In today’s competitive job market, organizations are inundated with a deluge of resumes for every open position. To streamline the hiring process and manage this influx, many companies have turned to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that rely heavily on keyword matching to screen potential candidates. However, this automated approach is not only inefficient but also unjustified, leading to significant drawbacks and missed opportunities in identifying the best talent for the job.
The Unjustified Reign of Keyword-Driven Screening
The use of ATS software has become ubiquitous in modern recruitment practices, with the promise of saving time and effort by quickly filtering through a large volume of resumes. These systems are programmed to scan resumes for specific keywords related to job requirements, skills, and qualifications set by the hiring team. Candidates whose resumes contain these keywords are then flagged for further review, while those lacking them are often discarded without human intervention.
However, this reliance on keywords overlooks the nuances of a candidate’s experience, achievements, and potential cultural fit within the organization. It fails to capture the full scope of a candidate’s capabilities beyond what is explicitly stated in their resume, leading to a narrow and incomplete view of potential candidates.
The Unintended Consequences of Keyword-Centric Screening
Keyword-driven screening can have severe consequences for the recruitment process and the future of the organization:
1. Ineffective Candidate Evaluation: Relying solely on keywords overlooks the nuances of a candidate’s experience, achievements, and potential cultural fit within the organization. It fails to capture the full scope of a candidate’s capabilities beyond what is explicitly stated in their resume.
2. Perpetuating Bias and Discrimination: Keyword matching can inadvertently perpetuate bias in hiring by favoring candidates who use specific industry buzzwords or have certain educational backgrounds. This can result in overlooking qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds or unconventional career paths.
3. Wasted Opportunities for Hidden Gems: Exceptional candidates who possess valuable skills or experiences not captured by standard keywords may be unfairly excluded from consideration. Creativity, adaptability, and potential for growth are often overlooked in favor of rigid keyword criteria.
4. Negative Candidate Experience: Candidates who feel their applications are being judged solely on keyword matches may perceive the hiring process as impersonal and dehumanizing. This can damage the employer brand and deter top talent from engaging with the organization in the future.
5. Identify incorrect candidates: This has been a recent experience, where in based on a few key words, the hiring team is short listing potential candidates, when reviewed / test evaluated / interview – these candidates are found lacking in their relevant skills as quoted on their problems.
The Need for a Holistic Approach
To address the shortcomings of keyword-driven screening and enhance the quality of candidate selection, organizations must adopt a more holistic approach to recruitment:
1. Define Clear Job Requirements: Instead of relying solely on keywords, hiring teams should clearly outline the essential skills, experiences, and qualities required for each role. This ensures that screening criteria are aligned with actual job needs.
2. Utilize Technology Wisely: While ATS systems can be valuable tools for managing high volumes of applications, they should be used as aids rather than substitutes for human judgment. Combining automated screening with manual review can help identify top talent more effectively.
3. Emphasize Soft Skills and Potential: Look beyond technical qualifications and prioritize soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. Assessing a candidate’s potential for growth and cultural fit can lead to more successful long-term hires.
4. Implement Diverse Hiring Practices: Actively seek out candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to foster innovation and inclusivity within the organization. Encourage hiring teams to look beyond traditional metrics and consider a wide range of perspectives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the reign of keyword-driven candidate screening is not only inefficient but also unjustified. It leads to missed opportunities, bias, and subpar hiring decisions. By adopting a more balanced approach that combines technology with human judgment, organizations can improve their ability to identify top talent that aligns with their values and goals. Embracing diversity, emphasizing potential over checkboxes, and prioritizing candidate experience are key steps towards building a stronger workforce capable of driving innovation and success in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Ego, as defined in psychological terms, represents an individual’s sense of self-importance and self-worth. In project management, ego manifests as a personal need for recognition, power, and control. While a certain level of self-confidence is essential for effective leadership, an unchecked ego can lead to conflicts, communication breakdowns, and hinder project progress.
While having a healthy level of confidence and self-assuredness is generally beneficial, an excessively inflated ego can be challenging to handle and can have a significant impact on our work life.
In the realm of project management, achieving success requires more than just technical expertise and organizational skills. The human factor plays a pivotal role, and one aspect that can significantly impact project outcomes is ego management. Ego, often associated with self-importance and pride, can become a stumbling block or a catalyst for collaboration and success in project management. Today in this blog / article, we shall explore the concept of ego management and its critical role in project management, highlighting strategies to nurture collaboration and enhance project outcomes.
The Role of Ego Management in Project Success: Effective ego management fosters an environment where individuals can collaborate, share ideas, and work together towards a common goal. By minimizing egotistical behaviors, project managers can create a culture of trust, open communication, and innovation. Ego management is particularly crucial in project teams that comprise diverse individuals with unique perspectives, experiences, and expertise. When ego is managed effectively, it paves the way for improved decision-making, conflict resolution, and overall project success.
Based on past experiences of managing and participating projects, I have observed others, my bosses, leadership, Project managers on how they managed Ego to ensure their project success … I am listing based on my bets memory recall a few of those approaches:
Strategies for Ego Management in Project Management
Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and expectations helps minimize power struggles and conflicts arising from ego-related issues. When everyone understands their contributions and how they fit into the project’s overall objectives, it reduces the chances of ego-driven conflicts.
Foster a Positive Team Culture: Encouraging a positive team culture characterized by trust, mutual respect, and recognition of achievements helps diminish ego-related challenges. Recognize and appreciate individual contributions while reinforcing the importance of teamwork.
Implement Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: Despite efforts to manage egos, conflicts may arise. Implementing effective conflict resolution mechanisms, such as mediation or facilitated discussions, can address, and resolve conflicts before they escalate and impact project progress. In one of my earlier engagement, the Scrum Master implemented the concept of Team Agreement and Conflict resolution approach, She split the team into two and then asked the team to develop Team agreement (with one group) and Conflict resolution (with the other), Once it was done, then the teams were exchanged and asked to review and suggest chances to the data as written by the other team and finally come to an agreement – which then became the BIBLE for the team to behave and manage relationships internally
Promote Collective Ownership: Emphasizing shared responsibility and recognizing the team’s collective achievements helps to mitigate individual ego-driven tendencies. Celebrating team accomplishments rather than individual achievements creates a sense of unity and encourages collaboration. – This has been one of the major elements of implementation with one of my earlier managers – Approach was simple – celebrate the smallest of achievement – Even if that was a successful code review or a major bug fix found, or a Sprint Goal achieved.
Cultivate a Collaborative Environment: Project managers should prioritize building a culture of collaboration by encouraging open dialogue, active listening, and valuing diverse perspectives. By creating an atmosphere where team members feel heard and respected, ego-driven conflicts can be minimized. For instance in one of my previous organization, there was a process, where the Project manager would have at least 2 one on one with the team members daily and one meeting (called – “All Hand Meet”) – during this meeting – no project discussion, but more of personal touch, life discussions, general elements were discussed, this helped all the team members to know each other and value the skills and talent that others bought to the table.
Though we have a few interesting ideas for managing Ego, we also need to understand the reasons and challenges from the other side of the fence. Observations and better understanding after 3 decades of working gave me the following elements on Ego:
Intrinsic Nature: Ego is an inherent part of human psychology. It stems from our need for self-identity, self-worth, and recognition. It can manifest in various forms, such as the desire for power, control, or validation. Since ego is deeply rooted in individuals, managing it requires self-awareness and conscious effort. At times this can also happen due to our local environment at home or office
Lack of Self-Awareness: Ego management requires self-awareness, which can be lacking in individuals who are not introspective or reflective. Without recognizing and understanding their own ego-driven behaviors, individuals may inadvertently perpetuate conflicts, hinder collaboration, and impede project progress. Sometimes what a person does, may not realize that their actions are counter-productive, but they fail to understand & appreciate this
Resistance to Change: Ego often resists change, as it challenges our sense of self and disrupts established patterns of behavior. When confronted with alternative viewpoints, suggestions, or feedback, individuals with strong egos may feel threatened and resist adopting new ideas or approaches. This resistance can hinder collaboration and innovation in project management – This is a basic human nature to resist, we form opinions about things and do not want to change and this itself could be a showstopper in our life.
Fear of Vulnerability: Ego can serve as a defense mechanism to shield individuals from vulnerability. Admitting mistakes, seeking help, or acknowledging limitations can be seen as a blow to one’s ego. This fear of vulnerability can make it difficult to foster open communication and address issues proactively, leading to strained relationships and project challenges. This is the most dangerous part of the human character and nature.
Competition and Comparison: Ego often thrives in environments where competition and comparison prevail. When individuals feel the need to outperform others or maintain a superior image, collaboration and teamwork can be compromised. Project environments driven by ego-focused competition can undermine trust and hinder collective progress. At times this can be hugely negative element for the project and its team members – but at times it could be a savior in some manner.
Power Dynamics: Hierarchical power structures can exacerbate ego-related challenges. In environments where authority is concentrated and decisions are made unilaterally, individuals may feel the need to assert their own importance or protect their ego. This can lead to power struggles, lack of transparency, and diminished collaboration within project team.
Emotional Investment: Ego is closely linked to emotions and personal identity. When individuals become emotionally invested in their ideas, decisions, or positions, it becomes harder to objectively evaluate alternatives or consider differing perspectives. Emotional attachment to one’s ego can hinder rational decision-making and impede effective collaboration.
Last few words of wisdom:
Overcoming the challenges associated with ego requires a combination of self-reflection, open communication, empathy, and creating a supportive project environment. By promoting a culture of humility, self-awareness, and collaboration, project managers can address ego-related challenges effectively and foster an atmosphere conducive to project success.
To foster a healthier work environment, it is important for individuals to develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence, which can help them manage their ego and cultivate more constructive behaviors. Organizations can also promote a culture of collaboration, open communication, and continuous feedback, which can mitigate the negative impact of ego-driven behavior and promote a more productive and harmonious work environment.
Ego management plays a vital role in project management. By effectively managing ego-driven behaviors, project managers can create an environment conducive to collaboration, open communication, and innovation. Nurturing a culture of humility, respect, and shared ownership cultivates a high-performing project team that maximizes its potential for success. Embracing ego management strategies empowers project managers to navigate the complexities of human dynamics, ultimately enhancing project outcomes and achieving organizational goals.
It will always be the ownership of leadership to have the right environment and culture in the organization, This should also be reflected in our hiring practices, can we devise some approaches where these symptoms of Ego can be tracked and traced, this would help the organization and project at large in a long way post hiring of the candidate; but to have these ideas and thoughts implemented (at least on a pilot basis), it requires courage, forward thinking, ability to navigate thru a maze of negative and not so proactive thoughts and actions of people and finance (tools are not free)
Leadership / Management should see the writing on the wall before it is too late and the we miss the bus ….
See you later in some other thought provoking article ….
If you have ideas what you want to see me write – Pls let me know.
The demand for Scrum Masters to also have project management skills can be attributed to several factors and trends in the industry. While it is not a universal requirement, some organizations may prefer or require their Scrum Masters to possess project management capabilities. Here are a few reasons as per me to why this demand is existing in the market?
Overlapping responsibilities: Scrum Masters and project managers share certain responsibilities, such as facilitating communication, removing obstacles, and ensuring the smooth progress of product development or execution of the projects. By combining both roles, organizations can streamline their processes and avoid duplication of efforts.
Hybrid approaches: Many organizations adopt a hybrid approach to project management, combining agile methodologies like Scrum with traditional project management practices. In such cases, having a Scrum Master who is also familiar with project management can be advantageous, as they can bridge the gap between the two approaches and facilitate effective collaboration (question: Are the organizations getting the monies worth by doing this approach – would love to see a few case studies and experience sharing from others)
Project coordination: In larger organizations or complex projects involving multiple teams, a Scrum Master with project management skills can help coordinate and align the efforts of different teams or departments. They can ensure that the work being done by various Scrum teams is in sync and aligned with the overall project objectives (but is this not the pure role of a Scrum Master – Have we ever given a thought and management / leadership understand the pure meaning of the role called – Scrum Master)
Stakeholder management: Project managers often deal with various stakeholders, including clients, executives, and team members. Having a Scrum Master with project management skills can enhance their ability to manage stakeholders effectively, ensuring clear communication, managing expectations, and resolving conflicts (but again here we had Product Owner to deal with the stakeholders and manage their expectations, for resolving conflicts within the team – Scrum Master can handle the job)
Career progression: For individuals working in agile environments, gaining project management skills can offer opportunities for career advancement. By acquiring a broader skill set, Scrum Masters can expand their roles and take on project management responsibilities, leading to increased career prospects within the organization (but when the world is moving towards Agile and Agile adoption is increasing by the day – Not sure if any Scrum Master would care to become a career project manager – any takers?)
It is worth noting that while the demand exists to have a combo offer of Scrum Master Cum Project Manager, not all organizations require Scrum Masters to be project managers. The specific requirements may vary depending on the organization’s structure, size, and project management approach. Agile methodologies like Scrum prioritize flexibility and adaptability, so organizations may choose to have separate roles for Scrum Masters and project managers, depending on their specific needs and preferences.
Have we ever heard that Organizations are looking for Project Manager Cum Scrum Master? You would say Yes ….if you notice industry is looking for Scrum Master Cum Project Manager – Mind you there is a see change of difference between the two demands that the market is looking out for.
When such demands are placed, It gives me a lot more food for thought … in terms if the organization really wants to adopt Agile and do the implementation or it is just a new card that the leadership wants to use in the organization.
Has the management thought on these lines:
Conflicting priorities: Scrum Masters and Project Managers often have different priorities and approaches. Scrum Masters focus on facilitating the agile process, promoting self-organization, and removing impediments for the development team. Project Managers, on the other hand, may prioritize adherence to schedules, budgets, and overall project objectives. Balancing these potentially conflicting priorities can be challenging – It is like Chalk and Cheese, we mixing two elements together – Are we aware of the reactions and impact it would have on the moral of the person and the approach of agile adoption.
Time management: Both roles require significant time and effort to fulfill their responsibilities effectively. Juggling the tasks of a Scrum Master, such as organizing and facilitating ceremonies, coaching the team, and ensuring adherence to agile principles, along with the project management responsibilities like planning, tracking progress, and managing stakeholders, can be demanding and time-consuming (when a SM acts like a PM then the whole concept of Self-Organizing, Self-Managed goes out of the window, there is no concept of team autonomy – Time management for me would be a secondary thought)
Role clarity and expectations: Combining the roles of a Scrum Master and a Project Manager can lead to ambiguity in responsibilities and expectations. Team members may become uncertain about whom to approach for specific issues, and there could be confusion about the boundaries of each role. It is crucial to establish clear expectations and communicate them effectively to avoid role confusion. More than the team, I believe it would utter confusion for the person to play dual role – This is also an indication that Leadership of the organization does not even understand the concept of Agile and have little or no clue on how the work of a Scrum Master is performed. For them we all are just resources available to get some job done.
Skill set requirements: Being an effective Scrum Master and also a Project Manager requires a diverse skill set. Scrum Masters need expertise in agile methodologies, facilitation, coaching, and team dynamics. Project Managers require skills in project planning, risk management, budgeting, and stakeholder management. Finding individuals who excel in both areas can be challenging, as the skill sets required for each role may not overlap entirely. This is an interesting problem to have … if this logic can be applied for Scrum Master and Project Managers … then the same logic should be applied for all roles in the organization, like COO and CFO could be same or COO and CIO could be the same individuals and similar more. I hope the management wakes up and smells the coffee.
Potential burnout: Taking on the responsibilities of both a Scrum Master and a Project Manager can lead to increased workload and potential burnout. Both roles can be demanding individually and combining them may intensify the pressure. It is important to manage workload effectively, delegate tasks when possible, and prioritize self-care to prevent burnout. – Now the important question that I would have is where the HR policies of “Work Life Balance”, are these concept confined to the policies and to be used when recruiting people, later they have little or no meaning
Conflict of interest: Scrum Masters are advocates for the team, ensuring that they have the autonomy and support needed to deliver value. Project Managers, on the other hand, may have obligations to meet specific project objectives, timelines, and stakeholder expectations. Balancing these sometimes conflicting interests can be challenging and may require careful negotiation and communication. Meeting the timelines should be everyone’s job in the project or organization, At times we do not right resources (meaning skills), tools are missing, dependencies do not respond, client behaves abnormally, team members at times are moved across projects, no proper or adequate KT is done for the new joiners to the team – and with all these challenges, one expects ON TIME Delivery !!!
With my hand folded, I request leadership and decision makers across the globe to carefully consider these challenges and assess whether combining the roles of a Scrum Master and a Project Manager aligns with their specific needs and context. It is important to ensure that individuals in these dual roles receive the necessary support, training, and resources to succeed in fulfilling their responsibilities effectively. In a better world – one would not combine these two roles.
A small query – How many of us on a daily basis would combine / mix our tea and coffee together and enjoy the same – Any takers – On a daily basis (not experiment)?
This article is based and drawn on my Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Agile Coach experiences over a period of many years across different domains and industries and not to forget the geographies that I have worked in.
Beyond my fundamental training on Scrum and Agile, I had the privilege of working with and learning from highly competent, ethical professionals who had provided me ample opportunities to learn, make mistakes, and re-apply my learnings. People with whom I have been associated have practiced “Fail Fast” and showed me directions on how to prepare for the future. They have guided me to deal with stakeholders who need to be managed at a different level (as each of them was a different personality – No One size that fits all)
Everyone wants to succeed, but regardless of many forms of success, one must also be successful in dealing with others.
While there are many attributes that contribute to the growth and behavior of an individual, I have listed down what worked for me and helped me in my agile coaching journey.
Positive personal effectiveness is achieved when we can ethically win confidence, respect, and cooperation in our dealings with others (they could be your Seniors or Juniors).
Scrum Master’s job is to work with others; they cannot delegate this nor can they avoid the required interaction. For Scrum Masters to be successful, they should practice the below mentioned nine people skills for ‘Self-Improvement and Effectiveness’.
Personal Ethics
Adaptability
Tact
Creditability
Intercommunication
Persuasiveness
Objectivity
Initiative
Self-Discipline
From the above one would spot over-lapping approaches across many skills like Intercommunication and Persuasiveness vs. Tact.
Personal Ethics
It is thefirst people related skill that any individual should develop, and it applies to a Scrum Master also. It is basic to establish and maintain a high standard of excellence in the practice, life and behavior. Good character, stemming from good ethics, is a quality of leadership and it distinguishes any leader from others. It inspires well-founded and reciprocal confidence and trust of others in you.
I learnt in my career that the best and most successful people at the top (like Ratan Tata) were those who displayed and practiced personal ethics and took personal responsibilities toward their own people, project, organizations, employees, and society at large.
Consistent reliance on personal ethics should be our guiding principle in our personal encounters, which would inspire others to follow the same pattern and principles.
This should be the default element of any Scrum Master and bare minimum traits to have. There cannot be any compromise on this front.
Adaptability
Not everything would always go as per plan. It is important for us to be adaptable, especially in our project environment, where requirements can change, scope gets impacted, estimates go for a toss, – and the delivery of the MVP is at risk. This is the place where adaptability as a people skill would help us bring harmony to our attitudes and actions in our dealings with the situation and economic environment.
The required degree of adaptability varies with the situation, at times it would be temporary or minor in nature and at others, it would cause a major impact in our dealings and thought processes.
Experience has taught me that however crucial the circumstances may be, adaptability with a cool and collected mindset helps in managing the situation better.
The product owner could be putting pressure on the team, teams may have internal conflicts and challenges to deal with, or the market situation may not be as per our needs or plans. To deal with all these situations, adaptability is required. There is no substitute for the same.
Every project would demand a certain amount of adaptability, as its needs and goals would be different than your prior experiences. As a scrum master one would play multiple roles in a day-to-day affair of the product development. Depending on the need, one would act as a wise counselor or demonstrate as an inspiring mentor or display compassion. Scrum Master should know that change is inevitable and would have an overarching impact. A Scrum Master who can adapt to these changing situations would be able to survive and thrive in the business.
Tact
Scrum Master needs to master the art of tact in dealing with the team, PO and stakeholders including the leadership and show genuine concern for their situation and feelings. Tact as an approach cannot work alone, it has to be used with other personal effectiveness traits and people skills.
Lacking tact can be a costly impediment to personal effectiveness. How can we avoid conflict with someone who takes a totally arbitrary posture of disagreement? Now look at these 2 statements –
“Please tell me a little more about how you came to this conclusion.”
“I don’t agree with you.”
The first one might prevent antagonism, but the latter one would more likely cause it.
This is what we call tact – an important parameter in our approach to dealing with people. Self-control under pressure is a powerful tool of discretion. Lacking tact as a skill could be a costly impediment to personal effectiveness. A practical guide to improving your handling of situations with “tact” should consider these three elements:
Perception
Discretion
Empathy
Tact is more about mutual respect for other parties involved in the situation or discussions.
Credibility
Credibility is an essential attribute that is built upon elements of Trust, Integrity, Reliability, and Commitments. Credibility lends its power to personal effectiveness as it helps you earn the genuine respect, trust, and confidence of others.
Imagine a Scrum Master with credibility issues. Will they be able to lead the team, or will the team respect such a person?
Commitment and promises are a necessity in every part and type of job that we do. Breach of these would have issues on credibility of the person, whether it is in the society, organization, project, or family. A person’s past performance creates a track record which builds up credibility.
Intercommunications
Intercommunication is a synthesizer to all the other elements as discussed in this article. Intercommunication capabilities create the power to use all the skills more effectively. A good communicator conveys messages, ideas, thoughts, suggestions, and intentions clearly and concisely, while displaying the reciprocal interactions – listening, hearing, and evaluating the comments and feelings of others. This is a common element of Scrum Master’s daily job.
The effectiveness of Scrum Master’s communication is always reflected in the responses they receive, whether in action or attitude or words. These responses are an excellent ongoing opportunity for evaluating the style of our communication. If the Scrum team’s performance matters, it needs to have excellent communication from Scrum Master. Scrum is a high-intensity team sport. Good communication is one of the essential elements to build a robust Scrum team. Lack of communication or poor communication will invariably cause your Scrum team to fall apart.
Signs of poor communication
Here are the most common indicators of improper communication that you as a Scrum Master should be careful about:
Using a monologue over a dialogue
Disregarding the feelings of others
Being subjective/vague
Resisting feedback
Lack of shared language of communication
Persuasiveness
It is an art of gaining approval, acceptance or agreement when presenting your thoughts, ideas, plans, suggestions, and opinions to others.
It is one of the most valuable skills for the scrum master to have, as it leads to gaining cooperation, and a greater success in our dealing with the situations and people.
Quite often, traditional managers can be very autocratic when they delegate their authority. Scrum supports empowerment. Self-analyzing and self-organizing teams decide the best course of action. At times, it becomes necessary to advise the team to follow the Scrum process or carry out a particular activity. Generally, the teams respond positively by listening to the scrum master and engaging with the task. However, if the team fails to respond in time, or fails to respond positively, it may be required to engage with the team so it can comply. This is where the attitude comes in – the Scrum Master can either instruct the team or discuss the issue and persuade the team to respond positively.
An autocratic attitude is frowned upon by the team, and at an individual level, it may become difficult to avail the team member’s cooperation. The servant-leader role suggests that a scrum master should refrain from delegating his or her authority. Instead, the person should persuade the team member to cooperate.
Persuasiveness forms an integral part of well-defined communication. It is derived from competence, convictions, and ethically driven behavior.
Objectivity
Being objective helps to evaluate the situation, data, information which would be un-influenced by emotions, beliefs, or any personal preference. For a Scrum Master maintaining objectivity – an unbiased perspective when dealing with others and doing so fairly – is vital to achieving personal effectiveness. Objectivity is closely linked to credibility.
For objectivity to survive, an open mind is required, or should I say, it is the bare minimum requirement. An open mind would allow the Scrum Master to have the freedom to evaluate possible choices. A closed mind would rob us of these advantages.
Scrum Masters should be careful about objectivity as per social science research. This is difficult and arises out of the adverse influences of the following:
Personal prejudices and bias
Value judgement
Ethical dilemma
Complexity of social phenomena
A clear objective of Scrum Master should be to focus on the development and dissemination of knowledge and skills which are required to exploit the potential of the latest technologies and have collaborative design and working environment.
Initiative
This is an approach or a skill, where the Scrum Master converts an idea into action. The focus is to find if the idea would work, and whether we should pivot or throw away the thought.
A good product is well-crafted when engineering practices are in place with good effect. Scrum Master should arrange workshops on coding guidelines, designs, tools, and different engineering practices. Arrange a workshop for the team members where you can discuss or try a new tool, current architecture, latest technology, build-process, and do much more. This can be implemented by reserving time for the workshop and organizing an arbitrator who can be from the team.
Never have a laid-back attitude with your team or product, or when dealing with the stakeholders. Play on your front foot and move forward.
Self-Discipline
It is the ability to control one’s impulses, emotions, desires, and behavior. Agile transformation is all about self-disciplined team members. When we find discipline is missing, we do not get the value flow from the team to the end users. Self-discipline is important because it gives the Scrum Master the opportunity to excel in their professional life. It helps establish a set work routine and holds one accountable for the goals by pushing them to pursue advanced job opportunities.
Self-control is discipline in the face of pressure from an immediate urge, desire, or compulsion. It relates to delaying immediate gratification of the senses. Its struggle is the conflict between intellectual knowing and emotional desiring. It is the choice between physical and psychological satisfaction now vs. the hope or expectation of something better later.
A Scrum Master is required and expected that they would maintain a high degree of self-control and discipline.
Because self-discipline is a learned behavior, Scrum Master should make the choice to develop it. It’s important to set clear goals and have a solid plan for how they’ll achieve them. Knowing where we’re headed makes it easier to stay focused and avoid distractions. Here are a few steps you can follow to become self-disciplined:
Know your current situation
Define your expectations and set goals for yourself
Push yourself to meet your goals
Measure your progress
Learn from the situation
Reward yourself when you accomplish it
Identify your areas of improvement
Repeat the cycle – have a defined frequency
Remember there is no magic – it is all about you, your behavior and ability to handle complex, difficult situations, when the career and aspirations of people are involved. It is a delicate balance and Scrum Master needs to walk the tight rope.
Always inspect and adapt. Be the servant leader that Agile expects you to be.
This was in my Product Backlog for a long time, and I always wanted to jot down a few of my debatable thoughts (as others may not agree with my views) on how to identify the skills that we should look for when hiring for Leadership roles for an organization that follows Agile ways of working or is at very advanced stages of adoption and transformation.
Visualize that your organization is in a steady and stable Agile way of working. Across the board (including non-IT functions are also implementing Agile ways of working like Kanban and your product development teams are involved in Scrum or Kanban as the need may be). Your organizational Leadership is undergoing a massive change and restructuring is planned, wherein your company would be hiring Leaders (Heads for various Business Units) from the industry to take your organization forward.
Now with the requirement in our focus, we should design our Job Description (Do remember every hiring and at all levels should have a JD). The Leadership of an Agile organization is responsible for leading and implementing the company’s strategic vision, objectives, and goals in an Agile environment. They are accountable for developing and executing strategies that drive the organization’s growth and success while promoting a culture of agility, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Having the wrong leaders in an Agile organization can have a significant negative impact on organizational performance and the team’s productivity. Here are some potential consequences:
Slow decision-making: Agile teams require quick decision-making and responsiveness to changing requirements. If leaders are indecisive or take too long to make decisions, it can slow down the team’s progress.
Lack of clarity and direction: Agile teams require clear goals and direction to work effectively. If leaders are unclear or constantly changing their minds, it can cause confusion and make it difficult for the team to focus on their tasks.
Poor communication: Effective communication is critical in Agile teams. If leaders are poor communicators or don’t listen to their team members, it can cause misunderstandings, delays, and ultimately result in poor-quality work.
Lack of trust: Agile teams require a high level of trust between team members and their leaders. If leaders don’t trust their team members or their abilities, it can create a negative atmosphere and lead to decreased morale and motivation.
Lack of support: Agile teams require support from their leaders to be successful. If leaders are unsupportive or don’t provide the necessary resources, it can hinder the team’s ability to deliver high-quality.
If you or your organization has a dysfunctional leadership, then it can be challenging, but several steps can be taken to address the situation and promote a more collaborative and effective leadership culture. Hiring the right candidate is a critical element of the game and the first step that your company should be embarking upon.
In one of my previous engagements, we experienced a significant negative impact of Leadership approach and behavior on their organizations, agile teams, and employees. Listed here are some of the ways in which poor leadership had adverse effects on the entire journey:
Low Morale: It created an environment of low morale and a lack of motivation among employees. This led to high turnover rates and low productivity and a lot of sick leaves.
Poor Performance: When we experienced ineffective leadership, it resulted in poor performance from employees. This led to missed deadlines, and sub-standard quality, and this resulted in missed revenue targets.
Unhealthy Workplace Culture: Poor leadership in the organization led to a toxic workplace culture that was characterized by favoritism, discrimination, and harassment.
Lack of Direction: Poor leadership did not provide clear direction and vision for the organization. This resulted in confusion (across all levels), frustration, and a lack of focus among employees, causing considerable wastage of resources and missed opportunities.
Now with this background, let’s identify what are the good attributes of a Leader in an Agile Organization and check for these thoughts and approaches when you engage any person who would be part of your leadership team:
Visionary: Good leaders have a clear vision of where the organization is heading and communicate it effectively to the team. They inspire and motivate the team to work towards a common goal.
Agile Mindset: Having an Agile mindset and being open to change is vital. They embrace the Agile principles and values and lead by example. They promote a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation.
Servant Leadership: Effective leaders practice servant leadership. They focus on serving the team and removing impediments that hinder the team’s progress. They empower the team to make decisions and take ownership of their work.
Collaborative: A good leader in an Agile organization is collaborative and fosters a culture of collaboration. They encourage cross-functional collaboration and communication to ensure that the team is aligned and working towards the same goal.
Effective Communicator: It is important for the leader is an effective communicator. They communicate clearly and regularly with the team and stakeholders. They provide feedback to the team and encourage feedback from the team.
Decisive: Ideal leaders make informed decisions in a timely manner and are not afraid to take risks. They allow the Product Owner to prioritize the team’s work and ensure that the team is working on the most valuable work items (they would not and should not interfere in the working of the team).
Empathetic: Empathy is an essential quality that leaders should imbibe. They understand the team’s perspective and concerns and consider them when making decisions. They create a safe and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
Continuous Learner: Leaders must be lifelong learners. They stay up to date with the latest Agile practices and methodologies and encourage the team to do the same. They seek feedback and learn from their mistakes to continuously improve themselves and the team.
One would always want a leader who would provide support, and ensure the team has sufficient resources and support that they need to implement Agile. This may include providing training, coaching, or other support, led by example. Leaders must adopt Model Agile behavior and demonstrate how it can improve the team’s performance. This can help to motivate the team to adopt Agile principles.
Managing an organization that applies and adopts Agile requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to work with the team to find a solution that works for everyone. By educating the team, addressing concerns, starting small, providing support, leading by example, and monitoring progress, you can help the team become more open to Agile and ultimately improve their performance.
People engagement is a minimum expectation for any team, product, project, and organization. It is a never-ending journey, yet many projects or organizations go awry and lose the required focus. Many organizations fail to embark on that journey. As a result, they’re setting their people (and their bottom lines) up for failure.
Why is people engagement crucial? How do you measure it? Improvements can only come when you know what needs to be done and why, along with the relevant impact or desired change.
What is People engagement?
Many Scrum Masters recognize that engaging the team members plays a critical role in Agile success. But far fewer can define engagement and why it’s so important. What is the so-called engagement? What is the role of Scrum Master in this front?
Team Member engagement is the measure of how motivated a person is within their job, team, and organization. When someone is highly engaged, it means they’re invested in their work, energized by their peers, and committed to their product and/or company’s long-term mission and vision.
Put simply, engagement measures an employee’s level of satisfaction at a given point in the employment lifecycle. The higher the level of engagement, the greater the likelihood that the person is enjoying a positive experience. By engaging your hard-working folks and low-performers alike, you ensure your people can come to work energized—and deliver their best.
Why is an engaged Scrum Team important?
Flip this question on its head: What happens when your team or a few members of the team are not engaged?
When team members feel disconnected their work begins to suffer which ultimately impacts the product / increment delivery. Team member is less likely to go the extra mile for their others and is going to do the bare minimum to stay afloat in their role. And when they decide their organization can no longer support their growth (professionally, monetarily, or otherwise), they’ll leave for a company that can.
Now imagine that effect multiplied across an entire workforce, and the dangers of disengagement become amply clear.
An engaged Scrum Team is critical to productivity—and, by that definition, it would impact your profitability and customers (directly).
We do not even count the losses that we have made by hiring the wrong person or backfilling the position. If we start to calculate the amount of time, effort, and energy that is wasted, more so from the management level, our growth in terms of EBITA would be going north. But, alas, it is considered an element of doing business. No doubt that people would leave, but by retaining them for a longer duration, you are increasing your margins, as well as customer satisfaction.
Improvements to the employee experience can also carry over to the customer experience. If you’re taking steps to improve employee satisfaction, chances are your customer satisfaction ratings will get a boost, too.
Habits of engaged employees and companies.
Engaged team members would have some habits you simply won’t find in other employees. They show up to work with energy and often a genuine smile. They go the extra mile in their role—by working late occasionally or offering to help employees with too much on their plate. Above all else, they’re excellent teammates who contribute to a healthy team dynamic.
Benefits of engaged team members.
When a team member is engaged, that inner fire tends to spread. Others feel the energy. They spend more discretionary effort and aspire to be better team players. Given are a few of the many benefits of engagement:
Higher productivity
Greater profitability
Lower employee turnover
Fewer safety incidents
Stronger customer loyalty
Lower employee absenteeism
Consider this list of benefits, and the takeaway is clear: Employee engagement can transform your business.
Make no mistake: A ping-pong table and office snacks aren’t enough to entice today’s talent. More than ever, people want a fail-safe environment—one where they can be their authentic selves, and work in a way that’s both stimulating and sustainable.
The different levels of engagement
You may know an employee is highly disengaged, but unless you know what is driving disengagement, how are you supposed to take action?
There are four drivers of employee engagement:
Job fit: Alignment between an employee’s responsibilities and their natural tendencies and career aspirations
Manager fit: The relationship between the employee and their manager.
Team fit: Chemistry with teammates, and overall team cohesion
Organizational fit: connection to senior leadership and the company culture
When a team member achieves fitment across all four factors of engagement, they’re more likely to be engaged overall. By contrast, when one or more factors are lacking—a person doesn’t gel with their team, the culture, etc.—they’re more likely to become disengaged over time.
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to engagement. Job satisfaction may look wildly different to one team member as compared to another—it all depends on each person’s natural behavioral drives. By understanding how to motivate your scrum team members based on their unique needs, Scrum Master can ensure that they are taking an active approach to prevent disengagement and improving the experience.
Don’t try to boil the ocean. When in doubt, look for ways—even if seemingly small—to improve one or more of the four drivers of engagement.
Here are some examples of ways to improve engagement:
Have regular career pathing discussions with your team members.
Build awareness as a Scrum Master and address relationship gaps.
Encourage a healthy work-life balance (and lead by example).
Build trust by leading remote-friendly team-building activities.
Recognize your Scrum Team Members for a job well done, or when a Sprint has gone well (more so publicly than privately).
Write personalized “thank you” cards for your team members.
Embrace hybrid work by allowing people to choose where they work (as long as the work is getting done, the goals and objectives are achieved of the product/sprint).
Once the Scrum Master discovers effective employee engagement best practices, it’s time to think about the bigger picture with the strategy. Scrum Master should take a proactive approach by surveying the team members about their experiences with the project/organization. Identify the biggest opportunity areas, so one can swiftly act on their feedback.
Investing in and measuring engagement
Investing in engagement today can pay dividends in the long term—but only if you know how to measure your progress.
Collecting employee feedback has always been important, but now it’s mission critical. Organizations live in a post-COVID world—one dominated by discussions about mental health, social equity, and personal freedom. Throw economic uncertainty into the mix, and you could make a strong argument that employee engagement is in a recession of its own.
The impact of managers and leadership on engagement
As a Scrum Master, you have an outsized impact on engagement. It’s incumbent that you don’t just listen to your people, but that you advocate and fight for them.
Taking action is a collaborative process. Give your people the forum to voice their opinions and propose ideas for change. Once you’ve agreed upon a plan of action, see to it that you follow through on that plan. Lead by example and encourage other leaders / Scrum Masters across the organization to follow suit.
The role of engaged employees in your hiring process.
Engagement doesn’t just make for a great employee experience—it makes for a great hiring experience, too.
One of the best ways to create a world-class onboarding experience is to involve existing employees, preferably high performers already in the role. Doing so can help accelerate a new hire’s training while providing invaluable mentors they can lean on in their first 30 days.
By having engaged team members, you ensure new hires are exposed to the very best your organization has to offer. By contrast, if you let disengaged team members run the show, you risk discouraging new talent before they even wrap up their first day.
Identifying disengaged employees at your workplace
A proactive approach to engagement isn’t without its flaws. Employees can still fall through the cracks and become disengaged.
Put simply, the four factors of engagement can double as “four forces of disengagement.”
You can probe for these negative forces with the right conversations. If you sense morale is low among a group of employees, bring it up privately during your next one-on-one meeting. Consider asking the following questions:
Are you enjoying your current role?
Do you feel supported by the team?
In what ways can I improve as a Scrum Master?
How do you feel about the state of the company?
Disengaged employees are never a lost cause. Equip yourself with effective tools—and a positive mindset—and you’ll ensure you’re setting up your people for success.
Look forward for your feedback and comments … your personal experience on this front, we all can share and learn from each other’s experience
The How Might We framework is quite often called HMW. The framework was originally created to define and frame design challenges, but you can use it to address a lot of different challenges you might encounter.
The How Might We framework is basically a way to reframe a problem. You’re not only trying to see the problem from a positive perspective, but also opening your mind and consequently your possibilities to new solutions. This can be an amazing opportunity.
This concept has been borrowed from Design Thinking approaches. I have personally used this concept to resolve issues and impediments in my clients Agile transformation and adoption journey. It is a different way and a method to tackle things that would bring different views and perspective to life.
Normally HMW question can be quickly formulated if good findings / issues / problems statements have been identified. This definition of HMW should not take more than 15-20 mins / issue or problem. We would typically do this with a lot of white boarding, using Post Its, Pen and Paper.
When we redefine our problem with the How Might We approach, we are actually turning challenges into opportunities. It’s a process, and you might not get it right the first time. It’s an important tool for mastering the ability to develop creative solutions to problems. Redefining our problems in this way can unlock a world of possibilities.
Make sure your team is empowered to come up with even silly and crazy ideas. Create a safe environment where brainstorming is truly valued. At this point, don’t worry about the feasibility of the ideas, just brainstorm and go crazy. In some cases, the crazy-impossible ideas can be reframed in a brilliant and innovative way, so don’t constrain your mind or your team. HWM questions are a way to foster brainstorming and other ideation sessions.
Why are they called “How Might We”
“How” part suggests that we do not yet have the answer. It allows us to consider multiple avenues for innovation and reinforces that we are still exploring the problem and solution space.
“Might” emphasizes that there are many different paths we can go down when thinking about solutions. This allows for open-minded creativity and brainstorming and thinking about the problem from multiple perspectives. This “might” is where innovation becomes part of the process.
“We” immediately brings in the idea of teamwork. “We” should all work collaboratively to come up with a joint understanding of the problem and put our heads together to come up with a joint solution.
How should this work for an Agile team?
Reflect upon all the issues / challenges / Improvements as needed and identified during the retrospective, then reflect upon them to see and understand the context a lot more better (at times, we are emotional during the retrospective and want the whole world to improve)
Motivate the team to explore and come up with several HMW questions that could address the needs or the problem statements
Each question should follow the logic of “How Might We” and it should be followed by a verb, noun and type of the user base that we are trying to address the problem for
As a passing thought this approach of HMW can be used for any type of problem solving or identifying new ideas / thoughts / innovations or opportunities – this could be used in resolving the issues or challenging the current status quo of the Product backlog approaches, how user stories are to be developed, what solution would address the problem in hand.
I have seen a lot of people using HMW statements to invoke discussions leading into innovation, but as the case with some other models, they can go horribly wrong… Like too much of Open Ended Ness
How might we make our app more usable?
How might we redesign our website to make it better?
Or at times, we go so deep, that we have created a narrow view:
How might we make our app’s add to cart experience more functional?
When HMW statements are too narrow, we lose all the incredible, innovative ideas that can come from them. With too much focus, we are stuck on one particular solution already. We want several different ideas to test at the end, so focusing too much on one solution will limit creativity and innovation.
Always remember that in addition of the description of the problem, a target customer must be defined for the project / problem to be resolved. In doing so, we are now trying to highlight the user and his / her needs (now notice we have got Persona as concept involved here)
Have multiple HMW ‘s for each problem statement, Each HMW question can then be understood as a prototype and testing in a short brainstorming session, The one that is the most appropriate one will then be chosen and pursued.
Key elements to take care of:
Do not discuss a HMW question for too long, Timeboxing should be performed for each HMW and do not get bogged down in the phrasing of the question.
It is essential to be optimistic and close to the needs of the user to come up with several good HMWs
Use the above ideas and thoughts in your next retrospective or product backlog refinement session, do share your experience and help us improve the approach and tool sets for continuous improvement approaches.
I propose this approach to be added to the concept of Liberating Structures
A Gemba Walk is the practice of Product Owners, Product Managers, Business Analyst personally observe the place where work is being done. The original Japanese term comes from gembutsu, which means “real thing” or “real place.” Thus, the Gemba is wherever work happens, and value is added to products or services. The Gemba may be a production floor, an emergency room, a construction site, or a classroom.
During a Gemba Walk, PO’s / PM’s should physically go to the places where people are putting together products or using them, helping customers, analyzing data, maintaining machinery, or any other process. The philosophy behind Gemba Walks rests on the idea that it is easier to gather feedback, spot process or workspace issues, and build trust with the team by observing work firsthand. Employees tend to be more open to pointing out opportunities for improvement or sharing concerns when they are in their own workplace.
PO’s / PM’s who have committed to Gemba Walks typically spend about 60 minutes a week at the Gemba. They pay careful attention, ask questions, and observe processes, The idea is to catch on ground information and understand the nature of work getting performed
Some Tips on doing a GEMBA walk:
Define a clear focus – In terms of what is to be observed? Who is to be observed? What is the purpose and scope of my learning?
Communicate with the Team Before the Walk:You don’t want your client / end users to feel blindsided by a Gemba Walk – it isn’t a surprise inspection, rather it is a technique for collecting requirements, it is essential to describe the purpose of Gemba Walks and let the team know what to expect. Open communication in advance will help people feel more comfortable and foster engagement.
Pay Attention to the Handoffs: If you follow the value stream, you will likely find that all the stakeholders and output of that process along with the handoffs between processes, peoples, or departments. Those areas may yield the most potential for eliminating waste.
It’s not about just observation: The process of capturing the information / data is very important.
Separate Observations from Interpretation: Pay heed and attention to the methods of working, work around solutions as used, challenges faced, discussions between 2 people (do OSMOTIC communication – do not participate)
Pay attention to routines and details: Qualify how long a work takes (measure it), Quantitative analysis can be easily visualized with charts and graphs and more meaningful insights can be obtained.
Based on all of the above: Obtain new insights on how the problem is resolved today and how the process is lived in the real world
Do not fire or make judgement calls.
Follow Up: After your walk is over, be sure to follow-up with the teams, let them know what you learned and ask for additional input. It’s a good idea to close the loop so people aren’t left wondering about your impressions.
Gemba Walk Checklist
Every time when a PO / PM performs a Gemba walk, they will need to prepare a checklist in advance. This list will help them focus and target their efforts in right direction.
The checklist has to include questions that will help understand the process that they are going to observe in a better way. Questions may vary depending on the theme of your Gemba walk.
Here are some basic Gemba walk checklist questions:
Use Gemba walks a means to collect needs, observe the current behavior and work as performed, challenges, If possible speak to end users or doer’s of the process, understand their needs and viewpoints.
Perform this activity for multiple days and across different segments of people, this would enable you to focus on different situations and scenarios that may come up.
The 2×2 Matrix is a decision support technique where the team plots options on a two-by-two matrix.
Each axis represents a decision criterion, such as cost or effort. Each axis is divided into two sections (example: low cost/high cost and easy/difficult).
The matrix is drawn on a whiteboard, then the team plots the options along the axes. This makes it easy to visualize the options that are low cost and easy, and low cost and hard, for example.
The best results happen when the team defines the boundary between the quadrants. For example, if the horizontal axis represents the time it would take to complete a project, the boundary line between the Fast and Slow quadrants might be defined as 4 weeks.
Where is the value for 2×2 matrix in usage?
It helps in quickly determining which ideas / thoughts or options should be pursed or rejected or parked for now
Obtain a 1st hand overview of ideas that have already have a certain qualification and maturity
Carry out prioritization, innovations, identify market opportunities
In cases where the problem statement is complex, it helps in breaking down the idea into individual components
Use it when you have a decision to make
Use this tool in place of:
Kano Model
Dot Voting
Use this tool in conjunction with:
Venn Diagrams for feasibility, economic viability and desirability
Dot Voting for prioritization within a quadrant
This tool can be as versatile as a Swiss Army Knife (multiple purpose), It can be used across spectrums ranging from basic technical decisions to solution-oriented business models. Quantification in form a cost / yield chart can be of help, Sponsors are happy to use such a chart as a basis for decision making.
Steps to use 2×2 Matrix
Draw the 2 x 2 matrix and designate your X and Y axis as per your needs and requirements. Use opposite references such as High: Low / Important: Negligible / Cost: Savings and so on..
When evaluating for ideas, focus more on the benefits for the user and the feasibility and use measurable and tangible criteria for evaluation / opportunity analysis
Start with a board classification and question in which quadrant the idea should be placed
Place your current idea in relation to the other already existing ideas
Pay attention to the opinions of the team and try and find consensus
First take the idea and position it for X or Y axis, once a side is decided, then plan for the next axis, this approach would help in identifying the right or more suitable quadrant.
Repeat this process for all the ideas on the table
If there are several ideas in a quadrant, then select the top 3 for further discussions (do not attempt all)
Also check if there is any quadrant which are empty, they represent further opportunities and unfulfilled needs
Key elements to be aware of:
Keep ideas as simple as possible – complexity means confusion on the matrix
Rewrite or split the idea into several ideas if it helps to clarify the positioning
Experiment with different possibilities and adapt the axes to the problem statement and the objectives
This tool can be used for Product Backlog Prioritization, Involve your customers to do the 1st level review and then involve your scrum team to perform the 2nd level of review from a technical stand point
Use different approaches and mix and match to get the best and the optimum results for your product, customer, end users and the team Innovate yourself, to engage the customer and keep your scrum team motivated
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