“I’m new to Scrum and Agile. How do I get started?”
This is the #1 question I get asked. Or some variation like, “I want to be a Scrum Master but I have no experience.” “How do I find a mentor?” “Can I shadow an Agile practitioner?”
First, the Agile community is one of the warmest and most open communities I have found. People truly want you to succeed and are here to help.
At the same time, no one is going to hand you a job. It is entirely up to you to market yourself and build the connections you need to get the role you want. In the words of the great RuPaul, “You better work.”
So where do you start?
Get certified
If you don’t already have a certification in some form of Agile, this is a great place to begin. The most popular certification is the CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) from Scrum Alliance. This course gives you an overview of how Scrum works, including the values, people, and framework.
If you are currently looking for work, many providers offer a discount for job seekers. Agile Learning Labs is one example.
My advice is to research CSM providers and find ones that look interesting to you. Take the class from people you want to learn from.
Start where you are
Due to client confidentiality, it is extremely unlikely you will be able to shadow someone in the field.
So make your own field.
If you are working, are there opportunities to bring Agile practices into your role?
An easy place to start is by facilitating a team Retrospective. Or documenting your team’s work in a Backlog. Or have regular demos of your work for your customers to give feedback on. Meet as a team at some cadence to sync on your work, like in a Daily Scrum. This is all valuable experience you can bring to your next Agile role.
If you’re not working, try making your own personal backlog using a tool you want to learn more about. Then prioritize your backlog. Use it to make a plan for the next two weeks. Apply Agile principles to your personal life. Like your family. Or your DnD party.
Anything you can do to demonstrate the mindset and practices of Agile – in whatever form they may take – makes you a stronger candidate in terms of skill and experience.
Revamp your resume
Just because you’ve never been on a Scrum team doesn’t mean you haven’t already been practicing Agile.
When I hire for Scrum Masters, I’m looking for someone who brings a coaching mindset, facilitation experience, an understanding of different frameworks and practices, the ability to build trust and safety, and who can articulate what it means to have influence without authority.
You likely have those skills already. They may not be in a traditional Scrum role but they’re there. Highlight them. Go through the Scrum Guide and match up your experience to the accountabilities, and use that language on your resume.
Volunteer
Agile organizations are always looking for volunteers. It could be to review submissions for conferences. Or to help with running a conference in exchange for free admission. You might write a newsletter or blog posts. You might run a local chapter. Or host a podcast. Or coach kids at a school.
Here are some places to look for volunteer opportunities:
Women In Agile
Scrum Alliance
Agile Alliance
VolunteerMatch
Scrum Adventures
Go to Meetups
Use these to keep up with what’s going on in the Agile world, to challenge your way of thinking, to develop your skills, and to meet people (who might be hiring or open to helping you).
Here are a few I attend:
Scrum Professionals
Bay ALN
SF BABAM
Bay Area Agile Coaching Circles
Scrum and Wine
Find a mentor
Take advantage of any mentoring opportunities available at your job. If your workplace doesn’t already have a mentorship program, you could create one. Initiative and the desire to help others with learning and development are highly sought-after traits in Agile roles.
If you have an established relationship with an Agile practitioner, ask if they are willing to mentor you or might recommend someone who could.
If you’re not able to find a mentor where you work or through networking, there are some formal Agile mentoring programs available. One example is the Women in Agile and Tech mentorship program which is open to everyone.
Examine your intentions
As I said, in the Agile community we’re all here for each other and willing to help. And you’ll find greater success if you approach others in the field with curiosity rather than demands.
I regularly receive – and turn down – invitations that turn out to be requests for me to find a job for someone, requests for a list of companies in the US that will provide visas, requests for me to set up time for someone to shadow me at work… the list goes on. I do not have the time nor the motivation to fulfill these demands.
I do accept invitations that come from a place of curiosity.
I’ve had some interesting conversations recently with someone coming back from a break and looking to pivot to a Product Owner role. I had a couple of sessions with someone on a content team wanting to ensure that her team has a healthy Agile mindset. I talked to someone curious about the music industry and life in LA. I even had a virtual chat with someone I met in a career networking workshop who wants to explore moving from defense into tech.
These are the types of conversations that excite me because I know the intention is to learn and grow. And that’s what I’m here to help with.
Just start
As much as we are here to help, the best way to get started is with you. Get out there, talk to people, work on yourself and your skills.
Much like Agile itself, you don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to start.
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash