The Jedi Way
Two Reasons Why Master Yoda Could Make A Great Scrum Master
Scrum Master Yoda
Ever wondered what could happen to the world of Agilists were Master Yoda a Scrum Master? He will definitely be able to contribute so much to the community plainly for two major reasons.
1. He is goal-oriented. “Do or do not, there is no try.” -Master Yoda
The Jedi sage knew so much from 900 years of age that trying is a half-hearted commitment to move something forward. Had a chance of hearing from a member of the Development Team about a new third-party integration that she would try? And nope! Trying is not totally wrong.
The integration will mean that new software will have to be learned — at least its APIs, for instance. And then building new components, or writing modules to communicate with the exposed interfaces of the third-party software. Where the trying goes wrong is when there is a failure to get back to the team about its results. One day would generally be enough to tinker around the third-party’s documentation and the codes of the application. Some tinkering will take more than a day though. And it is up to the person accountable to share the current progress to the entire team, and let them know when the trying is estimated to achieve the goal of producing a shippable product.
The “try” is a middle ground. The “do” and the “do not” are two opposite sides of a field. And Master Yoda would probably argue that the path of the “try” can go to only either of these two.
Do or do not. There is no middle ground.
2. He is sensitive. “Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.” -Yoda
Master Yoda knew when one was going astray. Just like a good Scrum Master who understands that a Development Team may have a burst of enthusiasm and sparkling energy for a few weeks, and then an air of demotivation coming after.
A great Scrum Master must be able to read the team atmosphere and identify the symptoms of decreasing motivation. Particularly in a young workforce when motivation can become a roller coaster of a ride. The team members are still figuring things out. January they are booming with energy for this new project. Come June they either are hastily requesting to be transferred to a new project or are looking for another organization to work with.
The Scrum Master should be able to switch among the roles of a guiding voice, an encourager, a pusher, and challenger, or a voice of reality, to name a few. This is not to say that the role of the Scrum Master is to be a place of comfort. The Development Team, and even individually, should NOT be always shielded from pressure, distractions, and demotivation. It is his discretion, then, when to switch from a nurturer to a leader, and back — contributing to his goal of forming a team of individually independent and reliable members who can self-organize and deliver working software with agility.
The wise master sensed young Anakin’s gradual deviation from the Jedi way and gave him wise counsel. He knew, however, that Anakin’s decisions were out of his control, much like how typically a Scrum Master could try to influence but not control.
The Depth of the Agile Revolution with the Master
The wisdom Master Yoda exuded throughout the pages of the Galactic Empire, and the Galactic Republic before that, qualify him to be one of today’s great Scrum Masters. We, Scrum Masters, could learn a lot from his principles by just looking a little closer.
The industries had been more of doing agile and less of being. We need a revolution, and a wise Jedi may be able to usher us into a new era of agility.
May the force be with you!
By: Adrian Alejandro
This blog does not aim to be a “success recipe” for the Scrum Master role. Rather, this aims to inspire Agilists and Scrum practitioners through a mix of stories, principles, and good old practice — those that were drawn from observations, actual experiences, apprenticeship, and mentoring.
