Smartsheet offered interesting insight…they write: “The transition from a Project Manager to a Scrum Master is not impossible, but can be challenging due to the structured nature of the traditional Waterfall methodology. Traditional Project Managers are familiar with projects that have pre-defined requirements and a hard-set completion date. The project is completed when all of these requirements have been met and tested, or negotiated out of the final product. At this point, the product is ready for handoff to the customer. In Scrum, the requirements and deadlines remain flexible as a Scrum project is considered complete when there are no remaining backlog items in the queue. Therefore, it is impossible to determine when a Scrum project will be finished ahead of time. Scrum handoffs take place much more frequently (at the end of each Sprint), and the customer must accept the handoff. The flexibility and self-organized team environment of a Scrum project can be difficult for a traditional Project Manager to accept, and thus the transition from one role to the other can be tricky to navigate.
The most important first step in the transition is understanding the differences between the two roles. If the objectives and responsibilities of the roles are not clearly delineated and understood, the transition can be messy and potentially inhibit project success. A former Project Manager should embrace the self-directed environment of the Scrum team, and be open to the additional flexibility and experimentation afforded by the methodology. Ultimately, a Project Manager can make a successful Scrum Master if s/he clearly understands the different demands of the job before assuming the new role.
Project Managers remain an integral part of the Waterfall method of development. However, even though the Project Management role does not exist in an Agile environment, the skills gained from experience can still be useful in managing multiple Agile projects, continuing to ensure that projects run within time constraints and budget”. – Smartsheet blog, excerpted from the article, “Transitioning from Project Manager to Scrum Master” click here to read the article in its entirety.
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Interesting! PMO Advisory offers courses throughout the year designed for project professionals interested in Portfolio (PfMP), Program (PgMP), Project (PMP & CAPM) Risk (PMI-RMP) Management, and Agile (PMI-ACP) certifications.
