What is a Scrum Master? Duties and responsibilities explained by Digimagg

What is a Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master holds responsibility for ensuring that a Scrum team adheres to the values, principles, and practices of Scrum.

Scrum embodies five core values crucial for success: focus, openness, commitment, courage, and respect. It is underpinned by agile principles, including the utilization of small, cross-functional teams, frequent feedback loops for inspection and adaptation, and prioritizing individuals over processes. The framework also encompasses specific roles, meetings, and tools that are integral to team success.

The Scrum Master is often likened to an agile coach, dedicated to enabling the team to perform optimally. Unlike team members actively engaged in sprint tasks, the Scrum Master focuses on monitoring sprint progress, identifying areas for improvement, and fostering team advancement.

Functioning as the process owner within the team, the Scrum Master collaborates with the product owner, who oversees project development, and the developers responsible for implementation. This triad forms the foundation of a successful Scrum team.

Notably, the Scrum Master's responsibilities do not include determining project development or implementation strategies, nor typically engaging directly in product creation tasks.

What is the function of a Scrum Master? How does it operate?

For newcomers to the role, there may be confusion regarding the Scrum Master's dual role as both a servant leader to the team and someone with no direct authority.

However, this apparent contradiction dissipates when one recognizes that while the Scrum Master lacks authority over individual team members, they do possess authority over the Scrum process itself.

Although they may not have the power to dismiss team members, they can make decisions regarding the implementation of Scrum practices. For instance, they might decide to introduce two-week sprints for a trial period.

Addressing minor issues before they escalate into major problems is a crucial aspect of the Scrum Master's role.

What are the responsibilities of a Scrum Master?

What are the specific responsibilities of Scrum Masters? They undertake various tasks to enhance team performance, including:

• Eliminating obstacles hindering progress.
• Facilitating meetings.
• Collaborating with the product owner to ensure readiness of the product backlog for the upcoming sprint.

Moreover, Scrum Masters serve as advocates for the team, shielding them from potential challenges such as overcommitment or complacency. They also assist the team in grasping and implementing the Scrum framework, akin to a personal trainer guiding individuals through an exercise regimen. However, their authority is limited, granted by the team, and primarily focused on process-related matters.

Additionally, Scrum Masters hold teams accountable for their commitments, ensuring adherence to the sprint goals. While they can address process-related issues, decisions regarding specific actions, such as assigning code reviews, lie beyond their authority and should be determined collaboratively by the team.

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification

Given the necessity for a deep understanding of Scrum methodologies, many individuals find value in obtaining their Scrum Master certification. Various certifications are available, ranging from Professional Scrum Master® to Certified ScrumMaster®(CSM). However, it's crucial to recognize that being a Scrum Master encompasses more than merely completing a course and passing an exam.

At Mountain Goat Software, we provide the Certified ScrumMaster course and certification. Explore further details regarding the Certified ScrumMaster requirements on our platform.

How to transition into a Scrum Master role

Becoming a Scrum Master is open to anyone with a solid grasp of the role, a mindset geared towards growth, and the ability to lead through influence. To determine if this path is suitable for you, consider the following seven questions and adhere to the provided seven tips for securing your initial Scrum Master position. However, there are additional factors to contemplate.

Critical attributes shared by proficient Scrum Masters encompass effective listening skills, comfort in uncertain situations, adept conflict resolution abilities, technological proficiency, a preference for facilitating rather than executing tasks, and fulfillment derived from supporting others rather than seeking personal recognition.

Exemplary Scrum Masters typically exhibit a similar array of traits. Although an exhaustive list cannot be compiled, akin to Batman, they embody humility, protectiveness, strive to earn respect rather than demanding it, exhibit unwavering perseverance, and adhere to a moral framework centered on servant leadership.

Comparing Scrum Master with project manager

To contrast the Scrum Master position with that of a project manager, it's crucial to grasp the principles of agile project management and Scrum methodology. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, redefine project management and product development dynamics. Rather than consolidating responsibilities within a single project manager role, project management functions are distributed across all Scrum roles. Essentially, there isn't one individual overseeing the project.

Within the Scrum framework, the product owner determines what features will be developed, their prioritization, and the timeline (in collaboration with the team). The team itself determines the approach to executing the work, collaboratively with the product owner, and provides necessary information for scope and schedule decisions. The Scrum Master ensures adherence to assigned roles, facilitates discussions regarding project tasks, and holds team members accountable for their commitments.

If you're contemplating transitioning from a project manager to a Scrum Master, you're not alone. Many individuals who previously held project management or technical team leadership roles find themselves assuming the Scrum Master position, although it's open to anyone.

Is being a Scrum Master a full-time position?

In short, yes, effectively fulfilling all the duties of the role constitutes a full-time commitment.

However, there may be instances where it's not economically feasible to allocate someone exclusively to the role, which is acceptable but not optimal. Nonetheless, if feasible, striving to dedicate someone full time to the position is advisable, as it leads to more efficient teams, enhanced quality, and greater customer satisfaction.

Could there be scenarios where a Scrum Master manages multiple teams or expands their role over time? Once again, yes. However, this isn't recommended when a project team is new to Scrum. In such cases, the assistance provided by a full-time Scrum Master is invaluable to the team's successful adoption of Scrum practices.

Is it beneficial for teams to rotate the Scrum Master role?

While some teams opt to rotate the Scrum Master role among all team members, this approach may not adequately acknowledge the challenges and significance associated with the role.

However, there are instances where temporary rotation of the role may be considered appropriate. One common scenario is to facilitate learning opportunities within the team.

For instance, if team members are struggling to grasp the responsibilities of the role, rotating each member through the position could offer valuable insights into the role of a Scrum Master. This rotational approach enables individuals to develop a deeper understanding of the role's nuances.

Likewise, if the team identifies multiple competent candidates within their ranks, rotating the role among them temporarily can provide each individual with an opportunity to showcase their capabilities. Subsequently, the team can assess each member's performance to determine the most suitable candidate for the role.

Another rationale for temporary rotation, as highlighted by Bob Schatz and Ibrahim Abdelshafi in "The Agile Marathon," is to address situations where teams perceive Scrum Masters as managers, thereby hindering the development of self-organizing teams. In such cases, rotating the role can foster a sense of shared responsibility within the team and establish a more balanced distribution of power.

Who has the authority to choose the scrum master for a team?

Ideally, the team members themselves would have the autonomy to select their own Scrum Master.

However, in reality, this may not always be feasible. The decision of whether the team should choose their ScrumMaster depends largely on their level of familiarity and comfort with Scrum practices. In the early stages of adopting agile or Scrum methodologies, teams may face uncertainties and challenges in fully embracing the framework.

New teams may be tempted to deviate from established Scrum practices, such as conducting less frequent daily scrums or extending sprint planning sessions. They may also struggle with collaborating closely and expanding beyond their individual roles.

In such cases, it's crucial for someone to guide the team and reinforce adherence to the core principles of Scrum. Allowing the team to autonomously select their ScrumMaster at this stage could lead to detrimental outcomes.

So, who should ultimately choose the team's Scrum Master? Ideally, it should be the team itself. However, if the team is not yet prepared to handle the initial hurdles of Scrum implementation, the responsibility typically falls to the departmental manager, who holds the greatest accountability for the project's success.