Does a Scrum Master need a development background?
I have been asked so many times in my career if I have a development background during the interview process. I’ve never fully understood how this question relates to being an effective Scrum Master. My answer has been: “Yes, but it has been well over ten years since I wrote my last line of code.” The closest reason I can think of is that companies want to feel like the correct person can relate to the developers on their level. I’ve always found this line of thought incongruous to the role of Scrum Master. When I go into a company to work with a team(s) as a Scrum Master, I’m here to help improve on how teams and companies work. To make it more understandable and the development process more predictable, among other things.
The teams that I have worked with have all been outstanding in their development and testing capabilities. I don’t think I have ever been asked by a team member how to write a line of code or how to test something. This doesn’t mean that I don’t understand how to read what is being developed, quite the opposite, once something is written, I can generally understand what the team has developed in their code. This also means that I have attempted to learn multiple programming languages over the course of my career including an understanding of Machine Learning.
If anything, I have observed over the last several years that teams want somebody who can help them have a more thoughtful work process and not be told how to do their job. When I work with my teams, I have found that listening to their concerns and helping to get them resolved in a timely fashion is what truly helps, and makes them feel valued and appreciated. I have a deep curiosity about how teams do their work. As teams see and understand this, our working relationship deepens. They realize I’m there not to tell them how to test something or how to develop code, but to help keep the focus on what they are doing and do my best to prevent their priorities from being changed constantly.
I have found that this style helps me bring impartiality to my work. I’m able to help my teams break their work down into manageable pieces, while at the same time helping our Product Owner ensure the right “thing” gets built at the right time, while also helping everybody understand timelines and make adjustments as needed. By no means am I saying that a person with a background in development cannot be a successful Scrum Master. What I’m saying is that having a development background should not be considered imperative when looking to hire a new Scrum Master for a team.
I’d like to wrap this up with, I’m here to help companies not only with understanding what Scrum is, and is not. But, I’m also there to help the organization understand how Scrum helps not just the “development” teams, but how Scrum can help other areas in the company as well. Perhaps the most important trait for a successful Scrum Master to possess is the ability to effectively communicate to all areas of the company, but this is a topic for a future post.
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