How to Understand The Product As A Scrum Master?
Process Mapping: A framework to make sense of the product your new team is building.
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Have you ever joined a new team as a Scrum Master and felt completely lost about the product they were building?
During my first sprint planning, I sat there nodding along, while internally my mind was spinning, trying to connect the dots between terms like "payment gateway," "reconciliation engine," and "settlement API."
This is quite common.
Most Scrum Masters won't admit it, but understanding the product is often their biggest challenge when joining a new team.
They focus so much on the events and frameworks that they miss the core of what their team is actually building.
It’s been a long time since then.
Along the way, I discovered that the fastest way to understand any product IS NOT through documentation or intro meetings.
No!
It is through a simple technique called Process Mapping.
In this post, I will outline the steps to help you create the simplest Process Map that you can use to understand exactly WHAT your team is working on.
Let’s get started.
But First…What do I mean by “understanding” the Product?
It is March of 2025, and summer is fast approaching.
In just 3 months, we will experience our hottest day of the year. Not that I am complaining. I love a nice warm weather.
Regardless of where you are in the world, you'll likely see lemonade stands popping up on the streets.
Let’s say you own one of those lemonade stands.
Now tell me…
That lemonade you will be selling… is that a product?
No!
Let me explain.
A product isn't just some drink in a cup.
It is everything that solves a particular PROBLEM.
Your lemonade solves a PROBLEM. People are thirsty on a hot day. But to make it work, you need:
the recipe (how sweet, how sour)
the cup (what size, paper or plastic)
the price (how much people will pay)
the location (where you'll sell it)
maybe even a nice sign to attract customers
All these things together are the SOLUTION to the “people are thirsty” PROBLEM.
All these things together make up your Product, “The Lemonade.”
In simple words, a PRODUCT is a SOLUTION to someone's PROBLEM.
Product = Problem + Solution
Remove one, and the Product won’t exist.
So!
By “understanding the product,” I mean understanding the PROBLEM and the SOLUTION to that PROBLEM.
And I have found that the easiest way to do this is through Process Mapping.