How Should a Scrum Master Enter a New Team with Justin Thatil and Erica Menendez

This week, Dan Neumann is joined by two of his colleagues Erica Menendez and Justin Thatil to today’s episode.

 

This time, they are exploring the scenario when Scrum Masters enter a New Team, an event that Dan, Erica, and Justin know by experience. Listen to this episode to hear valuable real-life examples of how a Scrum Master can successfully transition into a new Team.

 

Key Takeaways

• Duties that a Scrum Master needs to attend to when entering a new Team:

  • A Scrum Master must establish his credibility, meet the Team, and create relationships with its members.

  • Entering a new Team is different every time.

  • A Scrum Master should observe and learn about the new Team he is joining, before attempting to start dictating. How much do Team members know about Scrum and Agile?

  • Understand why the organization wants you on that Team.

  • After knowing the Team, the Scrum Master needs to devise a plan to tackle the Team’s needs.

  • Stay curious (rather than judgemental).

• What does improvement look like for the organization?

  • A Scrum Master needs to explore communication styles within the new Team and identify the organization’s expectations not only about the Scrum Master’s performance but also about the Team.

• Is it helpful to have someone helping the Scrum Master transition to a new Team?

  • Everyone is different, someone might notice aspects that another person didn’t.

  • Sometimes it is better not to be influenced by someone else’s experiences or understanding of a particular member or a Team’s dynamics; a new approach brings a new perspective that can be beneficial for the Team.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Scrum Fieldbook: A Master Class on Accelerating Performance, Getting Results, and Defining the Future, by J.J. Sutherland

Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity, by Justin Baldoni

The Wayback Machine

 

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