Do I have to be a Scrum Master to manage the agile scrums? [closed]

Question

I am sure to become a scrum master could really add value to the process I am following, however I believe that the background of the area of the application I am working on help more to get better planning and scheduling done for the project

Answer 1

I just have an issue with the wording used here - in the question and responses. As a scrum master you would not be managing the project, or running it. The team runs the project in a self-directed way. The scrum master's role is to facilitate and coach.

This may seem like semantics, but I often find that our chosen terms shed light on our underlying tendencies - in this case they may indicate a tendency towards command and control vs. facilitating self-directed teams.

I do agree that reading on agile (not just scrum) is helpful. And having been a member of an agile team is incredibly useful in serving as a scrum master. CSM is like the PMP for classic project management (without the test) for agile - not an indicator of ability, but useful for finding jobs with acronym-myopic recruiters and hiring managers.

There are good consultants out there to help, and useful resources online (see the scrumdevelopment group on Yahoo). I suggest you use both liberally.