1.
The Role of Managers Supporting Agile Teams
Beth Hatter
AgileDC 2017

2.
Beth Hatter
Agile Growth Lead – CSRA
• 12+ years in Software Industry
• Roles have included Analyst, Tester,
Product Owner, Project Manager
• Certified Scaled Agile Framework
Program Consultant (SPC4)
• Current SPCT Candidate
• PMP, PMI-ACP
• Certified AgilityHealth Coach (AHC)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner
(CSPO)
• Currently Agile trainer, coach, and all
around agile enthusiast
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Base is in eastern WA

3.
Why the Focus on “Management”?
 Management has
been called out as
one primary cause
of agile failure
 Without guidance,
managers often try
to maintain control
rather than give
support
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4.
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No Managers
to be Found!
Deploy
Product Backlog
Daily Scrum
Sprint
Retrospective
Sprint Backlog
Incremental Value
Delivered
Sprint Review
Sprint Planning
Product Owner
Scrum Master
Scrum Team

5.
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6.
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Not a scrum master
Not a product owner
Not a team member
WHO AM I?!
Not an RTE
Not a business owner
Not a product manager

7.
Culture Shift is Hard
Going from siloes to
collaborative team
culture is a huge shift
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8.
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Managers go from managing

9.
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To something more like…..leading in a
Lean-Agile way

10.
The Balance Changes
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Agile Traditional

11.
No wonder managers feel
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12.
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13.
So who am I now?
What is my Role?
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14.
Not This….
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15.
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Management has to be
supportive for agile
teams to be successful

16.
Ok, I’ll be an Agile Supporter –
But How?
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17.
4 G’s of GGGGreat Agile Managers
 Ground
 Guard
 Guide
 Grow
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18.
Ground
 Provide connection for team to the larger
organization strategy and goals
 Navigate communications with finance, legal,
boards of directors, etc.
 Understand process to gain training, procure
tools and support other team needs within
the enterprise
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19.
Guard
 Create psychological safety
 Protect team from negative behaviors and
situations
 Clients
 Teams
 Organizational
 Address those things the teams can't handle -
hiring, personnel issues beyond team conflicts,
etc.
 Champion teams staying together rather
than being ‘resource pools’
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20.
Guide
 Nurture good culture
 Ensure work meet necessary standards
 Demonstrate agile philosophy
 Establish uniformity across teams (when
needed)
 Cultivate sharing of knowledge and success across
enterprise
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21.
Grow
 Grow individuals on their career paths
 Build skills by modeling and supporting
 Support goals - both personal and professional – of
the team
 Grow more leaders
 Model growth mindset
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22.
Who am I? I am all of these!
Culture Steward Enterprise Translator
Team Supporter People Champion
Be An Agile
Champion
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23.
Don’t Neglect Management
 Use them as champions and to grow the people
 Show them the path
 Include them in trainings
 Help them own their new role
 Often transparency starts here – They have the
insights up the enterprise, down to front line, and out
to customer
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24.
Thank you!
Beth.Hatter@csra.com
@Beth_AgileBrain
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