The Scrum Master's Guide to Collaboration

'Your assumptions are your windows on the world.

Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.'

Isaac Asimov

The Scrum Master's role can be highly rewarding and at the same time, it can get very turbulent. Scrum Masters would need to balance Stakeholder needs while keeping the organization's interests in mind, which is no small feat. Communication is of utmost importance in project work, as the Scrum Master may potentially...
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'Your assumptions are your windows on the world.

Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.'

Isaac Asimov

The Scrum Master's role can be highly rewarding and at the same time, it can get very turbulent. Scrum Masters would need to balance Stakeholder needs while keeping the organization's interests in mind, which is no small feat. Communication is of utmost importance in project work, as the Scrum Master may potentially need to mediate, negotiate and resolve conflict daily.

For the avoidance of doubt, this book is not intended to prepare you for certain industry certifications but aims to venture beyond and address the people aspect in projects.

To get the most out of Scrum, we need to map the landscape, identify and manage the forces that may impact our project.

This guide

• Is focused on the human aspect of Scrum projects: cross-functional communication, teamwork and collaboration
• Revisits the most common challenges in Agile projects (Stakeholders, organisational culture, resistance to change, and team dynamics)

Topics covered are

• Agile and Scrum principles, an overview of Agile frameworks, and Scrum's place among other Agile frameworks
• The Scrum Master's role, leadership styles and servant leadership
• Building and nurturing effective Scrum Teams (traits of ideal team players, team habits, dysfunctions, conflict styles)
• Building rapport with Stakeholders and managing their expectations
• Communication techniques most suited for servant leaders (Non-Violent Communication, questioning techniques and templates)

This book is intended to be brief, succinct and on point. The contents have been carefully selected and filtered to minimise distractions. I intended the style of this book to be more on the coaching side than the prescriptive side. Based on the twenty years of experience and knowledge I gathered in business and change, I proposed some ideas that may prove helpful when navigating the landscape. Additionally, at the end of each chapter, you will find a part titled 'Thinking corner', which is aimed to assist with self-reflection.