Teams in a Company & SM Challenges

Today's Agenda

Corporate Teams Overview

Teams the SM supports daily

Critical SM Meetings

High-priority scrums to prioritize

5 Common Hurdles

Key challenges every SM faces

More SM Challenges

Admin, training gaps & more

Real-World Case Study

Database upgrade walkthrough

Corporate Teams

All Teams

BRM Team

Business Intelligence

Change Control Board

Client & Collaboration Systems

Cloud Force

Corp Systems Product Team

Corporate Hardware Support

CRM / Loyalty Team

Digital Site Operations

Human Resources Systems

IT Procurement

NYC IT Support

Problem Management Group

Project Management Office

Quality Assurance

Real Estate Support

Store Digital Development

Store Hardware Support

Tech Desk – Store Support

★ Critical — SM Must Attend

Cyber Security

Database Administration Support

Deployment Team

Digital Development

IT Operations

Merchandise Product Team

Network Administration Support

Platforms Team

Store Technology Engineering

Supply Chain

System Administration Support

Tech Desk – Corporate Desktop

5 Common Hurdles Scrum Masters Face

Managing Role Expectations

Many organizations confuse the Scrum Master with a Project Manager. The SM is a facilitator, a guide, a process follower, and most importantly a Servant Leader — not an assigner of tasks.

💡 Educate stakeholders early and often about the SM's true role.

Change Resistance

As Mike Cohn notes, teams or departments do not resist Scrum — individuals do. The SM is the change agent during implementation. Resistance is the most expected reaction whenever a new change is introduced.

💡 Choose Sprint lengths that allow the team to adapt. Use Scrum adoption patterns incrementally.

Keeping Everything Time-Boxed

Every Scrum event must be time-boxed. The Daily Scrum should not exceed 15 minutes — yet team members frequently veer into technical discussions and the meeting goes over time.

💡 Try standing meetings — hide all the chairs! They will eventually get tired and wrap up.

Handling Urgent Change Requests

Scrum says: never accept changes within the Sprint. But in reality, Product Owners, customers, and stakeholders frequently come with urgent change requests or bugs mid-Sprint.

💡 Always communicate, collaborate with all stakeholders, replan, and then make good decisions. Context matters more than rigid rule-following.

Distributed Teams

When teams are distributed geographically, there are delays, network issues, cultural differences, different time zones, and different working hours. Getting everyone collaborating is always difficult.

💡 Leverage all available communication and video conferencing tools. Establish clear working agreements across time zones.

More Challenges SM's Face

🗓️ SM Acts as Admin

Booking meetings, scheduling events, taking notes, and inviting people to ceremonies. These administrative tasks can consume SM bandwidth away from coaching and facilitation.

📚 Lack of Agile Training

The SM must ensure all team members have foundational Agile training. This is one of the most common problems Scrum Masters face when joining a new organization.

💪 Keep Learning!

These are "hurdles" — not "blockages." Every obstacle can be overcome with good skills, expertise, and real Scrum experience. MickyMarvels is here to help you build exactly that.

Real-World Case Study — Database Upgrade

Oracle Database: 12c → 19c Upgrade

A practical example of what the SM encounters and must manage during a complex technical Sprint

SITUATION

The database needs upgrading from Oracle 12c to 19c. The Scrum Master is NOT the subject expert — they learn about the process through the Daily Scrum. This is normal and expected.

DEPENDENCY

The upgrade depends on the application that runs on the database. The company that owns that software must approve the upgrade before it can be performed. This creates an external dependency the SM must track and escalate.

TIMELINE

The database team estimates about 2 months to complete — covering the actual upgrade process, the time required to complete it, and testing the business logic to ensure it performs well on version 19c.

PROBLEMS

During the upgrade, the development team encounters performance problems, bugs, and poor code design. The upgrade CANNOT be completed in 2 months. This becomes a challenge for the SM — rescheduling, moving work to future sprints, managing stakeholder expectations.

SM CHALLENGE

Of course, the stakeholder owners will NOT be happy. The SM must communicate transparently, help replan with the PO, escalate the impediment appropriately, and protect the team from pressure while finding a realistic path forward.

Key Takeaways

★

SM ≠ Project Manager

The Scrum Master is a servant leader, facilitator, and guide — not a manager. This distinction must be communicated and defended constantly.

🔄

Change Is Expected

Resistance to Agile is normal. The SM navigates it through patience, education, and demonstrating value through small wins Sprint by Sprint.

⏱

Time-Boxing Is Sacred

Ceremonies must stay within their boundaries. The Daily Scrum is 15 minutes. No exceptions. The SM enforces the timebox, not the solution.

⚡

Real World ≠ Textbook

Urgent changes happen. Distributed challenges happen. The SM adapts, communicates, and replans together with the PO and team.

✓

Keep Learning

These are hurdles — not roadblocks. Experience, expertise, and continuous learning are the answer. MickyMarvels prepares you for all of them.

🎯

MickyMarvels Has You Ready

Real-world scenarios, live coaching, and hands-on tool practice so you walk into your first SM role fully prepared from day one.

MickyMarvels Classroom

Teams in a Company & Scrum Master Challenges