Jeff Johnson

As a Certified Scrum Professional - Scrum Master, Jeff Johnson is a genuine servant leader to the software development teams that depend on him. He is consistent and objective. He possesses the communication skills to effectively bridge gaps of understanding Scrum within the teams and between leadership and the teams. He brings energy and integrity to his position and takes ownership of continually refining Scrum and the supporting processes and practices.

“Great Teams”
Recognizing effective teams and the chemistry they need for success has been part of Jeff’s skill set for a long time. Having spent 3 years in the army and operating as a team member/leader in various roles in his career, Jeff recognizes and nurtures the team unit. Jeff considers the success of the teams to be a reflection of his success. By coaching leads, providing tools and training, facilitating and collaborating with the teams he continually develops a trust and strong rapport with the teams and leadership.

As an advocate for open and honest communication, Jeff encourages real conversations to expedite understanding. As the facilitator in many of the Scrum ceremonies, he is very conscious of bringing substance and walking away with action items. In addition to facilitation, it is common for team members to request one-on-one conversations with Jeff and look to him when coaching individuals, avoiding communication breakdowns and resolving team conflicts. Jeff also plays a key role in building and retaining team members by working with the teams, leadership and Human Resources to target specific types of candidates to fill the needs of the teams.

“Let’s break this down.”
Whether it’s illustrating a user interaction diagram or crafting user stories with Product Owners, Jeff solidifies understanding by drawing on his experience as a User Interface/Interaction Designer. His ability to draw out ideas and keep a collaborative momentum with team members plays a significant part in reaching solutions in a timely manner. He can speak to a solution and quickly render interaction diagrams, wireframes and prototypes that allow teams to discuss and vet ideas quickly. Jeff also employs and encourages team members to use other methods to gain understanding such as CRC (Class , Responsibility, Collaboration) exercises and mind mapping.

“He’s our Scrum Master.”
At the core of Jeff’s role as Scrum Master he is committed to maintaining a disciplined Scrum environment. He proactively works with the teams to identify areas of improvement. As companies grow, the maturity of Scrum must scale as well. Jeff continually captures metrics to help the teams account for their capacity and advises them based on historical data and what is on the radar for the future. The information provided to the teams equips them with a true understanding of their velocity and distribution of task hours. They can then make better decisions and set real expectations with stakeholders, customers and other teams.

Each Scrum ceremony is key to the success of Scrum in any organization. Jeff insures that each team member understands the value of the ceremonies and provides a framework for facilitation to promote team engagement and understanding. He diligently leverages Scrum/agile methods within his organization and explores ideas from other Scrum practitioners, attending agile conferences and webinars and the coaching from various Scrum/Agile consultants.