Often, when organizations employ agile coaches and Scrum Masters, we can observe that agile coaches work at an organizational level. In contrast, Scrum Masters work in a tactical role at the team level in a “delivery manager capacity,” which defies the Scrum Guide’s concept of accountabilities.
However, if you take Scrum seriously, this approach has no upside. Here are my eight reasons for empowering your Scrum Masters to work with the organization.
Disclaimer: I acknowledge, though, that “agile coach” is a helpful keyword for positioning yourself as an agile practitioner; potential employers and clients search for this term.
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The Agile journey is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Different organizations will require different strategies for effective Agile transformation, given their unique circumstances, culture, and history. Moreover, the goal of adopting Agile and Scrum is not about implementing a new set of practices or roles but rather about fostering a culture that values collaboration, responsiveness to change, and continuous improvement to reap a competitive advantage. After all, we are not paid to practice Scrum but solve our customers’ problems within the given constraints while contributing to the organization's sustainability.
The puzzling question is why adopt an approach — here: separating both roles — which has no upside but probably many downsides? Some reasons for this attitude may be the following:
In my experience, most issues that prevent a Scrum team from becoming good at what they do — here: creating value for customers while contributing to the organization's sustainability — originate at the organizational level. You will fail as Scrum Master if you do not consider that and limit yourself to the tactical team level.
Maybe, it is just collateral damage from the growing popularity of SAFe®?
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Here is my list of why employing Agile coaches next to Scrum Masters is unnecessary if you take Scrum seriously:
Addressing this anti-pattern requires a strategic, transparent, and educational approach from the Scrum Master. Here are some things you can do to overcome the separation of agile coaches and Scrum Masters:
Ultimately, the Scrum Master’s role is not confined to a tactical level. They are change agents, promoting and supporting Scrum by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values, within teams and the broader organization. Confusion about this role may indicate a need for more in-depth education about Agile and Scrum across the organization.
How do you handle these two roles? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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