Growing Scrum Masters

Part 13 in our #agilecoach #interviewquestions series where John McFadyen answers common questions posed to #agile coaches in interviews and engagements.  

What is Agile coaching? That's a broad question that accommodates a broad range of responses, unique to the person being interviewed and their own specific personal and professional experiences.  

In some ways, it's a great question for an interviewer to ask because it provides them with insights into how you view the role of #agilecoach and what you aim to contribute in your role as an agile coach to the organisation.  

Some interviewers may have a clear idea of what #agilecoaching is and are simply looking for insights into what you know and value about the role whilst others may not have any experience with agile coaching and are looking to you for clarity on what the role is and how it can serve the organisation.  

In this short video, John McFadyen provides insights into what he believes a great answer to this question would be and how you can establish yourself as a knowledgeable and credible agile coach in your next interview.  

If you are interested in becoming an agile coach and value mentored, coach-driven skills development in your journey to mastery, visit our Growing Agile Coaches page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/growing-agile-coaches/.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master and want to achieve internationally recognised and certified accreditation as a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master (CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/.   

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill to a more advanced level of knowledge and agile coaching capability, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/advanced-certified-scrummaster/.   

If you have several years’ experience as a scrum master and want to validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/.   

#agile #agilecoach #agilecoaching #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #agility #businessagility #scrum #scrummaster #scrumtraining #scrumcertification #scrumalliance #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen #coach #coaching #certifiedscrummaster

Part 12 of our #agilecoach #interviewquestions series where John McFadyen answers common questions asked of #agile coaches in interviews.

This is a tricky one because the interviewer may have their own preconceived ideas about what #agilecoaching is and what value it adds to the team and organisation or they may genuinely be trying to understand why they need an agile coach.

In this short video, John walks us through his thinking around agile coaching and how it benefits teams and organisations.

If you are interested in becoming an agile coach and value mentored, coach-driven skills development in your journey to mastery, visit our Growing Agile Coaches page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/growing-agile-coaches/.

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master and want to achieve internationally recognised and certified accreditation as a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master (CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/. 

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill to a more advanced level of knowledge and agile coaching capability, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/advanced-certified-scrummaster/. 

If you have several years’ experience as a scrum master and want to validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/.

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/. 

#agile #agilecoach #agilecoaching #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #agility #businessagility #scrum #scrummaster #scrumtraining #scrumcertification #scrumalliance #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen #coach #coaching #certifiedscrummaster

Part 11 in our #agilecoach #interviewquestions series where John McFadyen answers some of the more common interview questions posed to a potential #scrummaster and #agilecoach hire.  

This is an interesting one because #agile speaks to #leadership rather than line management, however, many organisations that you work with will have deeply embedded line management structures and you will work closely with junior managers all the way through to senior managers so you need to have an idea of how they can support the transition and help the team be as effective as possible.  

Managers play a critical role in the success of any organisation. A Gallup Organisation study from a decade ago found that almost 90% of all business case failure stemmed from 1st line management failure so managers do have the power to make or break any kind of pilot or initiative if they aren't included and consulted throughout the process.  

So, how do you do that? What role do management play during the transition to #agile and how can you bring them onboard to support the new style of working?  

In this short video, John McFadyen provides some insight into what role managers play during an agile transition and how you can win their support and commitment.  

If you like the idea of becoming an #agilecoach and value mentored, coach-driven skills development, visit our Growing Agile Coaches section on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com 

If you like the idea of becoming a #scrummaster, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/ 

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course pages on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/ 

#agile #agilecoach #agilecoaching #scrummaster #scrum #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #coaching #johnmcfadyen #agilecentre

Sometimes, an organisation will invest months investigating and understanding the value of #scrum before adopting the framework.  

It often involves acquiring buy-in from everyone on the ground as well as the senior leadership team and it often also includes a trial period or pilot project to demonstrate that #scrum is the best #agileframework for the organisation.  

In an ideal world, that would mean that everyone on your team is chomping at the bit to get started with scrum and everyone buys into the #agile values and principles.  

However, we work with people and often that means there is a great deal of complexity involved and not everybody will buy into the team vision from the word go.  

Sometimes it takes work, finesse, time and effort before you have everyone on board.  

So, what do you do if you find that you have people on your team who aren't invested in making #scrum a success in the organisation and how do you, as a #scrummaster, go about acquiring buy-in from critical players on the team?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through how a scrum master can help the team move forward regardless of whether everyone on board supports the decision to use scrum.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #agile teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he's met resistance in the past and knows how to overcome those challenges.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

#agile #scrum #scrummaster #agilecoach #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrumframework #scrumteam #agileteam

#agile teams, especially #scrum teams, are committed to self-organising and solving complex problems without the need to go into the organisation for assistance.  

It doesn't always work that way because organisations are complex and often have a number of different protocols, procedures, and processes to deal with specific issues.  

But, self-organisation and autonomy are the goal and that is what every #scrummaster and #scrumteam strive for.  

So, what do you do when the team are battling to self-organise? How do you as a #scrummaster help your team become more autonomous and better at solving complex problems?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through how scrum masters can help their team self-organise and become more autonomous.  

John has worked with some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformation so he knows a thing or two about high performing teams that operate autonomously.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/ 

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/ 

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/ 

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/ 

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/ 

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching 

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrummaster #agilecoach #self-organisingteam #scrumteam #team

In traditional waterfall-style #projectmanagement environments, a #projectmanager manages all elements of the #project and communicates with #projectstakeholders on behalf of the people who are actually doing the work.  

In many project management environments, the customers are often the last to know what is happening and have to wait until the very end of the project before they see what has been built and whether it meets their needs.  

The #agilemanifesto values customers over contracts and seeks to bring the #productowner, #developers and #customers together as frequently as possible to ensure that the team are delighting customers frequently and consistently.  

Bringing customers into the same room as the people who are solving their problem or creating the product they need ensures that the experts in the organisation are receiving feedback directly from the people they serve.  

It also helps build trust between customers and organisations because they are included in the process, from start to finish, and are able to see valuable outcomes at the end of each sprint.  

So, in an ideal world, people would get on like a house on fire and organisations would not fear bringing customers into the same room as developers but often, companies are reluctant to do this and prefer having intermediaries such as project managers, product owners, sales people, etc. meet with customers instead of the developers.  

It's simply a matter of old habits dying hard.  

So, how do you as a #scrummaster work with the organisation and the team to bring customers and developers together? How do you facilitate those interactions and help grow engagement from product stakeholders and customers?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through how scrum masters can help bring developers and customers closer together.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/ 

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/ 

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

#agile #agileprojectmanagement #scrum #projectmanagement #customers #developers #scrumframework #agilecoach #scrummaster

A #productowner, #scrummaster and #developmentteam will come together, form a strong team, and produce great work that inspires leadership teams to think about how they can scale that success in other parts of the organisation.  

As that process unfolds, management teams will often look to hire an experienced #agilecoach to help the team improve as well as help the organisation scale #scrum in other departments.  

So, what do you do as a #scrummaster when the organisation hire an agile coach to help improve the environment and scale scrum across multiple teams?  

How do you work with that agile coach and what should you be looking to do?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through how scrum masters can work with Agile coaches to achieve team and organisation objectives.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and agile coach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformations so he knows a thing or two about integrating scrum and #agile in complex environments. 

 For more on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/ 

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/

 If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/ 

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/

 If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/ 

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching 

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrummaster #agilecoach #scrumcoach #teamcoach #businessagility

Part 1 in our #scrummaster #interviewquestions series where John McFadyen answers some of the common questions asked of #scrummasters and #agilecoaches in interviews and engagements.  

This is an interesting question because it doesn't just test your knowledge of #scrum events, it asks you to provide a considered response to which of the #scrum events you consider to be the most important.  

The #scrumframework consists of a few events. The #sprintplanning, #sprint, #sprintreview, #dailyscrum and #sprintretrospectives. Each of these events are important and have been designed with a specific purpose.  

Knowing the purpose of these events and how to get the most out of them is incredibly important for a #scrummaster, but we all have our favourite events and this question is a great way for you to articulate why you think your chosen event is the most important.  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through what he considers to be the most important #scrum event and why. It also happens to be his favourite scrum event so there are no surprises for anyone who knows him well.  

If you are interested in becoming an agile coach and value mentored, coach-driven skills development in your journey to mastery, visit our Growing Agile Coaches page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/growing-agile-coaches/.  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master and want to achieve internationally recognised and certified accreditation as a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master (CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/certified-scrummaster/.   

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill to a more advanced level of knowledge and agile coaching capability, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) course page on https://www.johnmcfadyen.com/training/advanced-certified-scrummaster/.   

If you have several years’ experience as a scrum master and want to validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master (CSP-SM) course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/.   

#agile #agilecoach #agilecoaching #agileprojectmanagement #agileproductdevelopment #agility #businessagility #scrum #scrummaster #scrumtraining #scrumcertification #scrumalliance #agilecentre #johnmcfadyen #coach #coaching #certifiedscrummaster

If you're fortunate, you get to start your #scrummaster career in a mature #scrum team that have been working together and operating as a tight-knit #agile team for years.  

It gives you an opportunity to ease into the environment, witness how the team work and slowly grow your capability and expertise as a #scrummaster in alignment with the team's progression.  

But what do you do if your company have decided to use #scrum as their preferred #agileframework for the first time and you've just completed your #certifiedscrummaster course?  

#scrum is new for everyone and you're expected to lead and coach the scrum team from the word go. What do you do?  

How do you help your team embrace #scrum and become a powerful champion for #scrum and create an environment where others can excel?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through what new #scrummasters can do from day one to find their feet and begin to help their team achieve their full potential.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformationns so he knows a thing or two about high-pressure environments and integrating with high-performing teams.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on Linked in at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #scrummaster #agilecoach #scrumteam #certifiedscrummaster

#scrum is built on the value proposition of getting twice the work done in half the time. It is an #agile framework that is designed to help teams collaborate creatively and hyper productively.  

That said, we are dealing with people and things don't always go to plan.  Sometimes, the team are working on elements that are incredibly difficult to create or problems that are incredibly difficult to solve.  

In a complex world, the team are often working with unknown variables and in environments that are volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. It makes it tough to consistently deliver the goods and predictably achieve goals and objectives.  

So, what does a Scrum Master do when the team simply can't get the job done? What does a #scrummaster do when the team are consistently failing to achieve their #sprint goals and objectives?  

In this short video, John McFadyen walks us through what a Scrum Master can do to help the team get back on track and consistently achieve their goals and objectives.  

John has worked on some of the highest performing #scrum teams in the world as both a scrum master and #agilecoach. He has also worked at the coalface of some of the UK and Europe's largest, most complex #agiletransformation so he knows about working in pioneering environments where teams are taking on incredibly complex problems.  

For more information on John McFadyen, visit https://www.johnmcfadyen.com or connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcfadyen/  

If you like the idea of becoming a scrum master, visit our Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrummaster/  

If you are already a scrum master and want to upskill, visit our Advanced Certified Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/advanced-certified-scrummaster/  

If you have several years' experience as a scrum master and want to both validate and certify your professional skills, visit our Certified Scrum Professional Scrum Master course page on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/scrum-master/certified-scrum-professional-scrum-master/  

If you like the idea of mentored and coach-driven skills development, visit our Agile Coach Academy on https://www.agilecentre.com/courses/agile-coach/agile-coach-academy/  

If you have identified #coaching as a valuable skill to develop, visit our on-demand Introduction to Coaching course page on https://academy.agilecentre.com/courses/introduction-to-coaching  

#agile #scrum #projectmanagement #agileprojectmanagement #productdevelopment #scrumteam #scrummaster #advancedscrummaster #certifiedscrumprofessional #scrumframework