Can a developer be a Scrum Master on the same team? A question that is often asked by the team members. Though there is no thumb rule about who can be a scrum master for the team, managing the two roles can often be difficult for many professionals. There are both pros and cons to having a developer as a scrum master for the team. In this article, let us discuss them along with challenges faced by the developer when they play a dual role in agile organisations.
The Dual Role
The role of a developer as a scrum master will be successful when the professionals handling the job know the challenges of shifting between the roles. This is a reason why choose PSM Certification when you are handling a dual role.The agile environment is very uncertain because it does not have clear yes or no answers. Before finding the answer to the question about the role of a developer as a scrum master, one should know the difference between the job roles of a scrum master and a developer.
Scrum Master Vs Developer
Both the roles, the scrum master and the developer, are important for scrum product development. The scrum master focuses on facilitating ceremonies to develop the product. The developer will be a part of the scrum team who will be working on the development of the project. The scrum master will focus on removing obstacles that hinder the progress of the project, and the developer will invest time in technical development of the products as per customer requirements. Both the roles complement each other, but one should learn to respect these boundaries to balance their roles in the agile team.
Advantages of a Developer becoming the Scrum Master
The software developer who has become a scrum master will have a good understanding of product development in the agile process. They will be able to optimise the process as they know the needs of both the scrum team as well as the scrum master. They will be able to integrate scrum practices into the development cycle.
Disadvantages
Lose the Objective
The professionals performing the dual role may not be able to justify their job role as the scrum master when they are providing feedback to the scrum team or reviewing code. When they play a dual role, they may overlook the aspects the scrum master will generally look for.
Not Enough Time
The professional who is performing the dual role as scrum master and developer in the team may not have time to fulfil both roles effectively. If any of the responsibilities suffer due to lack of time, the project may suffer, leading to more disadvantages.
Getting Trapped in a Technical Bubble
The developer who has become scrum master may get trapped in the technical bubble due to their closeness with the technical team. When the developer is handling the role of the scrum master, they should come out of technical aspects and consider human aspects.
Three-step process for the Developer to be the Scrum Master
Start with Scrum Master Mode
When you are a developer facilitating the role of the scrum master, you should invite the team to share their opinions. By allowing the team to share their opinions before offering one, the scrum master can build team participation and ownership in the product development. The scrum master should ask specific questions to the team about problems they are trying to solve and the outcomes they are looking to deliver in the specific scrum meeting. They also should discuss the options they have to solve the problem.
Switch to Developer Mode
After the teams have shared their ideas, the scrum master should shift to the role of a developer and add their expertise to help the teams think better. As these professionals have a good idea about both roles, the developer should share the risks that the teams are not able to see. As a scrum master, you should also let the team know about the common pitfalls you have seen in past experience. The developer should multiply the ideas of the team rather than replacing them completely.
Switch to Scrum Master Mode
After the team has shared their ideas, the developer should become a scrum master and shift to facilitation mode. The scrum master should help the team conclude and make better decisions about the product development. The scrum master should help the team experiment to validate their assumptions without the fear of being wrong. After analysing all these options and risks, the scrum master directs the teams about how to execute these goals.
Making Self-Management Safe
When the developer is a scrum master, it is important for them to know the thin line of difference between letting the team learn or fail. New scrum teams often fail to manage themselves, as they lack boundaries. The scrum master should set guardrails instead of flexibility and let the team have the room for freedom about how to execute them. When the scrum master sets safe fail zones, they can allow teams to move fast without the need for micromanagement.
Conclusion
The developer could be a scrum master when they understand the challenges of a developer being a scrum master. The developer who is playing the role of scrum master should be able to switch between the roles as needed. If they are dealing with a junior team, they should establish guardrails and allow them to experiment without any fear.