On November 23, 2006 I became a Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

On almost any software development project I was on, I felt that the process was severely lacking, and I started to look for a better way. I found only one process that looked simple enough that it could be implemented in the limited time of a project and at the same time would not alienate people with too aggressive (or should I say extreme?) elements. This process was Scrum.

Scrum is an agile software development process that is used by companies such as Nokia, SAP, Microsoft and British Telecom. The Scrum Master's job is to help people stay within the process and to remove obstacles that hinder developer's progress.

As does about any modern software development process, Scrum uses iterations to develop pieces of the whole project. These pieces are then presented to stakeholders. Their feedback drives priorities and objectives of the next iteration. The difference is in Scrum's reliance on self organization of the team and the way it distributes responsibilities among its different roles.