Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum Master StancesHard
A Scrum Master observes that the entire organization, including different departments and senior management, consistently struggles to understand the value of incremental delivery and often demands complete, large-scale releases. This leads to longer feedback loops and increased risk. Which Scrum Master stance is most critical for addressing this widespread misunderstanding and fostering a more Agile approach?
- AMentor, by advising individual managers on how to break down their project plans into smaller, deliverable pieces.
- BImpediment Remover, by creating a formal policy that mandates incremental delivery for all projects.
- CTeacher, by explaining the principles of empirical process control and the benefits of incremental delivery to various organizational levels.
- DServant Leader, by ensuring the Development Team always delivers small increments, even if management doesn't understand their value.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Teacher, by explaining the principles of empirical process control and the benefits of incremental delivery to various organizational levels.
The problem is a fundamental lack of understanding across the organization regarding Agile principles, specifically incremental delivery and empirical process control. As a Teacher, the Scrum Master must educate various stakeholders on these core concepts to shift mindsets and practices from a waterfall approach to an Agile one.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Mentoring individual managers is helpful but might not be sufficient to address a widespread organizational misunderstanding and resistance to a core Agile principle across multiple departments and senior levels.
- B. Mandating a policy without understanding can lead to resistance and superficial compliance, not genuine adoption. Education is key before mandating.
- D. While delivering increments is good, doing so without organizational understanding won't solve the root problem of misaligned expectations and demands.
Scrum Master as Organizational Teacher
The Scrum Master educates the entire organization on Scrum and Agile principles, helping them understand and adopt the values and practices beyond just the immediate team.
- Educates across organizational levels.
- Promotes Agile mindset.
- Explains benefits of empirical process.
Memory trick: The Teacher's lesson echoes through the entire organizational hall.