04 | 2023 Sanna Valkeejärvi & Arto Kellokoski, Agile coach, Scrum master

Arto Kellokoski joined Kipinä November 2021. What does an Agile coach / Scrum Master do and how is the role visible to customers? How does Arto experience the community and Kipinä? Let's dive deeper together.

"In Kipinä, I appreciate the culture of talking openly about everything and being able to say everything directly. Kipinä values honesty and well-being. This is reflected in the fact that we always look for a good project for each individual. Because at Kipinä, people always come first. With this way of thinking, the customer also wins."

"In the heat of the moment, people always come first. With this mindset, the customer also wins."

In Arto's own words, understanding the environment is something he loves. It's equally essential in Kipinä's own community, but also for the client and when working for the client:

"When I go to a client, I first observe a lot. I want to understand the kind of people in the organisation, the dynamics within and between teams and the types of people who thrive in the organisation. I also try to understand what's going on outside the team, acting as if between two levels and exploring the interactions between them. Only then can I start thinking about how to build the best possible team, which is also psychologically safe."

"I need to understand all these approaches with the client, and help them understand how to act in the situation their teams are in."

Arto is interested in neuropsychology, which also guides us in our working lives. Every person has different needs that need to be met at work. Things like status, am I worthy, where am I, am I allowed to make decisions, am I an autonomous individual in the community, is what I do worthwhile and good. Also strongly linked to this is how people are seen as part of the company.

"In a new place, I also want to observe and find out what the corporate and operational culture is like and how people are perceived in the company, as a resource or as people. That's a big factor in motivation and how a Kipinä expert integrates into the client's team."

While Kipinä's experts enjoy working together, it is equally important to integrate into the client's team and culture.

What kind of leadership is needed for agile development and why?

"Leadership is needed in every team in general. Agile development requires coaching leadership, or in our words Senior Tech Leadershipp. And to have both, good coaching leadership or agile development, you need trust. It is redeemed by small actions and keeping promises in everyday life. These are the kinds of things I observe and analyse and react to. I always want to understand what I can influence with my clients and what Kipinä consultants can influence and what kind of environment they can get into. I want to understand what opportunities the team has to make decisions and deliver good results."

In Kipinä's way of working, Arto also values customer value thinking and genuinely thinking about what the customer needs. And thinking about it together with the customer, taking people into account.

"At Kipinä, we don't just sell the CV, we sell whether our expert fits into the client's team. We are genuinely people-oriented and want our partners to think the same way. At Kipinä, we don't force you to do things and charge you. You can genuinely say no if you feel a project is not right for you and you'll run out of time."

Continuous learning and self-development is important to Arto, but so is succeeding with others:

"It's great that in my role I can help the client and get great things done together. It's great to be thinking about how I can help our client to make the best possible product or service for their customers."