Daily meetings in the form of status reports, directive task allocation, punishment of those who err, strict control, and exhausting reporting—all these indicate that the Scrum Master has turned into the team’s big boss and the process can no longer be called Scrum.
3. The Superhero Hat
The Superhero tries to do all the work themselves, believing they must rescue the team from every challenge. This behavior can result in burnout for the Scrum Master and disempowerment for the team, who may feel their contributions are undervalued or unnecessary. It also prevents the team from learning and growing through tackling challenges themselves.
Detection: Recognizing a superhero is not so straightforward. It’s very easy to confuse a Scrum Master’s superhero hat with the hat of an impediment remover. One must look closely to see if the Scrum Master is removing obstacles together with the team or instead of the team. Check if they are taking all the responsibility upon themselves or misusing their expertise.
4. The Secretary Hat
The Secretary, or Jira administrator, focuses solely on administrative tasks, such as updating tools or managing backlogs, without engaging in the leadership and facilitation aspects of the Scrum Master role. While managing tools and documentation is part of the job, doing so at the expense of serving and leading the team misses the mark of what being a Scrum Master is all about.
Detection: A Scrum Master might be stuck in the Secretary role if they’re predominantly seen updating burndown chart, tracking hours, and focusing on paperwork, without actively engaging with the team, facilitating events, or working to remove impediments.
Avoiding these hats is crucial for a Scrum Master to effectively guide their team. By focusing on serving and leading, rather than entertaining, controlling, doing, or merely administering a Scrum Master can help their team achieve its full potential in a way that is sustainable, empowering, and aligned with Scrum values.
But what should we do with these dysfunctional Hats?
Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters can find these signs of dysfunction behaviour during external Team diagnostic. Developers in the Scrum Team also can spot the wrong hat on their Scrum Master. And the Scrum Master, of course, may notice own mistakes.
In any of these cases, it is necessary to be careful! You should always keep in your mind a fundamental point:
The Scrum Team is a self-management structure!
Dysfunction of Scrum Master accountability is not a personal problem of person with the Scrum Master’s title.
The fundamental issue with most incorrect behavioral patterns of Scrum Masters lies in the entire Scrum Team’s misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Scrum Master’s role in Scrum. When dysfunctions are identified, the spotlight should indeed fall on the Scrum Master, but it’s up to the whole team to work together to remedy the situation.
Harmful weaknesses
If a Scrum Master is too focused on pleasing people and ensuring they are entertained, they need assistance in connecting with other facets of the team’s work. For a Scrum Master entangled in micromanagement, it’s essential to rebuild trust and encourage them to relinquish unnecessary responsibilities. For the superhero Scrum Master attempting to handle everything alone, the goal should be to identify the best uses for their strengths and prevent burnout. The most challenging scenario involves a Scrum Master who has forgotten that being a servant-leader is about more than just servitude. In such cases, team support might not be enough, and external mentorship may be required.
Conclusion
A Scrum Master plays a pivotal role in guiding and supporting the Scrum Team towards efficiency and effectiveness, embodying various “hats” to address the diverse needs of the team and the organization. Recognizing and avoiding Scrum Master’s dysfunctional behaviour is essential for maintaining the integrity of the Scrum process and ensuring the team’s success.
It’s imperative for the Scrum Team, including the Scrum Master, to maintain a clear understanding and correct interpretation of the Scrum Master’s role. This involves a commitment to continuous improvement, self-awareness, and the willingness to seek and accept help, whether from within the team or from external mentors.
By focusing on serving, leading, facilitating, and empowering, rather than controlling or entertaining, the Scrum Master can foster a productive, collaborative, and resilient team environment. This approach not only enhances the team’s performance but also aligns with the agile values of respect, openness, and commitment to excellence. Ultimately, the journey of a Scrum Master is one of balance, requiring the agility to adapt to the team’s evolving needs while steadfastly guiding them towards their goals and the broader objectives of the organization.