The Development Team is consistently struggling to complete their Sprint Backlog items, often carrying over work to the next Sprint. Upon investigation, the Scrum Master discovers that the team's technical debt is accumulating, making new development increasingly slow and complex. Management, however, prioritizes new features over addressing technical debt. Which Scrum Master stance is most appropriate to tackle this systemic issue?
- AChange Agent, by working with the Product Owner and Development Team to gather data on the impact of technical debt (e.g., reduced velocity, increased bugs) and then collaborating with management to advocate for a cultural shift towards prioritizing quality and sustainable development.
- BCoach, by facilitating a discussion with the Development Team to identify specific technical debt items and then coaching the Product Owner on how to articulate the business value of addressing them to management.
- CImpediment Remover, by directly instructing the Development Team to allocate a fixed percentage of each Sprint to technical debt, regardless of management's priorities.
- DServant Leader, by ensuring the Development Team has access to the best tools and training to work around the technical debt more efficiently.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Change Agent, by working with the Product Owner and Development Team to gather data on the impact of technical debt (e.g., reduced velocity, increased bugs) and then collaborating with management to advocate for a cultural shift towards prioritizing quality and sustainable development.
This is a systemic issue involving management's prioritization decisions and organizational culture, not just a team-level impediment. As a Change Agent, the Scrum Master can gather evidence, collaborate with key stakeholders (PO, DT, Management), and advocate for a shift in organizational mindset and policy to address the root cause of the technical debt accumulation.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Coaching the PO is part of the solution, but the core issue is management's prioritization, indicating a need for a broader organizational change effort beyond just PO coaching.
- C. Directly instructing the team without management buy-in can lead to conflict and doesn't address the systemic issue. It also goes against self-organization.
- D. While helpful, working around technical debt doesn't solve the root problem of its accumulation and management's prioritization, which requires a broader organizational change.
Scrum Master as Change Agent
The Scrum Master acts as a change agent within the organization, helping it adopt and improve Scrum, addressing systemic issues, and fostering an Agile culture.
- Drives organizational agility.
- Addresses systemic impediments.
- Fosters cultural shifts.
Memory trick: The Change Agent reshapes the organization's landscape, not just its garden.