Learn Coaching and Facilitation (PSM I) with Interactive Flashcards

Master key concepts in Coaching and Facilitation through our interactive flashcard system. Click on each card to reveal detailed explanations and enhance your understanding.

Retrospective

A Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase product quality and effectiveness. The Scrum Master encourages the team to improve, within the Scrum process framework, its development processes and practices to make it more effective and enjoyable for the next Sprint.

Active Listening

Active listening is a fundamental coaching skill. It involves fully focusing, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. In a Scrum context, it enables a Scrum Master to understand exactly what a team member is communicating, unstated needs or issues. It promotes a culture of respect and attention, encouraging openness in team communications. This can lead to more efficient problem solving, better understanding of individual's roles and responsibilities, and the fostering of a supportive team environment.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution represents the process by which the Scrum Master addresses and resolves disputes within the Scrum team. It involves identifying and managing disagreements in a manner that minimizes potential harm and fosters teamwork. This may require mediation, negotiation, and problem-solving strategies. With effective conflict resolution, a Scrum Master ensures a healthy team dynamic, productivity and project trajectory. Properly handled conflicts can lead to growth, creative solutions, and stronger team bonds.

Effective Feedback

Effective feedback involves transparent, respectful communications of observations, feelings, or needs in response to a team member's work or actions. The Scrum Master's task is to create a trust-based environment where people can give and receive feedback without fear. Effective feedback should be constructive, precise, and timely, promoting continuous improvement and accountability. It enables the team to learn, innovate and adapt to changes, supporting the core Agile principles.

Facilitation Techniques

Facilitation techniques are the methods used by Scrum Master to guide meetings, discussions, decision-making processes, conflict resolution, or problem-solving sessions in a neutral manner. These techniques can vary widely depending on the goals, team dynamics, and context. The aim is to promote full participation, mutual understanding, effective communications, and strong collaboration within the Scrum team. These techniques not only make meetings more productive but also inspire commitment, innovation, and collective ownership.

Coaching Stances

Coaching Stances refer to the different roles a coach can take to support and bring out the best from the team. There are different stances a Scrum Master might adopt such as the Teacher, Mentor, Coach, Facilitator, Consultant and Manager. Each stance has its own advantages and can be applied based on the situation. The Scrum Master, switching between various stances, can address team's needs effectively and help them grow individually and as a team.

Impediment Removal

Impediment removal is about proactively addressing the obstacles that slow down the team. As a coach and facilitator, it is crucial for the Scrum Master to deal with impediments. Identification and removal of these impediments that are obstructing the team’s progress is a primary responsibility of a Scrum Master. To do so, a Scrum Master needs to have good negotiation, problem solving, and organizational transformation skills.

Self Organizing Teams

Self-Organizing Teams in Scrum are those that choose how to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team. Empowered to make decisions and manage their own processes, these teams are able to respond rapidly to changes and work more efficiently. Understanding the importance and benefits of Self-Organizing Teams, a Scrum Master should coach and facilitate the development of such teams. The Scrum Master aids the team members in understanding this concept, and resolving conflicts and issues that arise.

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management refers to the process of maintaining good relationships with the individuals who have an interest in the project. The Scrum Master helps to manage stakeholders' expectations and ensure their active involvement in project decisions. The Scrum Master coaches the team to navigate the complexities of stakeholder interactions, ensuring effective communication channels, timely and transparent updates, and negotiation of priorities and resources. Stakeholder Management is vital in Scrum framework as it directly influences the product's direction and success.

Team Building

Team Building is a fundamental element of Scrum Master's responsibility. This involves creating an environment where everyone’s input in the team is valued, and synergy is created to produce maximum results. To facilitate this, the scrum master can initiate ice breaker sessions, team activities, and open extraction of ideas, maintaining a workflow that everyone understands and respects. Simultaneously the scrum master must foster a culture of openness, trust, and respect among team members.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability of Scrum Master to sense, understand the feelings and perspectives of team members, and to use this understanding to deal with challenges. Exhibiting empathy helps in creating a safe space for the team members to express their concerns and problems. This also aids in conflict resolution within the team by understanding people's points of view and facilitating a mutually agreeable solution.

Communicative Adaptability

Communicative adaptability is a key concept that refers to the ability of modifying communication style in order to accomplish team objectives. The Scrum Master should have ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders, including the team, the product owner, and upper management. This includes switching from active listening mode to negotiation, or to straightforward delivery of information, depending on the situation. The Scrum Master must make sure that every important piece of information is shared properly and understood by all.

Empowerment

Empowerment means delegating power or authority to the team so that they can take decisions on their own. A Scrum Master should work on building self-organized teams where team members feel empowered to take decisions. By making an environment that encourages risk-taking and learning, and where individuals feel their voice matters, a Scrum Master can empower the team members. This will inevitably lead to motivated individuals, better decision making and ultimately better product increment.

Building a Trustful Environment

Trust is a vital factor in team performance. Without trust, team members might be reluctant to share their ideas and might hold back from giving their best effort. A Scrum Master as a coach and facilitator works towards establishing a trustful environment. This involves encouraging open and honest communication, ensuring a blame-less culture, and fostering respect among team members.

Effective Communication

Effective communication is more than simply exchanging information. It's about understanding the emotion and intention behind the information. In the context of Scrum teams, effective communication is crucial in ensuring a common understanding of project objectives, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and promoting a collaborative culture. As a facilitator and coach, the Scrum Master helps promote effective communication through practical actions and coaching.

Team Dynamics

Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological factors that influence the direction of a team’s behaviour and performance. They are one of the hidden factors that contribute to a team's success or failure. Understanding and managing these dynamics is a crucial aspect of coaching and facilitation. The Scrum Master must pay attention to these dynamics, and create an environment that supports positive dynamics, which in turn, leads to high performance.

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