First 30-60-90 days as a Scrum Master
What to do in the first 30, 60 and 90 days after joining a new team as a Scrum Master?
👋 Hello,
I’m Vibhor, and welcome to my weekly newsletter, the “Winning Strategy.” Every week I answer one question from you about agile, product, roles, processes, frameworks, career growth, working with humans and anything else that’s stressing you at your office. Send me your questions here, and in return, I’ll offer actionable, down-to-earth, and straightforward advice.
Note: "Written in 2023, reviewed and still accurate in 2026."
On to this week’s questions!
Q: Hey, Vibhor! Greetings from Sweden. I am all set to start as a Scrum Master with a new company. Though I have 3 years of experience, I have always struggled to set the right tone with my teammates from the get-go. Can you provide some guidance?
This is a great question.
The analogy I use to think of any new addition (be it a new Dev, QA, BA or a Scrum Master) to the existing team is that of a new flatmate/roommate moving into your apartment.
Even though you’ve interviewed them and done extensive reference checks, you’re still a little skeptical. You are still uncertain whether it’s safe to trust them with the keys to your home.
As they settle in, you expect to know their true nature, their character, their attitude, their working habits, their routines for using shared appliances, their cleaning habits, and their washroom etiquette just so you can rest assured that their presence won’t disrupt your normal living and lifestyle.
And what happens when they don’t meet your criteria? Unless you’re desperate to keep them, you won’t renew their contract for the next month.
The same happens when you join a new team as a Scrum Master or an Agile Coach. Your team judges you for “reliability,” “competence,” and “compatibility.” They are looking for signs that will help them decide whether to trust you and form a strong, collaborative relationship or to get rid of you. Harsh but true.
So, to make the best impression as a SM joining a new team, here’s what I would focus on during the first 30, 60 and 90 days or 2, 4 and 6 sprints of joining the team. I call it the TiPS™ framework.
During the first 30 days (2 sprints) — focus on building TRUST
Ask questions. But not just any questions. Questions that will help you learn about your team, the product that the team is handling/building and the business value that product is generating. Make sure they know what your role is. Make sure you know what their expectations are from you. Watch the video below to learn more about “expectations” and why they are crucial for the success of your role.
Know about your org. chart. Let’s face it. We live in a world where knowing who’s who is more important than “what they do.” So learn about the managers the members of your team report to. If possible, take them out for coffee. Make relationships.
Know about the end-user of the product. This massively improves the quality of your questions while helping the team write user stories. See if the team already has a persona made for the key customers. If not, one of the training you can provide your team (in future) can be on “Agile Persona Building.”
Inquire about the impediments your team is facing right now. Find 2-3 quick wins that can make the lives of your team better. This can be unblocking a blocker, helping the team resolve a lingering decision, or improving an annoying process.
Here’s a list of questions (from my personal backlog) that you can ask your team on various occasions or during your retrospectives.
Note: Please do not share the below image or its contents on social media.
This was the “T” of our 3 part framework TiPS™.
Next, let’s move on to “iP,” which is about improving productivity.
During the first 60 days (4 sprints) — focus on improving the team’s PRODUCTIVITY
This is how you prove your competence. You help them improve their productivity. Ask “yourself” the following questions:
Does everyone know what everyone else does?
Does everyone know what they should be doing at all times?
Are there unnecessary meetings that can be avoided?
Are impediments getting handled quickly?
Is everyone on the same page about upcoming deadlines?
What else can be done to drive more impact?
Here’s a list of activities (from my personal backlog) to help you improve your team’s productivity.
Note: Please do not share the below image or its contents on social media.
This was the “iP” of our 3 part framework. Next, let’s move on to “S,” which is about strategy.
During the first 90 days (6 sprints) — focus on developing your teaching, coaching, and mentoring STRATEGY
As you learn about your team, the product, and the business, create a list of things you believe your team can benefit from next. Focus on building a long-term teaching, coaching and mentoring strategy.
Create a roadmap with training that you want to provide your team over time. Then, share it with your team and keep updating it as required. Don’t set any plan in stone. Be flexible.
As you work with your team on the above simultaneously, also chat with key stakeholders like your manager and their managers. Ensure you have them on board early, so you can confidently present a training plan everyone’s excited about and ready to support.
Here’s a list of activities (from my personal backlog) to help you develop your strategy.
Note: Please do not share the below images or their content on social media.
Here’s an example training roadmap.
This was “S,” the last part of our framework TiPS™
Now the question arises what do you do after 90 days are over? Chances are you’ll have enough on your plate to do. I suggest you keep doing everything mentioned above, plus keep building the 6 core skills.
Further reading
If you’re in your first months with a new team, these go deeper on the parts this post only touches:
This is it 🙏
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Till next week!
Sincerely,
Vibhor 👋
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“I share things I wish I knew in the starting years of my career in the corporate world"
Vibhor Chandel
Well crafted. Thanks for sharing.
Loved reading this and all your Newsletters/ LinkedIn posts and all your Youtube videos. Found all of them so useful.