Scrum Master is Not Merely a Facilitator
For some reason, for many the essence of the Scrum Master role boils down to: “remove impediments for the team” or “is responsible for the Scrum process”.
Others declare that “the Scrum Master is a kind of a PMO”, or “a facilitator for the team”. Not that it is not part of the Scrum Master role – but it certainly is not the essence.
Furthermore, such statements are demeaning, in my view. Strong word, and yet, making statements such as the above, to me, indicates that the speaker may not yet understand what agility really means.
And please don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I think that facilitation is something to look down at. On the contrary – facilitators can save a conference from failing miserably. Similar arguments can be made on PMOs. These roles and professions are important and significant in their own right. But this is not the essence of the Scrum Master. Moreover, it takes courage to step out of these simplistic views of the Scrum Master, and delve into the complexity of becoming one. What follows is highlighting the other, more important, aspects of being a Scrum Master
Photo by OregonDOT, source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oregondot/6235421713/
Becoming agile 