You have, after reading my previous article, decided for yourself that you want to become a Scrum Master. Congratulations! But what now? Where do you start? In this article I will take you through the first step that you can take now. Even if you are not yet ready to change roles. I believe that everyone can become a fantastic Scrum Master and that you do not need special training for that. And for that you can start with the basics: Developing an Agile mindset.
Agile isn't a methodology, it's a mindset.
– Jeff Sutherland
(co-writer of the Scrum Guide)
I will start with an explanation of Agile. Then I will take you through some theory about mindsets, to conclude with advice on how to develop an Agile mindset. Enjoy reading!
What is Agile?
When people talk about Scrum, they often also talk about Agile. But what does it actually mean? Agile is a term that has become very well-known in project management and software development. At its core, Agile is a philosophy, a collection of core values and principles (see ► The Agile Manifesto below) that focus on flexibility, adaptability, and a customer-centric approach. It is a reaction to traditional project management (e.g. Waterfall), which offers plenty of room for change and innovation. In an Agile environment, people work in iterative cycles (see also ► (Iterative cycles), where continuous feedback and adjustment are at the core.
Agile is not a process or set of fixed rules that you have to follow, but a mindset (I'll explain what this is in a moment) that transforms the way one looks at projects, teams, and even organizations. Someone with an Agile mindset strives to increase efficiency, accelerate development, and improve responsiveness, with the primary goal of creating maximum value for the customer.
The Agile Manifesto
The set of principles I am referring to comes from the “Agile Manifesto”. This is a document that was written by a group of software developers who felt it was time for a fresh perspective on software development. So in 2001 they got together to define the fundamental values and principles for Agile software development. Because they had the Agile mindset themselves, they defined it in a way that everyone could understand and no more text than necessary. Not a book, but just four core values and twelve principles:
The Four Core Values of the Agile Manifesto:
- Individuals and interactions above processes and tools
- Working software above extensive documentation
- Collaboration with the customer above contract negotiations
- Responding to change above following a plan
The Twelve Principles of the Agile Manifesto:
- Customer satisfaction through fast and continuous delivery of valuable software.
- Embracing Change, even late in development, for the customer's competitive advantage.
- Frequent delivery of working software.
- Daily collaboration between business employees and developers.
- Building projects around motivated individuals and provide them with the environment and support they need.
- Face-to-face conversations as the best form of communication.
- Working software as the primary measure of progress.
- Constant pace in development to support sustainability efforts.
- Excellence in technical skills and good design for best performance.
- Simplicity – the art of maximizing the work not done – is essential.
- Self-organizing teams encourage the best architecture, requirements and designs.
- Regular reflection on how to become more effective and adjust accordingly.
These values and principles serve as the foundation for Agile and are the basis for various Agile frameworks and practices such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean and Extreme Programming (XP). They emphasize adaptability, collaboration, customer focus and delivering tangible value.
Iterative cycles
Iterative cycles in Agile refer to a form of work in which large projects are broken down into smaller, manageable parts, often called “iterations.” Each iteration represents a portion of the larger project that is designed, developed, tested, and delivered within a specific time period, usually a few weeks. The result of breaking work into iterative cycles is greater focus, greater flexibility, and greater value to the customer.
What is a mindset?
A mindset is a set of beliefs that determine how we think, feel, and react to situations. It is closely linked to our perceptions of ourselves and our capabilities. There are two commonly known types of mindsets, introduced by Carol Dweck1: 1) a growth mindset, where one believes in the possibility of developing skills and intelligence; and 2) a fixed mindset, where one thinks that these qualities are unchangeable. Your mindset determines greatly how you view yourself and your work. I will illustrate this with an example of change.
If you were to ask people with a growth mindset how they view change, they would say: “Change offers new opportunities to learn and grow; it is a chance to improve our approach and strengthen ourselves.” These people would embrace change with the attitude: “Every change brings new challenges and opportunities, and I look forward to exploring them.”
People with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, would say: “Change is threatening and uncomfortable; I prefer the familiar ways and routines.” They might have the thought: “I am good at what I do now; change could undermine my success and security.”
This mindset not only influences our behavior and response to challenges, but also our willingness to learn and grow. With the right effort and focus, it is possible to transform our mindset to become more open, adaptive, and resilient in the face of challenges and opportunities.
What is an Agile Mindset?
As you may have guessed, the Agile Mindset is fundamentally a growth mindset. But they are not exactly the same. While both mindsets value learning and growth, an Agile Mindset is more focused on flexibility, continuous learning, and delivering value to the customer. A growth mindset, on the other hand, focuses more on developing personal capabilities and potential.
People with an Agile Mindset are collaborative, value feedback, and are willing to adapt to change. They don’t see failures as setbacks, but as opportunities to learn and grow. In a rapidly changing world, an Agile Mindset is crucial for innovation and success because it enables individuals and organizations to respond proactively to change, and to create and seize opportunities in a complex and unpredictable environment. Someone with an Agile mindset is likely to say about change: “Change is an inevitable and valuable source of innovation and continuous improvement. Every change brings new opportunities, and I embrace them to continuously provide value and learn.”
How do you develop an Agile Mindset?
I hear you thinking: “Okay, Mark, that's all well and good, but if I find change quite scary, how am I going to approach this?” Of course, change is choosing the hard way instead of the easy way. And that sometimes comes with growing pains. But without change, we would still be standing in a phone booth trying to get in touch with a friend who lives far away. Learn to see change as an opportunity to improve and grow, not as an obstacle. How do you do that? It takes discipline and a conscious effort to shift your focus to flexibility, adaptability and a customer-centric approach. Here are some tips to develop your Agile mindset:
- Be proactive:2
Take initiative and responsibility for your work.
For example, ask yourself the following questions: “What challenges will I face?” and “How can I prepare for this?” - Embrace change:
Accept that change is inevitable. See it as an opportunity, not a threat. Ask yourself: “How can I best respond to this change?” and “What opportunities does this bring? - Appreciate feedback:
Actively seek feedback from your customer, colleagues and stakeholders. Use this to continuously improve and adapt. Questions to ask others: “What do you think I'm good at?” and ““Where are the opportunities for me to grow?” - Focus on customer value:
Understand your customer's needs and expectations. Ask lots of questions and involve your customer in the development process. Then prioritize the work that brings the most value to the customer. Ask yourself: “Do I know exactly what my customer wants?“As long as the answer is no, you haven't asked enough questions. - Collaborate and be transparent:
Work closely with team members, your client, and other stakeholders. Also, promote open communication and transparency. Ask yourself: “What steps can I take to improve collaboration and communication within my team?”
Finally, in addition to asking yourself the above questions, you can do the following things:
- Reflect: Set aside time regularly to reflect on your work, results and learning process. Ask yourself what is going well, what can be improved and how you can adapt to new information or changes.
- Continuous improvement: Set goals for personal and professional growth. Identify areas for improvement and actively work on developing your skills and knowledge.
- Experimenting: Don't be afraid to try new methods. Experiment, evaluate results and adjust your approach.
I hope that by reading this article you have learned more about your own mindset and how to change it. And yes, that is scary! But you will understand why this is the first step to becoming a Scrum Master, because this is the foundation to build on. An important part of the Scrum Master role is also coaching and guiding your team and stakeholders in a changing environment. So besides developing your own mindset, you also help others to change theirs. Of course, that is a lot more complex because you have more influence on your own behavior and thoughts than that of someone else, I will definitely write about that in the future. You can at least start by sharing this article.
If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. I'm definitely open to it! 😉
Now that you've read the article, I'm very curious about the following:
In which area can your mindset grow the most and what concrete steps are you going to take to achieve that growth?”
I'd love to hear it in your comment below.
See you next week!
With warm regards,
Mark
- Carol Dweck is a renowned American psychologist best known for her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”, in which she introduces and explains the concept of the “growth mindset” versus the “fixed mindset”. ↩︎
- This is the first habit from “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. I recommend reading his book if you are ready to work on your mindset. ↩︎
