About 3 months ago, my group at MSN decided to adopt a new project management methodology called Scrum. Projects undertaken using Scrum take an iterative and incremental approach to software development. The keys to success are frequent inspection and adaptation. Every day, you examine the world in which the project is living, and you make the changes necessary to ensure a successful outcome. It is a highly collaborative approach, relying on face-to-face communications instead of reams of documentation. By definition, it brings your team and its customers very close together.
One of the roles in a project run using Scrum is the ScrumMaster. This person ensures that everyone follows the Scrum rules, and helps the team achieve its goals. Over the past two days I have attended a Certified ScrumMaster course run by Ken Schwaber. It has been an excellent couple of days, and I have learned a lot more about Scrum and its application. Also, I am now a Certified ScrumMaster.
Someone once said to me “you take driving lessons in order to learn how to pass your driving test, and once you have your licence you then start to learn how to drive”. That is the way I feel today about Scrum. I have spent many personal hours reading books, blogs and forums, and I have now committed 2 days of my time to become a Certified ScrumMaster. But somehow, I still feel very much like an amateur. You see, the rules of Scrum might be very easy, but the nuances of its application are very hard. Simply changing the long-standing “waterfall” mindset that prevails within most organisations is a challenge in itself. Doing it in a way that allows the new process to succeed is even harder.
I am very much looking forward to the coming months, a period where I expect to be outside of my comfort zone quite regularly. The role of ScrumMaster requires personal attributes that I, as a traditional geek, need to really work on.
