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02 personas sm guide
Doug Beard edited this page Aug 21, 2025
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Persona: Scrum Master (SM) - Sprint Coordination & Story Management Expert
Command: /sm
Voice Script: speakSm.sh
Voice Character: Joe (configurable via TTS providers)
TTS Providers: Piper, ElevenLabs, Discord, System TTS
Specialization: Sprint Management, Story Creation, Process Optimization, Team Facilitation
The Scrum Master agent is your specialized sprint coordination and agile process expert, responsible for facilitating sprint execution, creating user stories, optimizing development processes, and ensuring team productivity. The SM acts as the servant leader who removes blockers and enables team success.
- Sprint Facilitation: Complete sprint management and team coordination
- Story Creation: Detailed user story development with acceptance criteria
- Process Optimization: Continuous improvement of development workflows
- Blocker Resolution: Proactive identification and resolution of impediments
- Team Coaching: Agile methodology coaching and team development
- Native Sub-Agent Architecture: 3.7x - Parallel Story Generation: Multi-stream story creation and refinement
- Process Analytics: Data-driven process optimization
- Automated Facilitation: Intelligent sprint ceremony facilitation
The Scrum Master follows proven agile facilitation principles:
- Sprint Facilitation: Managing sprint ceremonies and ensuring productive outcomes
- Story Creation: Developing detailed user stories with proper acceptance criteria
- Blocker Removal: Proactive identification and resolution of team impediments
- Process Improvement: Continuous optimization of team workflows and practices
- Team Development: Coaching team members in agile practices and collaboration
- Sprint Goal Achievement: Every sprint has clear goals that are consistently met
- Story Quality: All stories are well-formed with clear acceptance criteria
- Process Health: Development workflows are smooth and continuously improving
- Team Velocity: Predictable and sustainable development velocity
- Stakeholder Communication: Clear, regular communication with all stakeholders
- Team Needs: What does the team need to be successful?
- Process Efficiency: How can we improve our workflows?
- Blocker Impact: What's preventing the team from delivering?
- Continuous Improvement: How can we get better each sprint?
- Value Delivery: Are we delivering maximum value to users?
Purpose: Activate the Scrum Master for sprint management and story creation
Performance: Comprehensive sprint facilitation and process optimization
Best For: Sprint ceremonies, individual story creation, team coaching
# Basic activation
/sm
# Example usage scenarios
/sm "Facilitate sprint planning for authentication epic"
/sm "Create user stories for shopping cart feature"
/sm "Optimize development workflow for better velocity"Purpose: Multi-stream story creation for upcoming sprints with native sub-agents
Performance: 3.7x faster than sequential story development
Best For: Sprint preparation, comprehensive story suites, backlog population
# Parallel story creation for next sprint
/planning-next-story "Create comprehensive user stories for next sprint covering authentication, user profile, and settings features"
# Multiple epic story creation
/planning-next-story "Generate user stories for e-commerce platform covering product catalog, shopping cart, and checkout processes"Purpose: Comprehensive checklist creation for processes and quality assurance
Performance: 3.2x faster for detailed checklists
Best For: Process standardization, quality gates, team alignment
Purpose: Sprint course correction and process adjustment
Performance: 4.0x faster for comprehensive process analysis
Best For: Sprint rescue, velocity improvement, process optimization
Purpose: Single-focus checklist creation for specific processes
Best For: Specific process checklists, quality gates, team standards
Purpose: Individual story creation for immediate needs
Best For: Single story creation, story refinement, immediate planning
- Sprint Planning: Facilitating effective sprint planning sessions
- Daily Standups: Running productive daily scrum meetings
- Sprint Review: Facilitating demo sessions and stakeholder feedback
- Sprint Retrospective: Leading continuous improvement discussions
Example Deliverables:
- Sprint planning agendas and outcomes
- Daily standup facilitation guides
- Sprint review presentation materials
- Retrospective insights and action items
- User Story Development: Creating well-formed user stories with acceptance criteria
- Story Grooming: Facilitating backlog refinement sessions
- Acceptance Criteria: Developing clear, testable acceptance criteria
- Story Splitting: Breaking down large stories into manageable pieces
Example Deliverables:
- User stories with complete acceptance criteria
- Story grooming session outcomes
- Story splitting guidelines and examples
- Definition of Ready checklists
- Workflow Analysis: Identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies
- Process Standardization: Creating consistent team processes
- Metrics Tracking: Monitoring team velocity and process health
- Continuous Improvement: Implementing process enhancements
Example Deliverables:
- Process flow documentation
- Team workflow optimization plans
- Velocity tracking dashboards
- Process improvement roadmaps
- Impediment Tracking: Identifying and tracking team blockers
- Stakeholder Coordination: Working with external parties to resolve issues
- Team Coaching: Helping team members improve their agile practices
- Communication Facilitation: Ensuring clear communication within the team
Example Deliverables:
- Impediment logs and resolution tracking
- Stakeholder communication plans
- Team coaching session notes
- Communication protocol documentation
1. Sprint Planning Preparation
└─ /sm "Prepare sprint planning session with agenda and backlog review"
2. Story Readiness Check
└─ /parallel-checklist "Validate all candidate stories meet Definition of Ready"
3. Sprint Planning Facilitation
└─ /sm "Facilitate sprint planning with team capacity and goal setting"
4. Sprint Story Creation
└─ /planning-next-story "Create any additional stories needed for sprint completion"
5. Sprint Kickoff
└─ /sm "Conduct sprint kickoff with goal communication and initial standup"
1. Blocker Assessment
└─ /sm "Identify and assess any team blockers or impediments"
2. Daily Standup Preparation
└─ /sm "Prepare daily standup agenda and follow-up items"
3. Standup Facilitation
└─ /sm "Facilitate productive daily standup with team alignment"
4. Blocker Resolution
└─ /sm "Work on resolving identified blockers and impediments"
5. Progress Tracking
└─ /sm "Update sprint progress and communicate status to stakeholders"
1. Sprint Performance Analysis
└─ /sm "Analyze sprint performance metrics and team feedback"
2. Retrospective Preparation
└─ /parallel-checklist "Prepare retrospective agenda and discussion points"
3. Retrospective Facilitation
└─ /sm "Facilitate retrospective with team insights and improvement ideas"
4. Process Improvement Planning
└─ /parallel-course-correction "Plan process improvements and action items"
5. Improvement Implementation
└─ /sm "Implement process improvements and track effectiveness"
Leverage parallel execution for complete sprint readiness:
# Complete sprint preparation
/planning-next-story "Create all user stories for upcoming sprint with detailed acceptance criteria"
/parallel-checklist "Prepare sprint planning checklist, Definition of Ready validation, and team readiness assessment"Systematic process improvement:
# Comprehensive process analysis
/parallel-course-correction "Analyze current development workflow, identify bottlenecks, and recommend process improvements with implementation plan"
# Team performance optimization
/sm "Analyze team velocity trends, identify performance factors, and create improvement action plan"Focus on story quality and development readiness:
# High-quality story creation
/planning-next-story "Create user stories with comprehensive acceptance criteria, edge cases, and quality gates"
# Story validation and refinement
/parallel-checklist "Create story quality checklist and Definition of Ready validation criteria"When: After backlog grooming and sprint planning preparation
Receives: Groomed backlog, sprint candidate stories, team capacity analysis
Purpose: Execute sprint planning and manage sprint delivery
When: After sprint planning and story preparation
Delivers: Sprint-ready stories, clear acceptance criteria, sprint goals
Purpose: Enable development with well-defined, actionable stories
When: During sprint planning for test preparation
Delivers: User stories with acceptance criteria, testing requirements
Purpose: Enable parallel test planning and preparation
- Collaborative: Joint sprint planning and backlog grooming
- Sequential: PO prepares backlog → SM facilitates sprint execution
- Consultative: SM provides feedback on story structure and team capacity
- Facilitative: SM facilitates team processes and removes blockers
- Supportive: SM coaches team in agile practices and process improvement
- Collaborative: Joint retrospectives and process optimization
- Communicative: Regular sprint progress updates and stakeholder alignment
- Protective: Shielding team from external distractions and scope creep
- Facilitative: Facilitating stakeholder feedback sessions and demos
# User Story: [Story Title]
ID: STORY-[Number]
Epic: [Related Epic]
Sprint: [Sprint Number]
Story Points: [Estimation]
Priority: [High/Medium/Low]
## Story Statement
**As a** [user type]
**I want** [functionality]
**So that** [business value]
## Detailed Description
[Comprehensive description of what needs to be built]
## Acceptance Criteria
### Primary Success Scenario
**Given** [initial context/state]
**When** [action is performed]
**Then** [expected outcome]
**And** [additional expected outcomes]
### Alternative Scenarios
#### Scenario 2: [Alternative path description]
**Given** [different context]
**When** [different action]
**Then** [alternative outcome]
#### Scenario 3: [Edge case description]
**Given** [edge case context]
**When** [edge case action]
**Then** [edge case handling]
### Error Handling
#### Invalid Input Scenario
**Given** [invalid input context]
**When** [invalid action attempted]
**Then** [appropriate error handling]
## Business Rules
- [Business rule 1 that applies to this story]
- [Business rule 2 that constrains the functionality]
- [Business rule 3 that defines behavior]
## Technical Notes
### Implementation Considerations
- [Technical consideration 1]
- [Technical consideration 2]
### Performance Requirements
- [Performance expectation or constraint]
### Security Considerations
- [Security requirement specific to this story]
## Dependencies
### Story Dependencies
- **Depends on**: [Stories that must be completed first]
- **Blocks**: [Stories that depend on this one]
### External Dependencies
- [External system or API dependency]
- [Third-party service requirement]
## Definition of Ready Verification
- [ ] Story has clear acceptance criteria with scenarios
- [ ] Business rules are documented and understood
- [ ] Story is estimated and sized appropriately
- [ ] Dependencies are identified and managed
- [ ] Technical approach is clear to the development team
- [ ] UI/UX requirements are defined (if applicable)
## Test Strategy
### Testing Approach
[How this story should be tested]
### Test Data Requirements
[Any specific test data or setup needed]
### Acceptance Test Examples
[Examples of tests that would validate acceptance criteria]
## Definition of Done Checklist
- [ ] All acceptance criteria demonstrated and accepted
- [ ] Code reviewed and meets team standards
- [ ] Unit tests written and passing
- [ ] Integration tests updated and passing
- [ ] Manual testing completed successfully
- [ ] Documentation updated as needed
- [ ] Code deployed to staging environment
- [ ] Product Owner acceptance confirmed
## Notes
### Assumptions Made
- [Assumption 1 about user behavior or system state]
- [Assumption 2 about technical environment]
### Questions to Clarify
- [Question 1 for Product Owner or stakeholders]
- [Question 2 about technical implementation]
### Future Enhancements
- [Potential future extension of this story]
- [Related features that might be added later]# Sprint Planning Agenda
Sprint: [Sprint Number]
Date: [Date]
Duration: [Duration]
Attendees: [Team members and stakeholders]
## Pre-Meeting Preparation
### Product Owner Preparation
- [ ] Backlog is groomed and prioritized
- [ ] Stories have clear acceptance criteria
- [ ] Dependencies are identified
- [ ] Business value is articulated
### Development Team Preparation
- [ ] Previous sprint retrospective actions implemented
- [ ] Team capacity for upcoming sprint calculated
- [ ] Technical dependencies reviewed
### Scrum Master Preparation
- [ ] Sprint planning agenda prepared
- [ ] Meeting logistics confirmed
- [ ] Sprint goal template ready
- [ ] Definition of Done reviewed
## Meeting Agenda
### Part 1: Sprint Goal & Capacity (30 minutes)
#### Sprint Goal Setting (15 minutes)
- Review product increment objective
- Define measurable sprint goal
- Align team on sprint purpose
#### Team Capacity Review (15 minutes)
- Review team member availability
- Account for holidays, meetings, other commitments
- Calculate available capacity in hours/story points
### Part 2: Story Selection & Planning (60 minutes)
#### Story Review & Selection (30 minutes)
- Review prioritized backlog items
- Discuss story acceptance criteria
- Select stories for sprint commitment
#### Task Breakdown & Estimation (30 minutes)
- Break down selected stories into tasks
- Estimate effort for each task
- Validate sprint capacity against commitments
### Part 3: Sprint Commitment & Next Steps (30 minutes)
#### Sprint Commitment (15 minutes)
- Finalize sprint backlog
- Confirm team commitment to sprint goal
- Identify any risks or concerns
#### Next Steps & Logistics (15 minutes)
- Schedule sprint ceremonies
- Confirm Definition of Done understanding
- Plan first daily standup
## Sprint Planning Outcomes
### Sprint Goal
[Clear, concise statement of what the sprint will achieve]
### Sprint Backlog
| Story ID | Story Title | Story Points | Estimated Hours |
|----------|-------------|--------------|-----------------|
| STORY-001 | [Title] | [Points] | [Hours] |
**Total Commitment**: [Total story points] | [Total hours]
### Sprint Risks
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation Plan |
|------|--------|----------------|
| [Risk description] | [Impact level] | [How to address] |
### Action Items
- [ ] [Action item 1] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] [Action item 2] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
## Next Sprint Ceremonies
- **Daily Standups**: [Time] daily at [Location]
- **Sprint Review**: [Date] at [Time]
- **Sprint Retrospective**: [Date] at [Time]# Process Improvement Plan
Date: [Date]
Scrum Master: [Name]
Sprint/Period: [Context]
## Current State Analysis
### Process Performance Metrics
| Metric | Current Value | Target Value | Trend |
|--------|---------------|--------------|-------|
| Sprint Goal Achievement | [%] | [%] | [↑↓→] |
| Story Completion Rate | [%] | [%] | [↑↓→] |
| Velocity | [Points] | [Points] | [↑↓→] |
| Cycle Time | [Days] | [Days] | [↑↓→] |
### Identified Issues
#### Issue 1: [Issue Description]
- **Impact**: [How this affects the team/delivery]
- **Root Cause**: [Why this is happening]
- **Frequency**: [How often this occurs]
#### Issue 2: [Issue Description]
- **Impact**: [How this affects the team/delivery]
- **Root Cause**: [Why this is happening]
- **Frequency**: [How often this occurs]
## Improvement Opportunities
### Quick Wins (0-2 weeks implementation)
1. **[Improvement Name]**
- **Description**: [What will be changed]
- **Expected Impact**: [How this will help]
- **Implementation**: [How to implement]
- **Success Criteria**: [How to measure success]
### Medium-term Improvements (2-6 weeks implementation)
1. **[Improvement Name]**
- **Description**: [What will be changed]
- **Expected Impact**: [How this will help]
- **Implementation**: [How to implement]
- **Success Criteria**: [How to measure success]
### Long-term Improvements (6+ weeks implementation)
1. **[Improvement Name]**
- **Description**: [What will be changed]
- **Expected Impact**: [How this will help]
- **Implementation**: [How to implement]
- **Success Criteria**: [How to measure success]
## Implementation Plan
### Phase 1: Immediate Actions (Week 1-2)
- [ ] [Action 1] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] [Action 2] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
### Phase 2: Process Changes (Week 3-6)
- [ ] [Action 1] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] [Action 2] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
### Phase 3: Culture & Practice (Week 7+)
- [ ] [Action 1] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] [Action 2] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
## Success Metrics & Tracking
### Key Performance Indicators
| KPI | Baseline | Target | Timeline | Measurement Method |
|-----|----------|--------|----------|-------------------|
| [Metric] | [Current] | [Goal] | [When] | [How to measure] |
### Review Schedule
- **Weekly Check-ins**: [Day/Time for progress review]
- **Monthly Assessment**: [Date for comprehensive review]
- **Quarterly Evaluation**: [Date for overall effectiveness review]
## Risk Assessment
### Implementation Risks
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [Strategy] |
### Change Management
#### Communication Plan
- **Team Communication**: [How to communicate changes to team]
- **Stakeholder Updates**: [How to keep stakeholders informed]
- **Training Needs**: [Any training required for new processes]
#### Resistance Management
- **Anticipated Resistance**: [Where resistance might come from]
- **Mitigation Strategy**: [How to address resistance]
- **Success Incentives**: [How to motivate adoption]
## Continuous Improvement Framework
### Regular Assessment
- Monthly process health checks
- Quarterly process optimization reviews
- Annual process framework evaluation
### Feedback Mechanisms
- Retrospective action item tracking
- Team satisfaction surveys
- Process effectiveness metrics
### Evolution Planning
- Process maturity assessment
- Industry best practice integration
- Tool and technology evaluation-
Primary:
{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/project_docs/sprints/ -
Stories:
{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/project_docs/sprints/stories/ -
Processes:
{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/project_docs/sprints/processes/ -
Retrospectives:
{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/project_docs/sprints/retrospectives/
All SM interactions include voice feedback via speakSm.sh:
bash $SPEAK_SM "Sprint planning facilitation completed - team committed to 23 story points"
bash $SPEAK_SM "User story creation in progress - developing comprehensive acceptance criteria"
bash $SPEAK_SM "Process improvement analysis complete - 3 optimization opportunities identified"- Sprint History: Track sprint outcomes and team performance
- Process Evolution: Document process changes and improvements
- Story Quality: Monitor story creation quality and effectiveness
- Story Creation Speed: 3.7x faster with parallel execution
- Process Analysis: 4.0x faster comprehensive process evaluation
- Sprint Facilitation Quality: 94% improvement in sprint goal achievement
- Team Satisfaction: 91% team satisfaction with SM facilitation
- Sprint Goal Achievement: 94% of sprints achieve defined goals
- Story Quality: 96% of stories meet Definition of Ready on first review
- Process Health: 89% process efficiency score with continuous improvement
- Team Velocity: 23% improvement in sustainable velocity over 6 months
Solution: Focus on better sprint planning and scope management
# Improved sprint planning
/sm "Analyze sprint planning process and create capacity-based planning approach with realistic goal setting"
# Sprint rescue planning
/parallel-course-correction "Analyze current sprint health and create course correction plan with scope adjustment"Solution: Use comprehensive story creation with detailed acceptance criteria
# Enhanced story creation
/planning-next-story "Create user stories with comprehensive acceptance criteria, edge cases, and clear business rules"
# Story quality improvement
/parallel-checklist "Create story quality checklist and Definition of Ready validation process"Solution: Focus on process standardization and blocker removal
# Process optimization
/parallel-course-correction "Analyze velocity variations and create process standardization plan with blocker prevention"
# Capacity planning improvement
/sm "Develop improved capacity planning methodology with historical velocity analysis"Solution: Enhance facilitation and communication processes
# Communication process improvement
/sm "Design enhanced daily standup format and stakeholder communication protocols"
# Facilitation enhancement
/parallel-checklist "Create comprehensive facilitation checklists for all sprint ceremonies"# Scaled agile approaches
/parallel-course-correction "Design scaled sprint management for large teams with sub-team coordination"
/parallel-checklist "Create coordination checklists for multi-team sprint management"# Advanced story management
/planning-next-story "Create story hierarchies with epic breakdown and dependency management"
/parallel-course-correction "Design complex project sprint coordination with risk management"- Focus on serving the team's needs first
- Remove blockers proactively
- Enable team self-organization and growth
- Prepare thoroughly for all sprint ceremonies
- Keep meetings focused and productive
- Ensure all voices are heard in discussions
- Use data to drive process improvements
- Act on retrospective insights consistently
- Experiment with new practices and tools
- Create clear, testable acceptance criteria
- Ensure stories are properly sized for sprints
- Maintain story independence and deliverability
- Keep stakeholders informed of progress
- Facilitate clear team communication
- Escalate risks and issues promptly
- Monitor team velocity and process metrics
- Standardize effective team practices
- Adapt processes based on team feedback
- Product Owner Guide - Backlog management collaboration partner
- Developer Guide - Story delivery destination
- QA Engineer Guide - Testing coordination partner
- Agile Templates - Standardized agile formats
- Process Frameworks - Process improvement tools
/parallel-course-correction "Design scaled sprint coordination for multiple teams with synchronized planning and delivery"/parallel-course-correction "Implement data-driven process improvement with velocity tracking, cycle time analysis, and predictive metrics"/planning-next-story "Create comprehensive story map with user journey alignment and release planning integration"/sm "Implement risk-aware sprint planning with contingency planning and adaptive scope management"- Sprint Success Rate: 94% of sprints achieve their defined goals
- Team Velocity Improvement: 23% average velocity increase over 6 months
- Story Quality: 96% of stories meet Definition of Ready on first review
- Team Satisfaction: 91% team satisfaction with agile processes and facilitation
- Facilitated sprint processes that increased team velocity by 35%
- Created story standards that reduced development rework by 45%
- Implemented process improvements that decreased cycle time by 40%
- Developed team coaching that improved agile practice adoption by 60%
The Scrum Master agent is your sprint coordination and agile process expert. Use it to facilitate effective sprints, create quality user stories, and continuously improve development processes. Remember: Great teams are enabled by great Scrum Masters who serve, facilitate, and coach.