A Scrum Master is like …
… a conductor coordinating the efforts of musicians, helping them to play together. Some teams are like jazz bands, so they need a leader who encourages improvisation. Some teams are like symphony orchestras, so they need a leader who keeps everyone on the same sheet of music. Conductors have to be deeply familiar with each instrument and with the music, yet they don’t play in the band or tell the musicians what to do. They let the music provide detailed guidance; their job is to bring out the best in the musicians, both individually and as a group.
Adapted from Mary Poppendieck ’s Lean Development .
Thursday, 12 January 2006
A Scrum Master is like a music conductor
Posted by Simon Baker
2 Comments
That's a great definition and good advice for aspiring Scrum Masters. It seems like desire to play an instrument is a constant temptation.
Thanks Tony. The credit must go to Mary and Tom Poppendieck. In their book, Lean Development, they used this metaphor for what they termed a Master Developer. I simply substituted Scrum Master for Master Developer because there were many similarities.