Scrum for Project Managers

Transcription

1 Scrum for Project Managers Examining the Project Manager s role in a successful Scrum organization Angela Druckman Certified Scrum Trainer adruckman@collab.net

2 Presentation Overview Scrum in a perfect world Project managers and Scrum a changing role Project manager as ScrumMaster Project manager as Product Owner Project manager supporting the team When old habits are hard to break Questions 2

3 Organizations that successfully implement Scrum have: Teams that self-manage and collectively take responsibility for meeting commitments Product Owners that understand and guide product vision through carefully prioritizing and releasing features Management that supports the Scrum process and removes impediments Given that 3

4 Do Scrum Organizations Even Need Project Managers anymore??? Not the right question! Instead, we should ask 4

5 How Can the Skills Project Managers Have Contribute to an Organization s Success with Scrum? 5

6 A Changing Role Project Managers need to understand that their role will change in a Scrum organization, regardless of whether or not they are part of a Scrum project Today we will examine: Unique talents and skills PMs bring to a Scrum project Specific responsibilities and skills that will need to change 6

7 The Project Manager Role Transformed Some typical transitions PM s make when their organizations move to Scrum are to the role of: ScrumMaster Product Owner Project Manager for a Scrum project, outside the Scrum team 7

8 Project Manager as ScrumMaster Interest? A project manager is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated project objectives. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the triple constraint for projects, which is cost, time, and scope. - Wikipedia A Conflict of The ScrumMaster is responsible for ensuring that Scrum values, practices and rules are enacted and enforced. The ScrumMaster is the driving force behind all of the Scrum and helps the Scrum Team and the organization adopt and use Scrum to produce a higher quality product. The ScrumMaster is not the manager but leads by coaching, teaching and help(ing) the Team understand and use self-management and cross-functionality. - Scrum Alliance Website Key to success is knowing which PM skills support Scrum and which need to change 8

9 The Weight of the World on Their Shoulders Project managers are typically held responsible and rewarded for their ability to drive a project to successful completion, including: Directing staff (aka making people perform work) Managing risk Clarifying requirements Meeting project objectives Managing budget There is just one problem with this Project Managers are not usually the people doing the actual work! 9

10 That Was Then, This is Now As a ScrumMaster, the only thing you make happen is the process. PM s are no longer held solely responsible for: Making and meeting project commitments. That responsibility belongs to the team now Meeting project goals, objectives and release schedules. That responsibility belongs to the Product Owner Managing risk. That function is addressed by the Scrum process itself People who successfully make the transition from PM to ScrumMaster move from managing people to facilitating process and driving organizational change 10

11 Ace in Your Pocket - the Project Manager Toolbox Applied to the ScrumMaster Role PM s often have key skills that come in very handy in the ScrumMaster role: The ability to deliver the hard message Raising organizational impediments Pointing out behavior that does not support Scrum Contact with people who can make change happen Deciding how to address impediments Reporting Helping management get the information they need about the project 11

12 So What Behaviors Need to Change? Don t manage the team they need to manage themselves The team, not you, must take responsibility for making and delivering commitments This may be a gradual process Don t take responsibility for creating the right product the Product Owner needs to own that Product backlog maintenance Release management Product vision Don t let management shoot the messenger You don t create the impediments, you just raise them to management s attention Help management understand they cannot judge you by the old yardstick anymore 12

13 Project Manager as Product Owner Key skills PMs can bring to the Product Owner role include: Customer connections Ability to articulate requirements Understanding the technical implications of a decision Release planning Use of product road maps 13

14 A PM/ Product Owner Needs to Remember: You don t control the team Work with the team to get the info you need to make good decisions about the product Help the team understand your mantra of No surprises The iron triangle doesn t lie Don t pressure the team into making commitments they cannot meet Stick to agreements about technical quality Be aware of the amount of technical debt your system contains and work with the team to plan how to improve this Work with your ScrumMaster to include stakeholders in meetings (Sprint Review, Story Time meetings, etc) in a productive way 14

15 Project Managers Outside the Scrum Team Can be helpful with large projects Remember your role you are a chicken! Focus on helping the team remove impediments you are a first-line resource here Even as a traditional PM, your role changes with Scrum: the team, not you, is responsible for delivering on commitments Project Managers supporting a Scrum project can provide an example to other managers of good Scrum behavior 15

16 When the New Becomes the Same Old Thing What to do if a project manager continues old, nonproductive, non-scrum behaviors? Tell him/her! Sometimes we have the hardest time seeing our own mistakes Offer specific suggestions for improvement Avoid the always/never trap Get help from a neutral coach Learning via the blind leading the blind is very hard 16

17 Old Habits are Hard to Break For Everyone! I keep thinking I ve learned the benefits of empirical process control but my training in defined management keeps rearing its ugly head. Deep down, I feel like it is my responsibility to lay things out perfectly at the beginning and then insist the plan is adhered to. When adjustment is necessary, I feel that it s my fault for not getting everything right the first time but Scrum rules save me from myself. --Ken Schwaber Agile Project Management with Scrum 17

18 Questions/ Comments?