In the real business scenario most of the times it happens that Scrum is not followed appropriately. Organizations start customizing the processes as per their needs (sometimes for valid business reasons). Below are some of the examples.
- All the Scrum Team members are not aware of Scrum theory, practices, & rules.
- Product Backlog items are not prioritized appropriately.
- Product Backlog items are not clear and concise.
- Development Team is not having all the skill sets required for a Project.
- Scrum Events are not time-boxed. E.g. a Daily Scrum meeting takes more than 1hr. instead of 15 minutes.
Remember; either you follow a process or you don’t follow a process,
there is nothing in between. So if you are looking for the benefits from a
specific Process or Framework or Methodology being used to achieve Project success; then it is
highly important that you understand, adopt, and practice the respective Process or Framework or Methodology.
If you are working as a Scrum Master and want be a true servant Leader, Facilitator, & Coach for your Scrum Team; then you should be answering below questions frequently.
- Does your Scrum Team understand and adheres to Scrum theory, practices, and rules?
- How do you help the Product Owner in identifying effective Product Backlog management techniques?
- How do you ensure that the Product Owner has prioritized the Product Backlog items?
- How do you ensure that the Product Backlog items are clear and concise?
- How do you ensure that the Development Team is self-organizing and cross-functional?
- How do you help the Development Team in identifying an Estimation Technique?
- How do you rectify the impediments to the Development Team’s progress?
- How do you ensure that the Scrum Team has a productive work environment?
- How do you help the Development Team to create high-value products?
- How do you facilitate the Scrum Events and ensure that they are time-boxed?
- What you do to maximize the value created by the Scrum Team?
Answering above questions will remind you about your responsibilities
being a Scrum Master. It’s a kind of checklist that you can refer to.
