Building Allies and Creating History

Mohini Kissoon: Beyond the AI Fear—Discovering What Makes Scrum Masters Truly Irreplaceable

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

"The real challenge isn't whether AI will replace Scrum Masters. It's whether we understand what parts of our work are actually irreplaceable—and whether we're spending our time on those things." - Mohini Kissoon

Mohini is wrestling with a challenge that's coming up repeatedly in conversations with Agile coaches and Scrum Masters: the anxiety around AI and what it means for their role. She hears questions like "Will AI replace Scrum Masters?" but believes we're asking the wrong question. The real challenge is understanding which parts of our work are truly irreplaceable and demonstrating value in those areas.

People might think that AI can generate sprint reports and analyze team metrics—so why do we need Scrum Masters? But what's missing is the human touch: reading the room, sensing unspoken tension, building trust through presence, and asking questions that shift perspectives. Mohini and Vasco explore how the Scrum Master role may have accidentally become defined by process and structure rather than impact on teams.

The solution lies in showing value through concrete metrics—demonstrating improvement in team happiness, flow, cycle time, and lead time. Scrum Masters need to use storytelling and create history that shows the before and after. They should leverage champions from teams they've worked with to share testimonials. We are like diplomats: we work through influence and need allies both inside and outside the team to support our work.

Self-reflection Question: If AI could handle all the administrative and mechanical aspects of your Scrum Master role tomorrow, what would you spend your time doing—and are you already investing enough time in those irreplaceable human elements?

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About Mohini Kissoon

Mohini is an Agility Lead with over eight years of experience as a Scrum Master. She is passionate about building high-performing, self-managing teams that delight customers. Mohini improves flow and collaboration across systems, meets teams where they are, and co-creates environments enabling adaptability, meaningful interactions, and continuous improvement and learning.

You can link with Mohini Kissoon on LinkedIn.