The 5 Character Taits of a Samurai Scrum Master

Unlike the term Samurai which has been around since the 11th
century (depicted military nobility in pre-industrial Japan and
numbered less than 10% of Japan's population) the term Scrum
Master has only been around since the early 90s (when Schwaber
and Southerland introduced the Scrum Framework at OOPSLA) but
found profound momentum and is a well-known management
position in Software Development companies world-wide.
The main influences of the Samurai culture were Buddhism, Zen and
Confucianism. While Zen meditation became popular as a way of
calming one's mind, its Confucianism that believes we (as human
beings) are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through self-cultivation and self-creation.
So why liken a Samurai to the Scrum Master you ask; well the term Samurai (in Japanese)
means "to serve" and the core focus of a Scrum Master is just that. They not only serve
the Development Team and Product Owner but the Stakeholders and rest of the
Organisation in slightly different ways.
As Mandy Schoeman, Scrum Solutions CEO explains The concept of Scrum is easy but it
takes the right person to champion and enforce the Framework while allowing the team to
constantly self-organise, collaborate effectively and iteratively deliver a potentially
shippable quality product. Unfortunately there are countless organisations that not only
implement Scrum incorrectly but have Scrum Masters who lack the necessary character
traits that enable them to be effective in the first place.
While Scrum Masters work within the IT industry, 90% of their job is people orientated and
non-tangible which has nothing to do with Technology; they just happen to occupy a desk in
this department. So who should you entrust to fill this new role?
First, lets look at the responsibilities of a Scrum Master:
1. Ensure communication (even training) within teams, across team boundaries while
maintaining the Scrum Framework;
2. Enable close cooperation and communication across all roles and functions while
dealing with colourful personalities through the Project Office and rest of the
organisation;
3. Ensure the Scrum Framework is followed including the admin of invites to daily
scrum, iteration review and planning meetings etc;
4. Shield the team from ALL external interferences while assisting them to remove
barriers and impediments;
5. Separate themselves from technical detail while coaching the team and ensuring
theyre fully functional and productive.
So what are your options: promoting versus recruiting? This is a tuff one as they equally
have positive and negative implications.

Promoting within: even though this has its own challenges, it does mean theyre
familiar with your organisation and could slot into the role.
Recruiting externally: an advantage to hiring someone with the knowledge,
experience and Scrum Master Certification brings a fresh, unbiased view that will
hit the ground running.

When taking on the Scrum Framework its important to find the best Scrum Master for your
team but if youre unsure of this role or who the best person to fill it is; take solace, youre
not alone. This is a common dilemma many companies face not just in South Africa but
globally. When looking at Agile Software Development, the Scrum Framework appears to be
just a simple set of guidelines with new titles, several meetings, some stickies and a white
board; however, successfully implementing it requires a substantial amount of knowledge
and years of hands on experience which one cannot gain from a video, Scrum Guide or even
a two day Scrum course.
Implementing Scrum is time consuming and costly which cannot be facilitated by staff
training alone. Leaders need assistance with their agile transition planning and
organisational readiness, to support Product and IT management with role adoptions and
Product Backlog readiness. Not only do Scrum Masters mentor Scrum Teams on the new
process but they help the whole organisation understand an agile culture.
Bushido mentions the 8 virtues of a Samurai being: Morality, Courage, Compassion,
Politeness, Honesty/Sincerity, Respect, Loyalty, Character plus Self-Control. For a detailed
explanation on each virtue visit our website at www.scrumsolution.co.za/Blog/Bushido.
Now lets examine the personality traits of this unique individual:
1. Outgoing: This confident people-person has a good sense of humour is energetic
enough to encourage good development behaviours from all sides of the Project
cycle.
2. Emotionally Intelligent: People who are drenched in emotional intelligence and
empathy have the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions not just of
themselves but of others and groups.
3. Professional: This person has high standards of personal and business behaviour,
values and guiding principles enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations. Their
conduct at work is according to sound and consistent ethical principles.
4. Courageous: This thick-skinned person is willing to stand for the courage of their
convictions when everyone around them loses their rationale.
5. Accountable: This individual takes ownership of their mistakes, does their best to
correct them and makes sure they don't make them again. They never blame others,
but set an example for those who were also responsible to do as they've done.
So whos suitable for this Scrum Master role?
Within the pool of your potential candidates are Senior Managers, Project Managers (PM),
Developers/Analysts, Testers/QA/QS, Technical Writers and Trainers, however, the only
people focused on product quality and integrity are the Testers/QA/QS.
Over the past ten years, Ive found that individuals who are charged with ensuring the
quality of the product and dont focus on controlling the activities of individual team
members make ideal Scrum Masters. Dont get me wrong; Im not saying that PMs dont
make awesome Scrum Masters, some have certainly become effective Scrum Masters but
this is the exception rather than the rule.
PMs are fantastic at Managing Projects so let them do what they do best. Dont force them
into a Scrum Master position, unless they choose it. If you need to find a new spot for your
PM rather let them use their strengths in a Product Owners role.
Evidence shows that its much easier and a hundred times more effective converting a
confident / big personality staff member into a Scrum Master as opposed to attempting the
opposite says Mandy.

Scrum Solutions: We work with Leaders who are serious about transforming their
organisations into one that innovates, leads, adapts, and delivers while being an industry
leader. Our blueprint is not a prescriptive set of directions to a single desired future, but
rather a game plan that allows your company to be successful no matter how an uncertain,
changing business environment unfolds. We assess your readiness, co-create a plan for
change, and mentor your leadership team through this difficult and rewarding process. Our
proven change model guides the transition, helping you reach full organisational agility at
the Team, Program, and Portfolio levels. We dont just provide effective best practices for
on time, within budget, scope changing IT projects; we will enable your organisation to
gain the competitive edge in a swiftly evolving environment.
If youve implemented Agile and would like or help identifying improvement areas then
contact us and well do an extensive pressure test audit to help iron out those gremlins.
Book your place on the popular 2 day Scrum Master course in Johannesburg on 5 June 2014:
this is not a death by ppt course but practical hands on experience to help those who are
new to Agile or struggling with Scrum in their Organisation.
Visit www.scrumsolutions.co.za to download Your Scrum Advantage Guide.
16 April 2014 by Mandy Schoeman of Scrum Solutions.