ADVANCED SCRUM MASTER

PRACTICE GUIDE
By: Eugene Lai

www.cprime.com | [email protected] | 877.800.5221 | © Cprime Inc. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS
04 Scrum Master Skill Assessment

06 Advanced Scrum Master Roles

08 Facilitation Techniques

10 Advanced Scrum Master Tools

Within the world of Agile and Scrum development, the role of the Scrum Master is
arguably the most complex and misunderstood role for organizations that seek to
adopt the Scrum framework. One reason is that many Scrum Masters transition into
this role from other positions such as a Project Manager or a Functional Manager
and are not provided with the opportunity to acquire formal training or coaching.
To further exacerbate the situation, the proliferation of industry certifications that
provide credentials without validation of expertise or knowledge has created a market
that is full of under-qualified team members who are not equipped to perform this
role effectively. This poses a tremendous risk to organizations as well as individuals
who aspire to operate their respective teams.

This practice guide was crafted with ambitious Scrum Masters in mind with the
goal of offering alternative options for building expertise in this role. This guide is
intended to assist passionate Agilists to continue cultivating a growth mindset by
evaluating current strengths and opportunities for improvement. In support of this
goal, the Skills Assessment is a tool for Scrum practitioners who may have acquired
formal or informal training as well as direct project experience. This tool may be used
as a benchmark to determine targeted areas for further development. Note that this
assessment may be taken multiple times to provide a snapshot of capabilities at
different stages of individual development.

The second half of this guide consists of a series of tools and techniques that
are seldom found in formal Scrum Master training courses. This section provides
recommendations which may be used as-is, or as a foundation for further exploration
and customization to fit specific project and organizational context. These tools may
be applied during various project stages on an individual basis, or as an integrated
approach to address specific project concerns. Note that the tools are intended to
encourage additional exploration and experimentation within the Scrum ecosystem
regardless of the level of maturity of a specific team or organization.
 SCRUM MASTER SKILL ASSESSMENT
Instructions:

1. Review each question and provide one of the following responses:

(1) Strongly Disagree

(2) Somewhat Disagree
(3) Somewhat Agree
(4) Strongly Agree

2. Add scores from all questions to determine a total score.

3. Determine assessment and recommendation using the reference table.

QUESTIONS SCORE (1-4)

[1] I follow a checklist for all Scrum events to ensure I’m doing things consistently

[2] I am comfortable applying at least 3 different formats for Retrospectives

[3] I feel confident about my ability to support the Product Owner to create and
maintain the Product Backlog

[4] The team(s) I support consistently complete their planned work within the sprint
successfully (>=90% of the time)

[5] I am comfortable facilitating all Scrum events without referring to a checklist

[6] The team(s) I support consistently finish Scrum meetings within the planned
timebox

[7] The team(s) I support understand how to self-organize and hold effective meetings
without my presence

[8] The Product Owner within my team conducts product demos to stakeholders on a
regular basis

[9] The team(s) I support consistently follow through on process improvement ideas
that are identified during Retrospectives (>=90% of the time)

[10] The team(s) I support regularly seek opportunities to improve interactions,

processes and/or tools.

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 Score Rating Recommendation

TOTAL SCORE ASSESSMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS

30 or higher You have demonstrated strong You are ready to expand beyond
expertise in developing a growth the boundaries of a single team,
mindset for your team. You are if you have not done so already.
versatile and able to coach and You will benefit from exploring
mentor your team when needed. scaling methods such as Scaled
Agile Framework (SAFe) or Scrum
at Scale in preparation to support
multi-team projects with greater
levels of complexity. Potential
development opportunities
include SAFe Advanced Scrum
Master (SASM) training and SAFe
Release Train Engineer (RTE)
training.

Between 25 and 29 You are seen as a skilled Scrum You are considered an expert
Master with a solid track record of Scrum Master by your peers
performance. You have mastered based on your consistent
most of the fundamentals of demonstration of foundational
Scrum, and may be able to improve concepts and practices. You
on certain practices to continue will likely benefit from learning
your development. additional techniques for
facilitating various events such
as Sprint Retrospectives. Also,
acquiring additional training
(such as SAFe Scrum Master) may
accelerate your development.

Between 20 and 24 You have achieved some success You have some knowledge
and have begun to build rapport of Scrum patterns and anti-
with your team. You may not feel as patterns, and will likely continue
confident in your capabilities with your learning through project
regards to some techniques due experience. Also, you will likely
to lack of opportunities to acquire benefit from seeking a formal
direct experience, or absence of a training and coaching to enhance
formal mentor. your development.

Between 10 and 19 You have limited exposure to You may have learned the Scrum
Scrum projects because you may Master role from other team
have been given the Scrum Master members or through self-study.
role as a secondary, part-time Hence, you will benefit from
responsibility. Your organization taking a training class (such
may not have made a formal as Professional Scrum Master
commitment to provide you with I; Scrum.org) to gain a solid
training or mentorship. understanding of the Scrum
framework.

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 ADVANCED SCRUM MASTER ROLES
In order to progress from a Scrum Master to an Advanced Scrum Master, it is
important to acquire specific expertise and skills that will add value to not only
a single team, but the entire community of Agile/Scrum practitioners. To be
considered “Advanced”, even the most skilled Scrum Masters must excel in a
variety of roles as the team and the organization expands its capabilities.

As indicated in the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Master is expected to serve the

team as a “coach”. Since there are many different definitions regarding the
competencies of a “coach”, this criterion is often interpreted in a variety of
ways depending on organizational and business context.

To clarify this domain, this guide will offer a few recommendations regarding
diverse roles that Scrum Masters should explore in pursuit of becoming an
expert in this field.

Scrum Master as “the Teacher”

One of the key skills that a Scrum Master

must perfect is the ability to teach effectively
because the team must understand the basic
principles in order to apply the techniques in
an effective way. As a result, the Scrum Master
must confidently explain key concepts and also
demonstrate the real-world application of the
concepts to ensure the team is equipped with
the knowledge to succeed.

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 Scrum Master as “the Model”

Most Scrum Masters who have achieved

successes are likely to be very capable
communicators and influencers who are
skilled in guiding a team. Teaching the team
how to practice Scrum effectively is a basic
skill that most experienced Scrum Masters
understand. However, in order to attain expert
status, a Scrum Master must understand how
to naturally model the desired behaviors and
utilize a variety of communication styles to
inspire the team as well as the organization to
fulfill their potential.

Scrum Master as “the Coach”

For a Scrum Master to reach “expert” status,

they must grow beyond the day-to-day, tactical
operation of the team. They must evolve into
a mentor and help the team grow and develop
in ways that may unexpectedly determine the
success or failure of the team. As the coach for
the team, the Scrum Master will be expected to
cultivate strong relationships within the team
as well as with key stakeholders external to the
team. The strength of these connections will
significantly impact the level of performance
for the team as an integrated unit.

7
 Scrum Master as “the Change Agent”

Once a Scrum team has gained a sufficient

level of experience working together, they are
likely to have built a mindset of continuous
improvement. However, this may not always
be the case. For a Scrum team to deliver its
highest level of performance, they will need
support from the Scrum Master. Since the agile
mindset is derived from the ability to adapt
and change in an effective and sustainable
way, change management is a key skill that
the team must acquire with guidance from
the Scrum Master. As the change enabler, the
Scrum Master must learn how to introduce and
implement change within the team and create
a dynamic that embraces change. In essence,
the Scrum Master needs to understand how
much change the team can absorb and strike
a delicate balance between too much and too
little change.

FACILITATION TECHNIQUES
One of the most misunderstood concepts in the Scrum Master’s responsibilities
is the practice of facilitation. Regardless of the level of experience, the art
of facilitation is a key skill that even the most seasoned Scrum Masters must
refine and hone continuously. More often than not, a Scrum Master’s ability to
support the team as an effective facilitator can impact the overall performance
of the team.

8
 6 Faciliation Factors to Consider as a Scrum Master

1. Be genuine – To inspire the team to work effectively together

and achieve results, the Scrum Master must act with integrity and
consistency, which are critical in building trust within the team. Learn to
be transparent about your strengths and weaknesses and you will earn the
respect of your peers faster.

2. Be objective and neutral – The ability to act as the mediator and

help the team navigate conflicts and challenges is an important skill that
all Scrum Masters must acquire. Being a neutral party encourages the
team to self-manage and teaches the team to resolve issues effectively.

3. Create a mindset of continuous learning – An Agile team cannot

achieve its maximum potential unless the team members can collectively
build a culture of relentless improvement. This begins with the Scrum
Master who has the opportunity to set the tone for the entire team.

4. Harness the power of collective intelligence – The Scrum

Master must bring the team together and help them collaborate
effectively, allowing individuals to contribute their core strengths and
complement each other when the situation arises.

5. Collective ownership – The Scrum Master must encourage the team

to be accountable to each other and make decisions for the benefit of the
team instead of the individual.

6. Focus and engagement – The team relies on the Scrum Master

to help instill focus which is absolutely critical; focus can take a variety
of forms, including staying within pre-determined timeboxes for a given
Scrum event, ensuring that the team is working on the right priorities,
helping the team resolve impediments, or guiding the team towards an
important decision in a timely manner.

9
 In an effort to improve facilitation skills, a Scrum Master can implement
an iterative and incremental approach which is more likely to be effective
over time. As with implementing a process change, changes in facilitation
approach can be more effective and sustainable when applied with an
experimental mindset.

Select Focus Area

Implement New
Refine Approach
Technique

Seek Feedback

ADVANCED SCRUM MASTER TOOLS

For seasoned Scrum Masters who have acquired expert-level knowledge and
understanding of Scrum values, events, roles and artifacts, fulfilling everyday
responsibilities is likely not a challenging proposition. At this stage of a
Scrum Master’s development, the focus of the role will begin to shift from
helping the team master rudimentary practices to more strategic activities
such as organizational change management and scaling.

Experienced Scrum Masters will often face new challenges as the

organization seeks to grow beyond a single team and apply similar
approaches to different functions within the company. In addition, other
factors such as the desire to build larger and more sophisticated solutions
will often present new challenges and rewards for Scrum Masters who are
positioned to expand their influence within this domain. The following section
will explore some of the common tools and strategies that a veteran Scrum
Master will likely encounter in his/her career.

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 Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change

Ideally, in any change initiative, the organization has made a commitment to

adopt a formal approach to manage the change to achieve maximum benefit.
While there is a variety of change management strategies in use today,
the fundamentals are similar; most documented strategies will generally
accommodate the five basic attributes that serve as critical areas of focus,
which includes vision, skills, incentives, resources and an action plan.

The Knoster model focuses on these five inputs of managing change

which enables change agents to determine potential failures in any change
initiative. Depending on the situation and the absence of any of the five key
inputs, a potential failure mode can be expected. This is a powerful tool
that may be used by the Scrum Master to assess potential root cause for
ineffective change applied within an Agile/Scrum team; this tool may be
applied to any change, regardless of scope, effort or complexity (such as a
change to a technique, tool, or process). In addition, Scrum Masters may also
use this tool to initiate change within a new team by assessing the current
challenges and known risks within the organization.

As described by this model, if any of the five key inputs – Vision, Skills,
Incentives, Resources, or Action Plan – is missing prior to implementation of
a change, there is a high probability that the team will experience at least one
of the resulting symptoms. Furthermore, if multiple attributes are missing,
the team will likely encounter compounded negative effects.

Vision Skills Incentives Resources Action Plan Success

Missing Skills Incentives Resources Action Plan Confusion

Vision Missing Incentives Resources Action Plan Anxiety

Vision Skills Missing Resources Action Plan Resistance

Vision Skills Incentives Missing Action Plan Frustration

Vision Skills Incentives Resources Missing False Start

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 Vision – If a change initiative lacks vision, the contributors and teams will be
confused by misconceptions and uncertainty because they do not understand
the purpose nor the value of undergoing drastic change. In this situation,
the Scrum Master must take action and help the team connect with the
broader organizational objectives to ensure clarity and alignment. This may
be achieved through regular engagement with the Product Owner and/or key
stakeholders who can communicate the purpose and the desired end state.

For example, hold regular check-in meetings with the project sponsor to
clarify the vision. Another situation where vision is important is process
improvement changes that are revealed during Retrospectives. In this case,
the Scrum Master has the opportunity and the responsibility to help the team
understand the value of continuous improvement by articulating the vision to
which the team should aspire.

Skills – In today’s economy of knowledge-workers, many teams are driven

primarily by their technical skills and expertise. Hence, if an organization
lacks the proper training or experience to adopt a new method of working,
this will often result in anxiety amongst the team, which creates stress and
resistance. As a result, the team will rely on the Scrum Master to provide the
necessary training and coaching to learn the requisite skills in order to be
effective. For example, execute hands-on workshops to demonstrate how to
plan short, incremental delivery cycles (i.e. sprints).

Incentives – Teams often struggle to adopt change because they do not see
the benefit at the individual or organization level, which will likely result in
active or passive resistance. Incentive does not necessarily need to involve
monetary compensation. Many studies have shown that autonomy (freedom),
mastery (skill) and purpose (vision) are often more powerful motivators as
compared to financial incentives.

In this case, the Scrum Master may seek to provide insights into growth
opportunities for the team such as additional training opportunities or
broader visibility within the organization. In most cases, Scrum Masters will
likely not have any formal authority to reward team members; however, they
can collaborate with the Product Owner and/or project sponsors to invest in
this area to ensure the team is inspired to do their best work in both the short
and long-term.

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 Resources – Quite often, an organization claims to be committed to change,
yet does not provide the necessary resources in terms of funding or tools to
enable the change to be executed successfully. This can lead to frustration
due to lack of progress. When a team encounters this situation, the Scrum
Master should collaborate with the Product Owner and stakeholders to secure
appropriate resources to support the change; this may include training
budgets or licenses for key tools for the team.

Action Plan – If an organization can secure all the key components that
enables effective change, there must be a tangible, realistic action plan for
the team to follow; the Scrum Master has the responsibility to engage the
team to assist in developing a reasonable plan that the team will commit to
and feel confident about executing successfully. Although a project plan is
not a typical deliverable for which Scrum Masters are responsible, the Scrum
Master should consider drafting a roadmap of key outputs and outcomes. It
is important to note that the plan does not necessarily need to be defined
in extreme detail; conversely, a high-level plan can provide the team with
more flexibility as the team gains a deeper understanding of the customer or
stakeholder needs.

In summary, as a key change enabler for the Scrum team, the Scrum Master
must invest time and effort to continuously evaluate the state of the team
within each of the five dimensions, then determine an approach to address
any shortcomings. Although the Scrum Master may not have the authority
to address all of the issues directly, he/she should be empowered to
communicate the known issues and enlist support from the project sponsors
and stakeholders.

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 Skill and Will Matrix

As a team champion, the Scrum Master should have a solid understanding

of the team members and their level of expertise for specific domains. In
addition, the Scrum Master should have a strong rapport with the team and
understand the source of intrinsic motivation to perform their best work. The
Skill and Will Matrix is another powerful tool that can assist Scrum Masters to
evaluate where individual team members reside in terms of their capabilities
and drive to perform a specific set of tasks.

The Scrum Master has many options when working to develop a high-
performing team. Depending on the situation for each specific team member,
the Scrum Master may need to implement one of the four possible techniques
in order to increase the skill level and/or the motivation for each individual.
Team members that possess low will and low skill will likely require the most
attention and effort. Conversely, team members that are highly-skilled
and driven to achieve results will not demand much time from the Scrum
Master. It is important for the Scrum Master (as well as the team as a whole)
to regularly assess where the team stands in terms of overall skills, which
is generally more easily addressed as a collective unit. For issues related
to incentives or motivation, the Scrum Master should collaborate with
the Product Owner and sponsors to remedy any impediments that may be
hampering the progress of the team.

Guide Delegate
High Will Provide autonomy,
Provide training,
additional
tools, coaching
responsibilities

Direct Inspire
Provide vision,
Low Will Provide incentives,
coaching, regular goals
feedback

Low Skill High Skill

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 The Skill and Will Matrix will enable the Scrum Master to uncover opportunities
for mentoring, training or coaching within a team and formulate an engagement
approach. The specific areas of focus may vary depending on organizational
cultural norms. For example, some organization may prefer to invest more time
and effort on high-skill/high-will team members whereas others may choose to
dedicate more energy towards low-will/low-skill contributors.

Power and Interest Matrix

One of the most popular tools used in traditional project management to

support stakeholder management is the Power and Interest Matrix. Within the
Agile domain, however, this tool is not referenced in most formal publications
such as the Scrum Guide or framework publications. Within the context of
Agile/Scrum teams, this matrix (also commonly known as the “Influence and
Interest Matrix”), remains a useful tool that can be applied for any project that
utilizes Agile techniques.

High Power Keep Satisfied Engage Regularly

Low Power Monitor Keep Informed

Low Interest High Interest

From the perspective of the Scrum team, stakeholder management is typically

a responsibility of the Product Owner. However, the Scrum Master should be
involved in this process as well to ensure that adequate attention is given to
key sponsors if there is an escalation of risks and issues in critical situations.
One of the common mistakes that Scrum Masters make is lack of energy
invested in building and maintaining a strong rapport with senior management
stakeholders, which can extend the time required to resolve issues. The team
will benefit greatly as a whole from a collaborative approach in stakeholder
management which includes the Product Owner as well as the Scrum Master.
15
The role of the Scrum Master is arguably the most challenging role to learn within
the Scrum framework. Due to its complexity, the Scrum Master role requires a
professional to be multi-faceted and be able to change roles quickly and effectively
with minimal notice. Hence, the journey from an experienced Scrum Master to an
Advanced Scrum Master is a long and thought-provoking path that will demand a high
level of commitment. By applying a growth mindset and a commitment to continuous
learning, any passionate agile practitioner can achieve a rewarding career by making
this journey in a methodical fashion.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr. Eugene Lai is a seasoned innovator in Information Technology
and process engineering with over 20 years of proven track record
delivering high-impact solutions within PMOs and Agile teams. In
previous roles as Lead Software Engineer, Chief Scrum Master,
Principal Program Manager, VP of Project Management, PMO Director,
Technical Consultant and Agile Advisor, Mr. Lai has successfully
applied process lifecycle frameworks and delivered complex solutions
to various Fortune 500 financial services companies and U.S.
Department of Defense customers across the globe.

Mr. Lai has provided consulting services to organizations such as Project Management Institute (PMI), Scrum
Alliance, and Cprime Learning. Over the past 12 years, Mr. Lai has orchestrated Program Management and Agile
Engineering initiatives by applying a variety of methodologies and frameworks such as Traditional Waterfall/
SDLC, Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Scrum and Kanban. Mr. Lai has architected 5
corporate PMOs and successfully executed Agile transformation efforts for 6 different organizations.

Mr. Lai currently holds several professional certifications including: Certified Scrum Master (CSM/PSM),
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO), Scaled Agile Program
Consultant (SPC), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Program
Management Professional (PgMP).

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17
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18
 ADVANCED CERTIFIED SCRUMMASTER (A-CSM) 16 PDUs

2 Day Classroom Session | 2 Day Live Online | Custom Onsite

COURSE OVERVIEW YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO:

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster • Support your team using Agile
(A-CSM) is an in-depth, two-day facilitation techniques
immersion into the world of the
• Explain Agile and Lean values and
ScrumMaster role. The class explores
principles, so that your team can
Agile Facilitation and Agile Coaching
better appreciate Scrum
and how the ScrumMaster uses these
skills to support the team, the Product • Coach your team, product owners,
Owner, and the Organization. The and organization using Agile
class is a deep dive into your role as coaching techniques
a ScrumMaster and the hands-on
• Improve your team’s dynamics, so
activities and exercises demonstrate
they can work together better
key concepts and let you experience
the next level of Scrum firsthand. • Facilitate your team creating their
own Definition of Done

INDIVIDUAL CUSTOM ONSITE Request a quote online

$995.00 8+ TEAM MEMBERS or call (877) 753-2760

For more information on our Scrum curriculum, please visit:

cprime.com/learning/topic/scrum/

Cprime Learning is the training and certifications division at Cprime.

Cprime is a global consulting firm helping transforming businesses get in sync.
We help visionary business leaders compose solutions, execute implementations,
and perform against business goals.
19
ABOUT CPRIME
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