Myth: A Scrum Master's Job is to Protect the Team
Most people want to do good work. And many Scrum Masters see their role as protecting the Scrum Team. But when protection becomes isolation, something is wrong. Shielding a team too much from stakeholders isn't helpful - it hinders collaboration, stifles feedback and erodes trust.
The Reality: Scrum Masters Foster Collaboration, Not Walls
A Scrum Master’s purpose is to improve the adoption of Scrum. That includes coaching both the Scrum Team and stakeholders on how to work together effectively. But it does not mean putting the team in a bubble, blocking access, or turning every external request into a bureaucratic obstacle course.
When a Scrum Master builds walls instead of bridges, collaboration breaks down. Work becomes transactional. Tickets are thrown over the wall with no discussion, no shared understanding, and no real conversation. Communication turns into words on a paper instead of real problem-solving.
What Happens When a Team is Overprotected?
Isolation doesn't increase "productivity", instead, it almost ensures that the team is busy on the wrong thing. All too often, teams who are over protected turn into a feature factory - heads-down coding, measuring success by output rather than outcomes.
Overprotected teams often struggle with common themes:
Collaboration suffers
Feedback loops break down
Trust erodes
Work becomes about closing tickets, not delivering value
The Metrics Tell the Story
When teams operate in isolation, it shows in the numbers:
Tasks are completed but customer outcomes are not improving
Success is measured based on outputs (# of tickets, # of points) instead of customer outcomes
Tickets may drag from Sprint to Sprint when it is found that they are not solving the root cause of the problems that they are facing
Morale may be low because people want to be part of a successful team, not doing busywork
Isolation doesn’t drive better delivery. It does the opposite. Feature factories don’t deliver value - they just complete tasks. And when teams are cut off from stakeholders, they lose sight of why their work matters.
The Real Cost of a Protective Bubble
Once, I called a Product Owner to request work from her team. The Product Owner was familiar with the type of request and thought it would take only a few minutes. But instead of appreciation for the suggestion, a few days later I received a stern email from the Scrum Master, who was angry at me for "going around the process." Five emails later, I gave up. Months later- yes, months - I finally got a reply asking if I still needed the change. Of course, by then, it was irrelevant.
That’s not agility. That’s a system designed to prevent progress.
Scrum is about transparency, collaboration, and delivering value. Scrum Masters should enable those things, not block them. If your team is stuck in a bubble, it’s time to pop it.
Want to hear more about Scrum Myths? Check out Illustrated Scrum Myths, a full-color book with more than 100 illustrations revealing the truth behind common Scrum Myths.
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