As a Scrum Master, I think that part of my job is to work myself out of the job. Just like parents who raise their children and send them off to conquer the world on their own, there comes a time when a team is so high-performing that they might not need you [much] anymore. When this time comes, you should feel proud, and then you can move on to support another team. So, how can you accomplish this?
Set the team up for success
One of the best things you can do as a Scrum Master is to set your team up for success from the beginning. Or, as Stephen Covey best put it: “Begin with the end in mind.” Your goal as a Scrum Master should be to produce a team that gels well together, accomplishes its goals, and solves its own problems. To do this, ensure a solid foundation by helping the team understand the Scrum framework and the underlying principles and values.
Facilitate the creation of a Working Agreement
When a new Scrum Team forms, it’s vital that the team agrees on how they will work together. In other contexts; you might also hear this called “Ground Rules” or “Team Charter,” but it’s essentially the same thing. It’s a collaboratively generated list of behaviors and expectations that the team can use to hold themselves accountable. Having a Working Agreement enables trust and transparency, and it should be reviewed and updated regularly as needed.
Quietly observe
It’s really hard to keep your mouth shut when you see something being done completely wrong. I have been in this situation myself, but despite your instinct to pipe up immediately, it’s often better to just watch and learn. Make notes on what you saw, and reflect on why things went awry. If you need to provide feedback to individuals, do it one on one. If the whole team needs to hear the message, do it in a way that maintains their psychological safety. Use the Sprint Retrospective activity to guide the team in understanding what needs to change.
Push the team to solve their own problems
Scrum Teams often think of the Scrum Master as the master of solving problems, removing impediments or blockers, etc. However, the team should always be encouraged to try solving any problems themselves, before escalating them to the Scrum Master. In this way, the team becomes truly self-managing, and they are empowered to find solutions. They don’t need your approval to fix something – they should just do it.
Help the team set realistic Sprint Goals
Scrum Teams are often overly ambitious and think they can accomplish a lot more than they really have the capacity for. As the Scrum Master, help your team craft realistic Sprint Goals. By having goals that are achievable, the team won’t be demoralized when they approach the end of the iteration only to realize that they can’t possibly do what they had originally planned.
Get out of the team’s way
Don’t micro-manage – no one likes that – and it’s anti-agile. If you have provided a solid foundation for the team, then step back and get out of their way. Let them experiment. Allow them to fail (fastly and cheaply). Capitalize on the empirical process and the team will learn, grow, and continuously improve all on their own. You gave them wings, now let them fly!
Final Thoughts
I have seen Scrum Teams struggle time and again when they didn’t have the necessary knowledge or behavior from the start. As a Scrum Master, your job really is to work yourself out of the job. Build a high-performing team by setting them up for success, and coaching and guiding them along the way. When you do this, your team can self-manage and you can call that a win!
What about you? Are there other things you have done or seen that can help a Scrum Team become so high-performing that it no longer needs much from a Scrum Master? If so, please let me know in the comments below!