In this episode, we explore what success means for Scrum Masters and Lorraine’s perspective. Lorraine suggests that success starts when both the team and customers are genuinely content and motivated. Key indicators include the team independently addressing anti-patterns, initiating discussions about their work, and requiring less assistance with basic tasks. Lorraine emphasizes the importance of a defined coaching plan (see the Agile Coaching Growth Wheel) and personal accountability. Conducting quarterly team health surveys provides concrete feedback for self-improvement, enabling Lorraine to track progress and address areas for growth effectively.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: From Lean Coffee To The Simple DAKI Framework, Retrospectives For All Teams
When it comes to retrospective formats, for mature teams, Lorraine favors the Lean Coffee approach, providing an informal setting where participants shape the agenda in real-time. This allows for open discussions on chosen topics within time constraints. Lorraine highlights how Lean Coffee often uncovers diverse team concerns. For less mature teams, she leans towards the Drop/Add/Keep/Improve framework (DAKI retrospective), emphasizing continuous improvement. She suggests that we use the “Improve” to inspire improvements that we keep an eye on during the Sprint. With remote teams, she utilizes MURAL’s private mode for collaborative sticky-note sessions.
How can I, as a Scrum Master, supercharge my facilitation?
Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!
About Lorraine Chambers
Lorraine’s vision of excellence is summed up in the words of philosopher, Lao Tzu — “A leader is best when people barely know he exists … ” She’s held several roles in the Fintech industry, including Product Owner and Quality Assurance. She’s a native New Yorker that loves travel, music and museums.
You can link with Lorraine Chambers on LinkedIn and connect with Lorraine Chambers on Instagram.
Tom is an engaging speaker, who has delivered presentations at conferences like the Atos DREAM Conference, the Agile Leadership Day, and TED XKE by Xebia. Their enthusiasm for discussing Agile is evident in those talks.
Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! 
Wilson is a pragmatic Scrum Master, he has over 15 years in Software development and has worked in different roles, from Support Analyst, Developer to tech lead. Wilson is from Portugal, with Indian origins and currently living and working in the UK with his wife and two daughters.
Ajeet is an IT professional with 17 years of delivery experience in application development, system integration and software testing. He’s served as a ScrumMaster for over 3.5 years for the clients of USA, UK and Australian geographies.