Role of Management

Quick reference

• 00:04 Hi, this is Ray Sheen.
• 00:06 I've been talking a lot about what the scrum master
• 00:08 product on Earth scrum team members do.
• 00:11 Now, let's switch gears, and
• 00:13 take a look at the role of management on agile/scrum projects.
• 00:16 I want to focus first on their role preparing the organization, and
• 00:20 later I will talk about their role at the project level.
• 00:23 It starts with creating an agile environment.
• 00:28 Agile is a new paradigm for project management in most organizations.
• 00:32 Implementing agile will probably require a change to
• 00:34 the project management procedures, and required tools and
• 00:37 templates, especially if the agile implementation is agile Scrum.
• 00:42 New roles like Scrum Master and Product Owner are created,
• 00:45 and their responsibilities must be defined.
• 00:48 A new planning process is put in place using story cards, and
• 00:51 new meetings like Sprint Demos are used.
• 00:54 This requires changes in how the organization functions, with respects to
• 00:57 projects and organizational change, culture change is hard.
• 01:02 It requires resources and committment on the part of management.
• 01:06 The resources need to change the processes and procedures and
• 01:09 then train the organization in the new methodology.
• 01:12 This will need frequent communication during the change process
• 01:15 to answer questions and build understanding.
• 01:18 And the organization should expect some frustration, doubt, and even rejection.
• 01:23 Many people spent years doing projects in the traditional manner.
• 01:26 In fact, in some cases the performance appraisal was based upon how well they did
• 01:30 traditional project management.
• 01:32 And now you're asking them to change to what for them is a Unknown approach.
• 01:37 That is why the senior management must provide visible, vocal support and
• 01:41 provide it frequently.
• 01:42 They need to lead in this changed effort.
• 01:45 This impacts how people do their day to day work.
• 01:48 It'll be scary for some, so they need to have the leadership
• 01:51 from management to help them through this change.
• 01:54 Part of that visible vocal leadership is done by how management sets expectations.
• 01:59 Rather than asking for the same things they have used in the past,
• 02:03 they need to insist on the Agile/Scrum deliverables.
• 02:07 For instance with respect to project work this should help to set and
• 02:10 respect the time box schedules.
• 02:13 They need to dedicate the resources that are needed for a Sprint and
• 02:16 they need to demonstrate by personal example,
• 02:19 that project scope will be managed through the Product Owner with story cards.
• 02:23 They can also set the expectation for agility.
• 02:26 The expectation that the project scope can and should be flexible and adaptable.
• 02:31 Rather than wrangling over specifications, they engage with Story Cards and
• 02:35 update them at Sprint Demos.
• 02:37 Also, they don't try to tamper with the Sprint backlog during a Sprint.
• 02:41 Finally, they set expectations Through the organization
• 02:44 on how roadblocks will be managed.
• 02:46 The bias is towards action, not bureaucracy.
• 02:51 One of the most obvious ways that senior management shows their leadership and
• 02:54 support for Agile/Scrum is what they do to equip the team members.
• 02:58 First, they ensure that those individuals have adequate training to do the job.
• 03:02 So for instance, they ensure there are enough trained Scrum Masters and
• 03:06 Product Owners to support the number of Agile/Scrum projects.
• 03:10 They also ensure that the Scrum team members have the training in
• 03:13 the Agile/Scrum methodology and the use of the tools to be effective in their role.
• 03:18 One of the most important things is senior management can do is to ensure that
• 03:22 Scrum team members are allowed to be truly dedicated during the Sprint.
• 03:27 That starts with their own behavior.
• 03:29 If they call a meeting during a Sprint on a subject that is not associated with
• 03:32 the Agile/Scrum project, they don't invite, or
• 03:35 expect the Scrum team members to attend, and
• 03:37 they enforce that principle, with their middle management also.
• 03:41 I remember the time when I was in an off site meeting,
• 03:43 that was working on a corporate initiative.
• 03:46 There were people from several operating locations working together,
• 03:49 when one of the individuals on our team was called out of the meeting,
• 03:53 because his manager back in the office had a question.
• 03:56 A short time later, the individual returned, and
• 03:58 we asked him if he'd got his manager straightened out.
• 04:01 He had a smile on his face, and said no.
• 04:04 About ten minutes into the call with his manager, the manager received a call from
• 04:08 the CEO of our corporation, asking him what problem was so
• 04:12 serious, that he thought it necessary to put the CEO's initiative on hold,
• 04:18 and have our team member work on the manager's problem instead.
• 04:22 When that story got around, it sent a clear message to the organization
• 04:26 about the importance of that initiative.
• 04:29 Another part of equipping the Scrum team is to ensure they have the tools and
• 04:32 facilities needed for the Sprint.
• 04:34 This includes either space for the co-location or
• 04:37 the tools for collaboration and virtual co-location.
• 04:41 Finally, the senior managers need to equip the Scrum Master
• 04:44 with the authority to work throughout the organization to remove roadblocks.
• 04:48 That doesn't mean that the Scrum Master can do whatever they want.
• 04:51 But it does mean that the other managers and
• 04:53 organizations can't just ignore a Scrum Master who comes with a roadblock.
• 04:57 They need to find a solution to the Scrum team's problem.
• 05:00 Like any organizational change,
• 05:04 senior management's support is a key to success.
• 05:08 It's not enough for them to say they support the change, they need to change
• 05:13 how they interact with the Scrum team, and ensure that their people change also.

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