As humans we think in silos. Scrum Masters often don’t know what an Engineering Manager is, Engineering Managers don’t care about Scrum Masters. But both have their own focus, their very own strengths to create a resilient team. See how important it is to stay open minded enough to see the benefits of other roles, no matter the job title.

The concepts of a Scrum Master and an Engineering Manager are not equal. The Scrum Master exists to ensure that a team can work effective. The goal is to have effectiveness in a project. Strictly seen, this means that team/individual happiness is a side-effect but not a primary goal.

An Engineering Manager exists to give engineers a voice, to translate between Management and engineers, to keep a team healthy. The goal is to create a resilient team. Team and individual comfort is a key principle and goal while effectiveness is a side-effect.

Therefore, the two roles are not conflicting, they add to each other. If you don’t have both in your project/team, why not try to enhance your Scrum Master role with Engineering Management skills or vice versa?

»1:1s« can be the missing link to understand blockages in a process or in how teams work. Don’t forget about the individuals in a team.

As a Scrum Master, »1:1s« (also known as »121-meetings«) can be the missing link to understand blockages in a process or in how teams work. Don’t forget individuals.

As Engineering Managers we know how to do honest and psychologically safe 1:1s. But we shouldn’t forget the team (e.g. by doing team retrospectives) and the Managers (Product Owners, Hiring Managers, …).

This is all about humans, a team’s individual people. If we understand their work, their challenges (e.g. work-life/family balance) and their motivation, a team will become successful and resilient.