I learned the term Scrum Master back at the turn of the
century (I like how that sounds). When I first heard it, it was from Ken
Schwaber himself. I was a true and tried project manager that had recently earned
his PMP. I was a self-taught project manager, and looking back, my instincts
and style were better suited for Agile, but I happened to go down the formal PM
path first. By this point in my career, I had come to the conclusion that project
management was a “craft”. I believed it
then and I believe it even more now, which is why I struggle with the term “Master.”
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| What does it take to be a "Master" of Scrum? |
I was a carpenter before I was a project manager. I was the
only honors student taking wood-working classes in high school and I worked as
a carpenter’s apprentice during the summer while I was in college. I had
tremendous respect and even awe for the master craftsmen I worked with. In carpentry,
the term Master is reserved for the likes of Norm Abram. Also, to be a union
carpenter, you have to go through apprentice and journeyman programs that are
rigorous.
In history, you had to earn
the term “Master” to be seen as the top of your craft. Wikipedia has a good definition:
“An aspiring master would have to
pass through the career chain from apprentice to journeyman before he could be
elected to become a master craftsman. He would then have to produce a sum of
money and a masterpiece before he could actually join the guild. If the
masterpiece was not accepted by the masters, he was not allowed to join the
guild, possibly remaining a journeyman for the rest of his life.”
I think the intent with the term Scrum Master is that the
title should be reserved for those that have earned the title of Master, but
that is obviously not the case. There is no job requirement or career path to
become a Scrum Master. Most of us have
had some type of career path as we developed our skills; e.g. in software
engineering, there was a typical path of analyst, developer, designer,
architect or in project management: project coordinator, project manager,
senior project manager, program manager.
So, how does someone earn the designation of Scrum Master?
Until recently, it was just take a 2-day class. Now, at least there are exams
to test your knowledge of Scrum. It is surprising how we have come to a place
where the term Master can be designated without any true effort or experience.
Most of us have had to show both experience and knowledge to get the
certifications we have. PMI, for example, requires the PMI-ACP designation to
be based both on experience and knowledge.
