ScrumMaster or Armchair Psychologist

by Angela Johnson

Practical tips to help any Scrum Master tackle the greater task of improved teamwork.

New Scrum Masters tend to focus on the perceived administration they see in Scrum: facilitating a sprint planning ceremony or a retrospective, for instance. But what tends to get overlooked is the "people stuff." Questions heard as Scrum Masters embrace their new role include, "My team is sticking to their old roles. How do I get them to work together?" Or "Nobody updates our information radiators. How do I get people to do this?"
These are not truly "Scrum" problems but, rather, are people problems. Ah — enter the armchair psychologist now known as Scrum Master. How do you get people to do anything? This is more art than science, and it requires the Scrum Master to be willing to roll up their sleeves and engage in active facilitation.

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Presenter(s)

Angela Johnson

Angela Johnson, PMP, PMI-ACP, CST®, is a founding member of Collaborative Leadership Team, a Certified Scrum Trainer®, and an Agile Transformation Coach who is passionate about changing the world of work. She seeks to help people and organizations to break down their barriers and work together in a collaborative way.

A graduate of Hamline University (B.A.) and the University of St. Thomas (MBC), Angela facilitates the PMI Minnesota Agile Practitioner Community and serves on the Scrum Alliance® Trainer Approval Committee and Core Scrum Team.

Angela brings 20+ years in the information technology space and real-world client case studies to her presentations. She is a mom, wife, sailor, reader, and lifelong learner living in Minnesota.