Scrum Master Review

I act as a facilitator to a team of developers. My role involves removing impediments and helping the team to become as efficient as possible using agile principles. I run daily and bi monthly ceremonies that help my team to stop and reflect on a previous two weeks of work. I am responsible for the daily stand up, which is where the team talk about what the did yesterday, what they intend to do today and point out any impediments that they may have that I can assist in removing so that they can complete there job. I plan for sprint demo sessions and also sprint retrospective sessions. Increasing team morale is a huge part of my role long term to help increase productivity.

Very much so. I now have intermediate knowledge of agile methodologies and scrum. I have learned to use Jira software, ServiceNow and confluence. I have spent a lot of time attending RBS trainings to further develop my skills and now have a great interest in scrum methodologies. I have been able to attend the entrepreneurial development academy and take great interest in attending those meetings. I have learned to manage my time a lot better than when I first started and have been able to improve by interpersonal skills within an office environment.

To be given the opportunity to work in a digital environment has been fantastic. I am surrounded by like minded individuals that strive to improve the digital world of the bank for our customer base. The company goes out of its way to make RBS a great place to work. It has far exceeded my expectations of an employer and I have really enjoyed my time here.

The original induction, although strange at points, helped us to integrate with each other as a group but also helped us to understand what to expect. The initial training on the job was more of a watch a repeat activity. My first manager was great at training me on the role and supported me fully. He passes off multiple responsibilities to me and trusted me to work autonomously. This allowed me to identify multiple issues and help to resolve them. He was very understanding when I said that I would prefer a role where I get to work with people on a daily basis and helped to transfer me into a team as a scrum master as it suited my personality a lot more. My new manager is fantastic at letting me try new methods of delivery and is helping me to develop by letting me make my own mistakes and sharing his experiences. If I was to talk about the provider BPP themselves I would have to say that the structure has been quite poor and that they seem very un-organised as an organisation.

Both my managers in RBS have been fantastic. They provided me with all the support needed to complete my apprenticeship work and develop personally. I know that they have my best interests at heart and want me to succeed in my role. The HR team are constantly trying to fix all the problems that we have with the apprenticeship provider and I know that they are trying to make things better for us. Generally I feel completely supported to complete my role.

Year 1. The tutor/mentor couldn't really help all that much with the work. They tried to advise and provide support where they had knowledge. I feel that they did need a lot more training though. It seems that they want to help but there have been multiple failings on there behalf that they have needed to correct. As a group of apprentices it has felt like we are guinea pigs in an experiment. Year 2, we still don't have a mentor that has introduced themselves to us and we are still awaiting feedback from last years work. The only saving grace this year is our face to face trainer. He has changed the face of BPP and very much wants to help. More people of his calibre would help this company.

I think that the apprenticeship is leaning more towards technical roles within IT and I work a lot more on a Service level. There have been some good service led pieces that I have really enjoyed and I have put into practice. I do now know a lot more about the history of IT though and the principles behind infrastructure and networking. I do feel that I know a lot more about the industry since starting the apprenticeship.

There are a number of activities available within the workplace. There is a gym and swimming pool on site that you can sign up to, football pitches and tennis courts can also be booked out. There is a constant initiative for voluntary work and you are encouraged to take time away from work to perform volunteering work. You can also sign up to be a part of the Entrepreneurial Development Academy and share your own personal expertise with entrepreneurs that use the RBS entrepreneurial spark. During the week there are also a lot of coffee meetups for work bases activities and these provide a great platform for professional networking.

Yes

It truly is a great place to work. There are multiple training opportunities made available to you and the bank are constantly striving to grow the organisation from within. This means that new opportunities arise for current members of staff before outsourcing roles. You truly are the master of your own future here.

Just go for it. The application process is rather simple. Be prepared to be asked about your past and how it can help to influence your progress with a role within RBS. Life experience is worth a lot, so what you may class as not relevant may actually be something that makes you truly stand out. Always be open to grow into new positions. Build a fantastic relationship with your manager and always be honest about your development, happiness and goals.