How have you implemented the Scrum master role in your organization?

 

What is a Scrum Master?

A Scrum Master holds a position that’s relatively narrow in scope, yet extremely broad in influence throughout any organization. In practice, however, a Scrum Master is working behind the scenes and is not involved in product ideation or strategy. They work more as a conduit between product/line-of-business owners and development teams as a project manager. Because agile processes are entirely dependent on people and collaboration, Scrum Masters must also marry soft skills with the latest tools and methods. After all, software projects have many moving parts, and individual programmers can quickly lose sight of the broader scope when heads-down in code. A Scrum Master, on the other hand, maintains a high-level view, helping teams to understand both organizational and technical dependencies while avoiding chokepoints. This creates a culture of accountability and enables teams to meet critical deadlines.

Scrum Master Responsibilities:

1. Implement Project Management/Best Practices

The Scrum Master is responsible for creating and onboarding project teams, integrating them into the organization, and providing a clear vision of the product. The Scrum Master also facilitates communication and information exchange between external groups and the project team. They also monitor project progress, provide timely feedback, and drive a culture of agility and learning.

2. all Parties on Track and Informed

The Scrum Master hosts daily team meetings to get updates on the progress of the project, address potential roadblocks, and ensure that the project is on track. They also host regular sessions to share updates with product stakeholders about how the project is progressing (or not). Ultimately, it’s a Scrum Master’s job to ensure that the team is meeting deadlines with the desired outcome.

3. Agile Engineering Practices

To improve efficiency, Scrum Masters encourage the use of continuous integration (CI) and automation. With CI tools, developers integrate chunks of code into a central repository frequently, from which automated builds and tests run in successive iterations.

Top Qualities of a Successful Scrum Master

• Influential

A Scrum Master leads various teams that are working on a project to achieve specific milestones and deliverables. They must be able to motivate multiple groups and stakeholders at an organizational level, maximizing the potential of all at stake. As a team leader, the Scrum Master must bridge the gap between the concept of the project and the actions required to complete it. The Scrum Master must have strong leadership and organizational skills.

• Collaborative

The Scrum Master forms an essential link between the product owner and project teams. While the product owner drives the overall initiative, the Scrum Master nurtures the team. Effective collaboration between the Scrum Master and product owner ultimately result in successful products that meet the organization’s requirements. A good Scrum Master should be able to find creative ways to increase organization, collaboration, and productivity to deliver the product the business line owner requested.

• Observant

The Scrum Master is not a manager, but a team member and facilitator. They should be good listeners and pay attention to the challenges the project team is facing at every step of the way. The Scrum Master should also be observant, paying attention to the team’s daily activities to gain a clear view of members’ roles and contributions in sprint sessions.

• Knowledgeable

Besides resolving and issues that arise, the Scrum Master should also proactively prevent potential problems. This requires overarching knowledge about the product and process. The Scrum Master’s experience enables the team to avoid roadblocks. The Scrum Master should possess knowledge of various work formats and agile methodologies such as XP, Lean, and Kanban.

Scrum as a Service model is comprised of self-motivated and well-communicated individuals including Scrum Master, Tech Lead, Developer, Architect, Quality Analyst, and Database Administrator.

Let’s Talk: https://www.charterglobal.com/get-software-development-quote/

What Makes Scrum Teams So Effective?

We know Scrum Teams are one of the most effective ways to get a project developed. But how exactly do they do it? Is it a secret that only the team knows and can implement? Where did the team learn it? Is it about motivation? Is there a way to use their strategies in other ways in a business?

The root of how a scrum team can be so effective boils down to three key areas: How the team works together, the values of members, and the expertise each of them brings to the table.

How the Team Works Together

Everyone knows that a team with dysfunctional members won’t get anywhere. On the other hand, a collaborative team that has like-minded individuals that are each aware of the value everyone brings in will work extremely well. A scrum team knows the dynamic between each other and can play off of everyone’s strengths to form an elite problem-solving group perfect for companies that need innovative project development solutions.

The Values of Members

You can form a team based on similar held values and still get a team that isn’t as effective as scrum – this is because of the specific values that are placed in importance for a scrum team. Scrum teams are innovative, customer-focused, and put a lot of stress on communication between members. As a highly motivated group, the team uses their strong beliefs to propel the project onward and forward through any snag that might develop.

The Expertise Each Member Brings

Each member of a scrum team is extremely knowledgeable about multiple areas of development to better help with the flow of the project. Because each person can work on a variety of sub-tasks within the project development, there is less time wasted on waiting for a piece to be handed off to the next person in the team. This cross-functional knowledge also helps each of the members understand the problems each of them might face through the timeline and can brainstorm alongside each other for better solutions.

Altogether, these three things allow a scrum team to provide some of the best development services out in the industry. The composition of a scrum team is how they can be so successful – which is why it can be hard to create one. Let Charter Global find the perfect flexible, dynamic scrum team for you so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of sifting through hundreds of applications!  

Read More; https://www.charterglobal.com/what-makes-scrum-teams-so-effective/

Scrum as a Service vs. Traditional Contracting

When a business is wanting to find an outside source for a development project, there are a lot of options out there. For the most part, the choices boil down to two different types: Scrum as a service and traditional contracting.

Traditional contracting is just that – the option most businesses have chosen for quite some time. Generally, a rigid timeline for the project is created and the team follows a contract centered on specific deliverable promised by the contractor.

On the other hand, scrum as a service acts as a flexible development option that is rather new to the industry. The scrum team creates an agile framework to produce software quickly being able to solve issues that might arise along the way with innovative solutions.

Three major points must be taken into account when a company is preparing to outsource:

1. Are you looking for a specific task completed or a successful development implementation?

While a contractor will most certainly complete a specific task without having to worry about the overall success of the project. Scrum teams are more focused on a successful development implementation even if it means altering the end goal a bit to ensure the product will be prosperous and effective for its users. Although a business might think they know exactly what they’re looking for in a software, a scrum team can more clearly see what needs to happen for it to be an innovative solution that will better fit the needs at hand.

2. What style of a relationship are you looking for in the team: Independent or Collaborative?

Although contractors will communicate throughout the software development process, their teams don’t tend to problem-solve together. Contractors won’t feel a responsibility for what happens to the software after it is developed and will only produce what their contract requires. Scrum teams by nature are extremely collaborative, brainstorming together for flexible solutions during frequent meetings. Communication is a top priority with a cross-functional scrum team, and they will make it a point to act as an extension of the company they have been hired by.

3. Do you need a cut and dry or cutting-edge software?

Traditional contracting utilizes very little creativity when developing software due to the contract “rules” the team abides by. With little room for movement within the contract, the hiring company can often be frustrated with the result. Innovation is a scrum team’s strong suit. As a scrum team has the freedom and flexibility to try new things and take risks, they are the superior choice for a company wanting original software.

Choosing between a traditional contractor and a scrum team all depends on what a company is looking for in a developer team. If you decide you need a reliable scrum team for your project or a contractor, schedule a consultation with Charter Global to find you the perfect fit.


Read More: https://www.charterglobal.com/scrum-as-a-service-vs-traditional-contracting/

Scrum Team As a Service

The days of submitting a request to Human Resources (HR) to hire one resource at a time is the thing of the past. When your organization needs to deliver a solution quickly why not contract a Scrum Team as a Service. Forming large projects one resource at a time can be ineffective when the time to market is critical. Old school thinking to accomplish big tasks requires a new approach to application development to create highly functional and effective teams. In today’s modern age, businesses have turned to smaller, agile collaborations to provide quick, flexible development solutions – Scrum teams.

Scrum teams are comprised of self-motivated and well-communicated individuals including Scrum Master, Tech Lead, Developer, Architect, Quality Analyst, and Database Administrator.

Scrum Master

While members of the team are typically self-starters, a Scrum Master helps the flow of communication to ensure productivity. This position doesn’t necessarily grant authority over the other members – it’s more of a role that plans when the team will come together for meetings as well as figuring out how the team itself will flow.

Tech Lead

Tech Leads are often previously Developers. They have a keen eye for writing code and help to support their team with technical solutions and ideas. It’s imperative that Tech Leads are included in a Scrum team to ensure that software is taken into account in every way possible for a solution.

Developer

A Developer in a Scrum team does the work. This “title” doesn’t represent one specific type of skill set – it’s more of a term used to say who is behind the actual work (not design or any abstract thinking of the project). Developers are organized and know their limits.

Architect

An Architects are concerned with the system being created by the rest of the team. They will ensure that the system follows organization protocols and correctly finds a solution to the main issue the team was formed around. The Architect doublechecks the work being done and consistently has a “big picture” thought process.

Quality Analyst

This tends to be one of the most overlooked positions in a Scrum team. With the basis of the team to be very quick and flexible, members often don’t want to be held back to ensure quality (which is why it’s so important to have a specific role for it). Quality Analysts think of the end-user and tests the team’s solution throughout the development process to ensure quality.

Database Administrator

DBA’s are tasked with reworking processes to streamline workflow in the team. They prepare all the backend services for the team and keep all work organized and backed up. This person likes to ask questions and ensure the overall solution will work.

Having a Scrum team gives you the opportunity to find fast solutions not typically found by larger, denser groups. Charter Global can help you find the perfect members to form your Scrum team. With our 5-step proven candidate selection method, you will have the right resource to solve your business solutions.

“Want to know more about how using Scrum Team As a Service can turn your idea or vision into a high-quality working software product? Let’s talk.”