That’s something I think the Agile Alliance should do.
Too often these days, the ScrumMaster is thought of as the boss of the team, when in fact the roles were originally reversed: the team was the boss of the ScrumMaster. The team would say, “Behold, there is an obstacle in our path. Pray remove it, Good ScrumMaster.” And the ScrumMaster would do so.
I care about joyful teams. It seems I often visit teams that could both do better work and be happier doing it, except that the corporate structure around them won’t let them. The company thinks it’s doing Agile, but it’s not. As a result, there’s a perverse uneconomic trade: the company gets less value for its money, and in return the team gets less satisfaction from its work.
So I’d propose that the Agile Alliance be available to fly in qualified people to evaluate a situation and (if justified) wield the authority of expertise and outsidership to both give a shove in the right direction and also stiffen the resolve of the team.
Teams would request that service. They would have to pay for it by providing service in return to the larger community (negotiated in advance, part payable in advance).
The service would be provided by people like me in exchange for payment of expenses and perhaps gifts in kind (I’m thinking of free membership in conferences).
This would be in keeping with the Agile Alliance’s purpose: “… SUPPORT those who explore & apply Agile principles & practices to make the software industry productive, HUMANE, and sustainable.”
