So this is a question that many people have answered on their blogs and I think one person even wrote a mini book a answering this question. However, I wasn't able to relate to them so I am hoping to get some input from experienced Scrum Masters / Coaches over here.
Let me elaborate with some scenarios:
- You are a SM, you saw the daily scrum take place smoothly, the team is gone back to their desks to work.
- You are a SM, you have worked with the PO and the team and the Product Backlog is appropriately groomed for the upcoming Sprint, due in say 2 weeks.
- The organization is doing quite well in their agile journey and doesn't necessarily need any urgent coaching
- All the artefacts are up to date thanks to an online tool that automates quite a bit
Also, you can assume the team is in the "Performing" stage of team development and you are a full time employee for this one team.
So how do you fill the rest of your day/s?
I am not look for answers listing responsibilities of a SM, like removing impediments or coaching. Neither do I want a daily schedule with entries like "meet with John to discuss XYZ". That doesn't take much time.
Instead, I am hoping to get some real-life examples that can be replicated. Something that is actually common for all SM of software teams.
For example, in my own case, I have mostly worked on mega projects so the backlog grooming took forever in the early stages of the project and as things progressed, I would help out with end user support, training, pick up some independent technical tasks and get them done, or just do documentation. These would take from a day to a whole sprint, especially if I pick up a couple of stories.
What about you guys? I am particularly keen to get some feedback from purists who say 1 SM, and only 1 SM, per 1 or 2 teams at most.