What is the Scrum Declaration of Interdependence and what does it mean to the Scrum Master? This article looks to discuss what the declaration is and how it can be used to improve product delivery.
The History of Agile
A 59 Seconds Agile Video Animation
The Scrum Declaration of Interdependence for Scrum Masters – Part 2
Expect uncertainty and manage for it in a project
The scrum master is the chief architect in the management of risks and changes. Risk management, resolution, acceptance, or transfer of risks is one of the primary roles of a scrum master. Also, the management of change during the execution of a sprint is the primary responsibility of the scrum master. The scrum master will be responsible for the following aspects of expecting and managing uncertainty:
● Proactively identify or acknowledge risks
● Risk Assessment
● Risk Prioritisation
● Risk Management
● Risk Communication
Risk management requires continuous communications, evaluation and inspection to quickly adapt to the needs of the market. The declaration of interdependence recognizes that this is an area requiring the focus of all impacted persons on a project.
Unleash creativity and innovation
Agile scrum values people over processes. The declaration of interdependence takes this a step further by recognizing that creativity must be embraced, encouraged and an environment established where it is nurtured. It is the job of the scrum master to remove impediments to team member progress. User stories are created with the input of the team but, are purposely left high level to give execution team members the latitude to develop as they best understand. The scrum master is responsible for ensuring that feature development is not dictated to the team members but, that requirements and guidelines are established.
Unleash creativity and innovation
Likewise, project team members should have direct contact with end users during the sprint review ceremony. It is the job of the scrum master as a facilitator to support open communication and demonstration of the innovation that team members employ in delivering features.
Boost team performance
Scrum masters facilitate the calculation of story points to determine velocity in the delivery of features. As scrum teams progress through multiple sprints, the scrum master will identify areas of possible improvement with the input of the project team members to facilitate an environment where there is shared accountability for improvements. The project team members who perform the tasks are the individuals responsible for calculating velocity. The scrum master will project their time so this critical task can be accomplished. The scrum master should frequently review performance to validate that project teams are estimating time appropriately and are not being asked to deliver to unachievable standards.
Our Favourite Agile Books
We found these books great for finding out more information on Agile Scrum:
Scrum Declaration of Interdependence: Improve effectiveness and reliability
Agile Scrum is comprised of ceremonies and artifacts that support the rapid delivery of features based on value and the Definition of Done. The scrum master must facilitate the various ceremonies and support the team by managing the adherence to Agile scrum processes and practices. The scrum master does not dictate but, should be a valued team member that can guide the rest of the team as well as stakeholders in using the correct techniques. As the team goes through the iterative cycle of inspecting and adapting sprint backlog prioritization, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives will be used to establish norms that value improvements through the life of the project.
Scrum Declaration of Interdependence: Improve effectiveness and reliability
Scrum masters play a unique role in managing the interdependence of project team members and stakeholders. As the original 15 project managers realized, updating processes and support mechanisms for Agile project teams provide a higher measure of project success.