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During the daily stand-up, I have seen a note from the newly employed scrum master that they are unsure what to do with me. He was screen sharing and accidentally pulled up his notes for a split second but had enough time to read it. But the note simply reads as: "Decision TBD, design or development". I'm currently doing a mix of both.

From all feedback that I've heard (from CTO & new manager) is that they are very happy with the work I am doing (junior dev). I am very certain that I wasn't meant to see this.

The worst-case scenario I see is that I would become a full-time designer. I'm not interested in this. I however love the mix of both since I can take a break from a difficult programming task and still be productive.

Some context:

  • I work at a startup/small firm.
  • We don't have a dedicated designer
  • Currently our team is too small to have a dedicated designer but the boss(es) are looking into drastically expanding our team in the "near" future
  • There are some ideas floating around that would require a lot of design work

How do I proceed?

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    According to what you described, the worst that can happen is that pretty much nothing is going to change, even if there will be a change. So why bother worrying? If there is real reason for worry, please describe it by editing the question.
    – virolino
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 9:24
  • I've edited the post. The worst-case scenario for me is to become a full-time designer since this is something I don't want. I however love the mix or would love to be a full-time developer.
    – Wojtek322
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 9:29
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    Why is your Scrum Master making such decisions? It sounds more like this is a team lead/team manager than a Scrum Master.
    – Mark Rotteveel
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 15:04
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    You don't know if the notes referred to changing your job to full time one thing, or to what role you might play on some project that doesn't take up your whole job. There's really no need at all for you to do anything.
    – Kate Gregory
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 19:50
  • @MarkRotteveel it's a small startup, people wear multiple hats.
    – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 13:35

4 Answers 4

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I have overseen a note where my job function is potentially going to change, how do I proceed?

I think you need to step back for a second and forget about the note that you saw.

In almost any job, your job function can potentially change at any time. This is a normal part of a career. New technologies are introduced, business needs change, industries change,....etc. Some people can adapt to these changes and continue being satisfied and productive employees while others cannot. Personally, I have never worked for a company where my job function was exactly the same throughout the entirety of my employment.

What you need to focus on now is the work that you currently have and not worry about what you potentially may be asked to do at some point in the future.

If your worst case scenario does come true at some point, and you are totally opposed to this change in your role, then you start looking for a new job that better aligns with your interests and resign from your current job once you have signed a written offer from a new company.

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Schedule a meeting with the new Scrum Master and explain you saw his notes. It sounds like they've decided you're going to focus on one element (not uncommon as teams grow and change).

As you don't want to be a full time designer I would use this as a chance to try and influence his decision towards development. However it does sound like they've already decided you're going to specialise one way or the other, so I wouldn't try and burn too much energy to maintain the status quo.

Nothing you saw says they're unhappy with you, so I wouldn't feel too threatened yet.

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I think, be professional about it. Nothing has been shared with you officially, so at this moment, no action is warranted from your side.

Let the scrum master do their job, and when they let you know something officially, then express your opinion. I'd not initiate a conversation based on something "I was not supposed to see".

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Your overall problem is not the note you saw by mistake. Your problem is that you do not have a healthy communication with your manager.

What you need to do is to have (more or less) regular face-to-face (F2F) meetings with your manager. The purpose of these meetings is to give each other feedback. Your manager will tell you what you did OK and what you can improve, and you tell your manager what you liked about your job until now and what you need or want.

Maybe you need some trainings or some equipment to do a better job or you want to shape your career in a certain way.

Just discuss with your manager. Do not even mention what you saw on the screen.

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