Raven S. Cashaw

The Role of the Scrum Master

As an information technology and project management professional, Raven S. Cashaw is a proponent of the benefits of agile methodologies. Her areas of expertise include agile software development, agile coaching, and project management based on the PMBOK methodology. Raven S. Cashaw has worked as a scrum master for institutions such as JPMorgan Chase Bank, BMO Harris Bank, and Northern Trust Bank.

A scrum master is responsible for making sure a project is following the scrum framework. The scrum framework is a software development approach that uses continuous feedback and iterative development in order to make project teams more flexible and effective. Scrum is one of many frameworks designed to support agile methodology. It is one of the most popular, being used by 89 percent of agile practitioners.

Although scrum masters manage the scrum process, they are careful not to make decisions for project team members. Rather, they guide team members regarding how the scrum process should be implemented while fostering a sense of community around the usage of scrum.

Scrum masters monitor and manage the goals and scope of a scrum sprint (a clearly defined short-term project), ensuring that the team is focused on its specific targets. Scrum masters may also offer tools and techniques to assist team members in resolving task backlogs.

One way to become a scrum master is to get certified. Becoming a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) is a recommended path to building a career specializing in this framework. Certification requires familiarity with the scrum framework, taking a 16-hour course led by a certified trainer, and then passing an exam.

Role of a Scrum Master in an Agile Framework

An accomplished Chicago-based agile expert with vast experience training various corporate teams on how to maximize output and conform to various agile frameworks, Raven S. Cashaw is the owner of RAVVE Technology and RAVVE Medical Billing. Well-versed in scrum, Raven S. Cashaw coaches teams to help them create and innovate in a fast-paced software engineering market.

A scrum master is a key individual in an agile development team whose role is to ensure the team conforms to the values and principles of agile frameworks and follows the processes the entire team agreed to use. Scrum is a methodology that enables a team to organize themselves and quickly execute the required changes while adhering to agile practices. This entails managing a project by breaking it into several stages while maintaining constant collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement takes place.

Tasked with managing information exchange between team members, scrum masters also ensure that the goals of the product owner, scope, and product domain remain clear to the entire scrum team. Scrum is a simple, fast, and straightforward approach to manage large complex projects and deliver high-value products by dealing with problems as they arise. A scrum master seeks to find out from their team what they did yesterday, what they intend to do today and if there are any challenges they’re facing.

Scrum masters are not part of the hierarchy to demand results and accountability but rather, establish an environment that allows teams to work effectively. Scrum masters also clear any obstacles or challenges facing the project, address team dynamics, as well as protect the team from outside distractions and interruptions.

An Introduction to Agile Business Processes

The owner of RAVVE Medical Billing, Raven S. Cashaw is an Agile coach with Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. She is also an Agile coach at RAVVE Technology, LLC, which she has owned since 2019. Prior to beginning her career in Agile coaching, Raven S. Cashaw achieved master’s degrees in both business administration and project management from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

In the business world, an Agile coach is a professional tasked with developing or enhancing a team or corporation’s Agile processes. These processes can be defined as those that allow a management team to effectively segment an expansive project into many discrete parts. This approach can streamline every stage of development, but only if businesses can maintain constant collaboration among divisions and stakeholders.

Sometimes known as a Scrum master, an Agile coach is a consultant or staffed employee responsible for establishing and elevating Agile practices, particularly when a company is preparing to transition to Agile from another methodology, such as Waterfall. An Agile coach can also play a role in determining which specific methodology best meets a company’s needs, such as Scrum, Kanban, or a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).

Agile coaches typically come from project management backgrounds, though careers in product management, information technology (IT), and software development can also lead to an Agile coaching position. To learn more about Agile coaching processes or to begin working toward Agile coaching certification, visit www.aspetraining.com.

Agile Alliance Holds deliver-Agile 2020 Event

A medical coach with several years of experience, Raven S. Cashaw is the owner of RAVVE Medical Billing and RAVVE Technology, both of which she established in 2019. Alongside being an agile coach with Northwestern Medicine, Raven S. Cashaw is an Agile Alliance (AA) member, with the organization promoting agile software concepts, among others.

The organization held its fifth annual deliver:Agile event, which took place from April 29 to May 1 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. The event, which is marketed towards software developers looking to develop their Agile technical skills, featured a range of speakers, including Liz Fong-Jones, who presented a talk titled “Cultivating Production Excellence.”

Conference chair Cat Swetel noted that deliver:Agile 2020 served as a way for attendees to hear voices from numerous technical disciplines, such as architecture, software development, and design.

In addition, she highlighted that it was an opportunity for experts to explore Agile’s history while also predicting future trends.

Key Ways to Support the ADAA

Based in Naperville, Illinois, Raven S. Cashaw holds an MBA and is a senior Agile Coach and Scrum Master who has worked with a range of organizations. Raven S. Cashaw is also the owner of RAVVE Medical Billing and RAVVE Technology LLC. She supports multiple charitable causes, including the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

An international non-profit organization founded in 1979, the ADAA focuses on preventing and treating anxiety, depression, and related disorders through research, practice, and education initiatives. The ADAA supports people afflicted with anxiety and depression disorders by empowering them to seek treatment, providing them with free information resources, and enabling them to access care.

Proceeds from the purchases made through the ADAA’s online store are allocated towards support advocacy efforts, as are tax-deductible monetary donations received by the organization. The ADAA also encourages people to help raise awareness about anxiety, depression, and related disorders by initiating their own fundraising campaigns, donating personal assets, and becoming involved in workplace giving programs.