Updated slide version 2

1. JOURNEY FROM ANALYST
TO PRODUCT OWNER TO
SCRUM MASTER IN THE
SAME YEAR
Katrina L. C. Tanner
Scrum Master II
ktanner@cvent.com
770.778.3321

2. AGENDA
Intro – Who am I?
My journey
 Consulting firm – 2016-2018 – Analyst but earned my CSM and CSPO
 Credit bureau– 2018-2019 – Hired as a BA/PO, became SM at the same time
 Cvent – 2019-current – SM
You might be a good ___ if you say things like ____
 Analyst
 Product Owner
 Scrum Master
You might be better in other roles if…
Tips on How to talk to your boss about your next step

3. MY JOURNEY

4. MY JOURNEY FROM BA TO PO TO SM
• Agile Consultant firm – March 2016- March 2018 – hired as Analyst, role was in the making,
performed as Exec Assist to the COO for the first year while also performing as Analyst as it
developed – was on a team of 3 other analysts all with different clients – asked “What is your
vision for my role in the company?” – mutual agreement it was time for me to move on - role
eliminated due to org restructure
• Credit Bureau – May 2018- March 2019 – Hired as Product Owner, Person serving as SM was
also the Tech Lead and People Manager so I ended up served as Scrum Master at the same time
“temporarily” and then a Program Manager was hired and I ended up being a Scrum Master
that managed the backlog and prioritization – 1 team with 8-12 people rotating almost every
sprint – asked “I am feeling in over my head. Is this normal? What is your vision for my role in
the company?” - role eliminated due to company restructure
• Event Planning Software Technology– April 2019 to current – Fully Dedicated Scrum Master to 3
mostly stable teams – 2 remote and 1 local (plus following a fourth contract team with their
own contract SM) = role = perfect for me!

5. YOU MIGHT BE A
BA/PO/SM IF…

6. YOU MIGHT BE A GOOD ANALYST IF YOU SAY THINGS
LIKE…
“I prefer being in the background,
coordinating things behind scenes.”
“We have $5000 left in the budget, $2500/dy per consultant,
and I see we still have 5 calendar days left in the contract.”
“The client wants all of our materials rebranded in their templates.
I can own that, I just need the templates from Marketing.”
“I am editing the workshop final report and noticed there is
“bitching” in the text referring to people corresponding.
Is that industry standard?”
“The contract shows the client is expecting an Agile 101
course for Team A, but it looks like that did not happen.
Why is that?”
AND
“We completed an Agile Foundations, Backlog Refinement
Workshop, and Certified Scrum Master Trainings for Teams
A and B. Too many people from Team C were on vacation at
the time, so they have deferred and would like to schedule
at a separate date when everyone can attend.”

7. YOU MIGHT BE A GOOD PRODUCT OWNER IF YOU SAY
THINGS LIKE…
“I love working directly with customer,
doing a needs assessment and following
the product from idea to release.”
““Corporation Z is our largest client. If we
don’t get Product Z out by ____, they
already confirmed they will go to ___.”
“I know the backlog like the back of my hand.”
“The client specifically wanted the login
button to be blue.”
““It is cool to build cool stuff, but we
have to remember we have a client
paying us to build what they want us to
build.”
“No” or “Yes but…”
“We completed Feature T 2 sprints
(4 weeks) sooner than planned, and
it will be ready to push to prod by
___. We can start on Feature R now
and have it ready by ____, by this
end of this quarter, instead of next (3
months early).”

8. YOU MIGHT BE A GOOD SCRUM MASTER IF YOU SAY
THINGS LIKE…
“I noticed that Todd has been “sick” and “working
from a home a lot.” When he is in the office, he is
more quiet than usual.”
“How are you?” “How can I help you be more
successful?”
“I love retrospectives!”
“Z’s manager, a UI/UX dev, reached out to me this morning and said he will start
working with us. Is he going to work with a specific team or across all teams in
the department?”
“It seems we have been waiting on the client credentials for a few sprints now.
Who is the POC and would you like to me to reach out to see how I can move
things along?”
““Jamie is currently working on two teams. He says he feels pulled in multiple
directions and unable to give his undivided attention in either way. Can you tell
me more about his roles and what we can do to roll him off one team or the
other so he can be fully dedicated?”
“What does the team think?”
“Thank you!” “Great job!”
“In my 1:1s with all the team members,
everyone called out Angela as a problem.
I have also observed this person yelling,
coming in late, and using passive
aggressive comments shutting down
team members ideas. When she is not
there, team members comment on how
things just go smoother and without
arguments.”

9. YOU MIGHT BE BETTER FIT IN OTHER ROLES IF…

10. NEXT STEPS

11. TIPS FOR TALKING TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT YOUR NEXT
STEP
Know what you want, or at least don’t want, and WHY you want it – career growth, more money,
more flexibility, etc.
Start researching the role you are interested
Talk to people already in that role about what they love about the role and challenges they
experience
Get feedback from people that know skills you already have to excel at the role vs things you might
want to improve
Be intentional, genuine and have courage – Have the respect for your manager that you would want
them to have for you.
***When you have this conversation, be prepared to move on
Question to ask yourself: Where will you thrive, not just survive?