When I think about the journey of becoming a Scrum Master, I often reflect on the transformative experiences that shape our understanding and application of Agile principles. One of the most significant aspects of this journey is the immediate ability to put theory into practice. From the very first session of my training, participants are not just passive learners; they are actively engaged in identifying and addressing real issues within their organisations.
- Homework with Purpose: Unlike traditional homework, which often feels disconnected from real-world applications, the exercises I assign are designed to be implemented in your workplace. This means you can start making meaningful changes right away, rather than waiting until the end of a course.
- Identifying Problems: Scrum doesn’t magically solve your problems; instead, it illuminates where those problems lie. This early focus on real issues allows us to tackle them collaboratively, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this training is the opportunity to create a community of practice. Many organisations already have established Scrum Master communities, but for those that don’t, it’s crucial to set one up. This community becomes a vital support network, allowing participants to share their challenges and successes.
- Hive Mind Approach: By bringing your problems back to the group, you’re not alone in your struggles. We work together to find solutions, leveraging the collective wisdom of the cohort.
- Shared Experiences: The bonds formed during this process often extend well beyond the classroom. I’ve found that many participants stay in touch for years, sharing insights and supporting each other in their professional journeys.
Flexible Learning Environment
One of the standout features of this training is its structure. Instead of taking two full days out of the office, we meet for just one afternoon a week. This approach is not only more manageable but also allows for a deeper engagement with the material.
- Reduced Cognitive Load: A two-day class can be overwhelming, with a significant cognitive burden. By breaking the content into manageable chunks, participants can absorb and apply what they learn more effectively.
- Real-World Application: This format encourages immediate application of concepts, allowing for multiple loops of learning. You can try out new ideas in your workplace, reflect on them, and bring your experiences back to the group for discussion.
Confidence Through Experience
As someone who has navigated the challenges of being a new Scrum Master, I understand the difficulties that come with the role. Often, new Scrum Masters face the most complex problems at the beginning of their careers, when they have the least experience. This training programme is designed to build your confidence and competence.
- Support Network: Throughout the course, you have a safety net of support. As you progress, this support gradually scales back, but by then, you’ll have developed the confidence to tackle challenges independently.
- Career Advancement: While I can’t guarantee that this training will land you a better job, I can assure you that the confidence you gain will shine through in interviews and professional interactions.
Conclusion
In summary, the journey to becoming a proficient Scrum Master is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about applying that knowledge in real-world scenarios, building a supportive community, and developing the confidence to face challenges head-on. This training programme offers a unique blend of coaching and practical application, ensuring that you leave not just with a certification, but with a deeper understanding and readiness to excel in your role.
If you’re ready to embark on this journey, I invite you to join us and experience the difference for yourself. Together, we can navigate the complexities of Agile and emerge as confident, capable Scrum Masters.
The first thing they’re going to get is the ability to start putting into practice immediately. So you come on session one and you’re going to get homework, basically things you need to do. It’s not stuff that it’s not like school homework where you’re given exercises to do; all of the exercises are aimed at doing things in your real organisation and finding out where the issues are, finding out where that is so you can bring it back to the group, bring it back to the class so we can get together on that. But you don’t have to wait till the end of the class to start doing it; you can do it right from week one. You’re going to get some real value; you’re going to find some real things about your organisation.
We always say scrum doesn’t solve your problems; it shows you where your problems are to help you solve them. So we’re doing that right at the start, but it doesn’t mean in a traditional class you learn this with us for two days and therefore you go and find your problems afterwards. Some of us, some trainers will say, “Hey, get in touch with your problems,” but people tend not to, is what I’ve noticed. It’d be great if they did, actually, but in this, they’re bringing their problems back so they’re not on their own. So effectively, we’re going with a hive mind solution to help them solve their problems rather than make them feel on their own.
That’s absolutely huge because it means they’re getting into more of a community of practice way of thinking. So many organisations already have a scrum master community of practice or product growing a community of practice, but if they don’t, they need somebody to set them up, somebody like a scrum master, for example, so they can go and do that. And that goes on throughout. So every week, you’ve got the opportunity to try something new, come back and learn, and learn in a safer environment. So you’re bringing in these unsafe, nasty work environments where, you know, like I said, if we’re all in a perfect world, you’d probably not be coming on to the scrum class in the first place because you’d already know it all and the organisation would already be doing it. So it would bring in that dirty stuff back into the clean world of the classroom where we can be safe, try things, come up with ideas, talk it through, come up with concepts, and then apply it back. So it’s a real mix of coaching and training; it’s not just a classroom experience. There’s this opportunity to mix those two things.
It would also give you this opportunity of a brain’s trust. Imagine if you are the very first scrum master in your organisation to ever come and learn scrum, and there isn’t a community of practice here. I’ve got a cohort of people I’m going along with on my journey that I’m doing difficult things with, actually, and sharing that experience. And with shared experiences and shared hardships, we build bonds, and those bonds, I imagine, will go well beyond this situation. Certainly, when I’ve ever worked in a cohort, I always find out I’m still in touch with those people years later.
You also have this weird thing of not having to take two days out of the office to come to a class. Now we are asking for an actual larger commitment in terms of more out of the office time, but it’s much more manageable. It’s one afternoon a week; it’s not two big days and a big chunk when all sorts of things could happen back at the office that then become distractions while you’re trying to learn, and you have to go and deal with things during the class time, so you miss things. Half a day a week is much more manageable, and it allows you to get into that thing without having to have this big headache: how do I have to sort all of these weird things out?
And I had to say it, but things like going to pick the kids up from school become a big drag situation, and an online class when it’s a couple of days, you don’t necessarily have that because we can work around it.
I think the biggest advantage for the people coming on the class, while the certification is the same, it leads to the PSM1 certification. However, you choose the PSM modern class, and the two-day experience is an awesome class. We’ve refined it; we’ve done it well, and this gives you that little bit of extra that it’s really hard to do in a two-day class.
Space to learn is essential, and there’s a lot of content; there’s a lot of cognitive burden on coming onto a two-day class. By the nature of it, this allows you to take it in a chunk, try it for real, take it to that deeper learning level by applying the learning immediately, bring it back, loop through it again effectively in that space as well. So we end up with multiple loops of learning; we’ll end up with real application.
So as a PSM that’s been through this programme, as a scrum master that’s been through this programme, you get this deeper learning, this deeper understanding that makes you more confident. And what I see with a lot of new scrum masters when they come on the class and at the beginning of their journey, they typically have the hardest problems to solve in their career right at the start when they’ve got the least experience and the least knowledge to be able to deal with it. That’s the nature of it. As you get better, the team’s also got better; therefore, you don’t need it. The organisation’s also evolved; therefore, they don’t need quite so much of you.
This gives you that confidence that you have been able to do this in the real world, and you have had that support net. So when the support net scales back when you finish the class, you’ve got more confidence in your own ability. And of course, will that get you a better job? Who knows? But certainly, your confidence will shine through when you’re talking to those people about that job.
