Making the leap from Project Manager to Scrum Master

So you've gotten your certification from PMI as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) but the world starts to change around you. Something new is on the horizon called agile software development and it's moving fast. Everywhere around you people are talking about it, it routinely shows up in job descriptions, and you feel woefully unprepared. First, don't panic. Today agile SDLC is gaining mind share among software professionals but in practice you still find waterfall SDLC deeply rooted. Even organizations that say they are doing agile are trying XP, Lean, or Scrum on a trial basis and often with a heavy overtone of waterfall processes.

Whew, you've still got time to prepare. So you ask yourself, how do I prepare myself for Agile SDLC. Fortunately there are courses you can take, books and blogs to read to get you better acquainted with this process. I recommend you start by reading blogs and books, it's by far the cheapest way to get an introduction. Attending a local meeting of an agile SIG can also introduce you to the terminology and ideas. I attend a local group that meets monthly to discuss a variety of agile topics. Everyone is welcome and there are no dumb questions.

One thing you need to be prepared for are some of the bigger differences between Waterfall and Agile. In Waterfall you don't do anything until all of the preparation is complete (MRD, PRD, Functional Specs, Technical Specs, Design Documents, Test Plans, Release Plans, and finally a schedule); in Agile (Scrum in this example) you follow the agile manifesto principles which value conversation over documentation and working software over a well written plan. I've heard agile documentation referred to as "Just in time documentation", meaning you don't write it unless it's absolutely needed. On my teams we often do this on a wiki to keep the information easy to access and easy to update by anyone on the team.

I've just scratched the surface on some of the differences between Project Manager and Scrum Master. More later.