Technology, Scrum Masters and the Military Connection

Many great software engineers have come from non-tech Military backgrounds. However, there is one role in IT that, above all others, seems to be the perfect fit for the transferable skills of many Service-leavers: that role is scrum master.

By Norman Yarwood

Nine years ago, I started working as the Ex-Forces Programme Regional Head for FTSE-250 global business and tech consultancy, FDM Group. Back then and ever since, I have often been challenged by clients with questions like, ‘Can your people work in an IT environment?’ My answer back then, reinforced with massive successes, with 800-plus people employed over the last nine years, is a nailed on, bold as brass, 100% unequivocal, yes!

Of course, some roles are not for everybody on their first day of transition and require upskilling and training, but with the right attitude and willingness to learn, the sky is the limit. Many great software engineers have come from non-tech Military backgrounds. However, there is one role in IT which above all others seems to be the perfect fit for the transferable skills of many Service-leavers: that role is scrum master.

Some may have heard the term before and others not, so let me set the scene. Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989, while working at CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research and particle physics. This, combined with the growth of the internet, led to an explosion in IT. It was a chaotic time with many companies making it up on the go.

IT industry
In 2001, realising some clear way of successfully working with software was needed, a group of 17 software technologists got together and created the Agile Manifesto. A set of four values and 12 principles leading them to state: “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.”  This ‘agile’ way of working has now become the standard way of operating across the IT industry.

Military people without knowing it, tend to be inherently agile, working in a values-based environment and holding close to those Military values; focussed on the people around them, able to shift to face new problems and dangers and ultimately getting the job done. The old Military axiom of ‘No plan survives first contact’ holds equally true in the world of IT, but more like, ‘No project delivery survives first customer contact’ holds equally true in the world of IT.

Two of the 17 agilists mentioned above created the ‘Scrum Guide’, a lightweight framework to help people, teams and organisations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.

This framework or ‘tool’ has three roles, known as ‘accountabilities’:

• Product owner: the person who knows the product, the business and the market intimately.
• Developers: the people doing the hands-on tech, the ‘troops on the ground’ if you will.
• Scrum master: the person accountable for the scrum team’s effectiveness.

Scrum masters are true leaders who serve the scrum team and the larger organisation. Is that starting to ring any bells?   

Norman Yarwood is Ex-Forces Programme Regional Manager, Scotland and Enterprise Agile Coach, FDM Group

Visit: www.fdmgroup.com

Key skills
A person who has enough experience and training to become an effective leader, looking after a small team of specialists; helping them to constantly develop, to become more effective as a team, to achieve their objectives and in turn help the organisation to succeed in its mission. Experience tells me that the ideal Military candidate for scrum master roles are generally senior ranks and Warrant Officers; as I mentioned earlier, leadership, especially value-based leadership, is a key skill.

• A true leader, someone who focusses on the needs of the team and the customer while keeping in line with the organisation’s values, principles and business needs.
• An impediment handler: helping to solve problems for individuals and the team so they can focus on the task in hand. Preventing outside interference which may affect effectiveness.
• A facilitator, running events, laying out the ground rules and boundaries. Sorting out the admin in the background, to make the most of the time available. 
• A mentor, passing on learned knowledge and skills, particularly in how to develop an agile mindset and to create an agile work environment.
• A change agent, actively encouraging a positive culture in which the whole scrum team can grow in the best and most effective way.
• A teacher to ensure scrum and other relevant methods are understood and enacted.  Obviously, this will be formalised with the gaining of professional Scrum Master 1 certification.
• A coach (different from teaching or mentoring) coaching individuals and the team in continuous improvement. Coaching the organisation to fully embrace and enact scrum as per the scrum guide.
• A manager: responsible for cutting waste, controlling the limits of self-management, managing the team’s overall wellness, hours worked, pressure, etc.
• Getting the beers in after work on a Friday. OK, not really, I just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.

If this all resonates with you; if you are looking at the skills and attributes and thinking ‘That’s me’, stop doubting yourself. Believe me, although we all ticked like a cooling jet engine at the thought of Military trade or promotion courses, they were generally well thought-out, well-delivered and will have provided you with a massive step forward into your new civilian commercial career.

Go for it!