The ScrumMaster Is a Facilitator not a Funnel

A Scrum Master should not be the conduit for all information. A good Scrum Master does not insist that all communication flow through him or her.

Instead, a good Scrum Master enables and simplifies communication.

The Scrum Master is a facilitator not a funnel.

I am using facilitator in the sense of its root, facile, from the Latin word facilis, as in something that can be done or is easy.

This means that the Scrum Master's job as facilitator is to make communication easy. This may be as simple as being the one to reserve a meeting room or figure out when everyone is available to meet.

Or it could mean finding a way to get two team members past their personal difficulties so they will communicate at all. Or finding ways and means for distributed team members to communicate.

As a facilitator of communication, the Scrum Master needs to make communication happen and be as easy as possible.

Some Scrum Masters try to do this by inserting themselves into every conversation. They’ll introduce rules such as, “The product owner cannot talk to a team member unless I’m also present.”

They’ll rationalize this as being necessary so that they can relay information to other team members or because it’s important for them to know everything going on.

A Scrum Master who does this has become a funnel through which all communication must flow. A funnel chokes communication. Yes, it’s wide at the top, and a lot can flow in. But outflow is restricted.

As a Scrum Master, you should strive to be a facilitator of communication rather than a funnel through which all communication must flow.

The easier you can make it for team members to communicate--both inside and outside the team itself--the more you will help your team succeed with agile.