Scrum at Scale with CIPSA – The Ninjas, The Guide, The Mastermind and The Patron

Scrum at Scale with CIPSA introduces only two key roles – Chief Product Owner (CPO) and Principal Scrum Master (PSM). But the soul of the CIPSA framework is the CIPSA team as I’ve noted here. 

Without the developers, including the integrations specialists in the CIPSA team, there is no delivery. If there is no delivery, then Scrum at Scale has no real meaning, use, or purpose. 

In addition, there can be a Sponsor. Without a Sponsor or an executive champion, the product is not actively pursued or supported at the executive level. The Sponsor is not directly part of the CIPSA Scrum team but plays a crucial role.

In this article, I’ve taken four metaphors to describe the four roles used in the CIPSA Scrum Framework. CIPSA is world’s only framework that is practical and hands-on. These metaphors set the mindset, which is crucial for implementing the CIPSA framework.

Importance of Metaphors

Metaphors exist in every language, including English. In our context, they relate to Agile at Scale, specifically Scrum at Scale using the CIPSA framework.

In individual team-level Scrum, there are only a few people, roles, events (ceremonies), and artifacts. Complexity and dependencies are minimal, and risks, impediments, issues, and problems are mostly contained within the individual Scrum team.

However, Scrum at scale will be very different because of the followings:

• A number of teams will be involved and hence, a number of people.
• There have to be new roles.
• There will be meta-events, not events.
• Additional artifacts will be required. 
• The complexities, obviously, will be more. 
• The focus will be on inter-team risks and dependencies, among others.

Hence, the mindset to scale has to be different when compared to the mindset at individual team-level. To reiterate, metaphors play a crucial role in setting this mindset – the mindset of scale. 

The metaphors used in the CIPSA Scrum Framework are:

• Ninja,
• Guide,
• Mastermind, and
• Patron.

Now, let’s have a look at them briefly. The detailed elaboration is be part of the CIPSA certification course. See the details here.

Ninja

The developers in the CIPSA Scrum Team are Ninjas. A ninja is a top-class implementer. He or she is classically stealthy and highly skilled. Give a ninja a task, and be assured that the work will get done. There is no second-guessing here. This skilled executor focuses on delivering high-quality work and is not high dependent on others to deliver. The ninjas thrive on autonomy and mastery. 

It’s the ninjas who deliver the work and provide the CIPSA Integrated Increment every Sprint. See here.

Guide 

The guide is the Principal Scrum Master and is always available to the CIPSA team. The PSM helps CIPSA team members solve cross-team problems (issues and impediments), rejoices in the team’s growth, shares his/her knowledge, and offers experience. 

In addition, the guide champions Agile values and principles and ensures the team continuously improves. Some of the value and principles may or may not be applied at Scale, but it’s the job of the Guide to understand and provide solutions.

The guide, i.e., the PSM can also be called the coach of the entire CIPSA team. See here.

Mastermind

The mastermind is the Chief Product Owner. In this role, the mastermind is the chief strategist, thinking ahead about the items to be added to the Product Backlog. The CPO, as I’ve noted in this article (see here), is not a backlog maintenance person, but a backlog strategist. 

The mastermind is a visionary who steers product direction and backlog prioritization. As this person thinks ahead, hence the name or metaphor. 

Patron 

The Sponsor is the patron. The patron is the one who supports the product's delivery and remains continuously invested. This person secures resources and organizational support. The patron also champions the initiative at the executive level.

It’s the patron who secures the funding and brings in the resources – financial, assets, material, equipment or others. Hence, the metaphor!

Table Brief – Ninja, Guide, Mastermind and Patron 

Now that understand the metaphors used in the CIPSA Certification Course, it’s a good time to have a summary table. It’s shown below.

Live Video Explanation

I’ve prepared a video [duration - 09: 28s] to further consolidate your understanding. Watch the video alongside this article for a better learning experience. Don't forget to plug-in your headphones and go full-screen HD.

Conclusion

You now may be wondering are there any metaphors in the CIPSA Kanban Framework? 

Yes, indeed! There too we’ve metaphors, but they’re different from CIPSA Scrum Framework. Scrum and Kanban are not the same! Hence, when you scale, your thinking also has to be different. 

For example, in the CIPSA Kanban framework, I’ve used the metaphors of Samurai and Sensei to explain on my visualization of the roles. As wrote in the beginning, it helps to set the mindset when applying Agile at Scale.

So, whether you go for the CIPSA Scrum or Kanban frameworks for implementation in your teams and/or organizations, keep these metaphors and roles in mind to get the maximum value out of your CIPSA certification.

CIPSA Sample Videos and Questions:

[1] CIPSA Sample Video List (Choose a Video)

[2] CIPSA Video Playlist (Complete Playlist)

CIPSA Sample Questions:

[1] CIPSA Certification Sample Questions (Part - 1)

[2] CIPSA Certification Sample Questions (Part - 2)

CIPSA Certification:

[1] NEW Scaled Agile Certification Course: Certified In Practical Scaled Agile (CIPSA)

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - CIPSA Certification  

[3] New Practical Scaled Agile Framework – The CIPSA Framework Guide

[4] Understanding the CIPSA Scrum Framework – Practical, Hands-on Scrum at Scale

[5] The CIPSA Framework Clock - A Unique Way