100% Scrum Master? 100% Scrum Master!
This afternoon I read two tweets by Jem Djelal that since then occupied my mind. Whenever that happens there’s only one solution: put my thoughts on paper. The tweets I’m referring to are:
My initial response when reading these tweets was:
D*mn, how hypocrite can I be?
A Short History
You’ll need some background information to understand why I called myself a hypocrite. In August 2016 I started my freelance adventure. During that period I also wrote the article “From 50% Agile Coach to 100% Scrum Master“. It was a popular blog post and lots of people recognized and supported my message. In short:
- I changed my public profile descriptions by removing Agile Coach and replacing it with Scrum Master. 100% Scrum Master;
- I wanted to deal with my personal frustrations of the misunderstandings of the Scrum Master role and lead by example;
- I wanted to focus on fulfilling the role of Scrum Master and help people understand the spirit of Scrum;
- I wanted to be “courageous” and say no to the Agile Coach role, accepting the probability of getting paid less;
- I wanted to offer my customers a good Scrum Master instead of an average Agile Coach;
From 100% Scrum Master to 50% Agile Coach
So what happened? Six months after my freelance journey started my public profile says I’m an Agile Coach.
Say what??? You bloody hypocrite!!!
What happened is…
- My first assignment was at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. An awesome client that really tried to use the Scrum framework as it was meant. However, I ended up in a part of the organization that wasn’t a 100% match with Scrum, therefore the Scrum Master role (and even an Agile Coach role) wasn’t a good fit. I ended up being “only” a facilitator. Scrum triggered the same reaction as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.
- I got the confirmation that most customers don’t understand the Scrum Master role. They were all looking for a team facilitator. A lightweight coach. I’m not talking about Schiphol but about most customers, I’ve been in touch with.
- I got paid less. As a Scrum Master, I got offered on average an hourly rate of EUR 85,- as an Agile Coach it’s easily EUR 125,-. Of course, as an Agile Coach, they expect me to coach Product Owners and explain Scrum in the wider organization. But isn’t a Scrum Master supposed to do that as well?
What Troubles Me Is…
What troubles me is that instead of solving the problematic view of the Scrum Master role I’m only making it worse…
- One day I’m complaining that hardly anyone understands the intention of the Scrum Master role;
- The other day I’m changing my profile into Agile Coach because… uhm… hardly anyone understands the Scrum Master role…
- In the meantime I’m providing Professional Scrum Master courses, Scrum Master Advanced training and workshops to explain the richness of this awesome role…
What disturbs me is that I’m not practicing what I’m preaching. Well, actually I am practicing it mostly (coaching teams, Product Owners and organizations) but I’m calling it “Agile Coach” while “Scrum Master” would also be applicable.
And to be clear: the way I fulfill the Agile Coach role, a more suitable title would be “Scrum Master”. This doesn’t mean every Agile Coach should change their title to Scrum Master. This is a personal reflection and I can only speak for myself.
Originally published at www.barryovereem.com on February 25, 2017.
