Key Points

• Scrum Masters are a role anyone familiar with Agile knows all too well.
• The role of a Scrum Master is multifaceted.
• Scrum Masters have lots of responsibility, but they are not project managers.

One of the best-known job titles in the world of product and development, Scrum Master is arguably one of the most common terms you will hear today. While the job itself has evolved, there is no question that businesses still heavily rely on this individual or team of individuals to help everyone work more effectively and generate a bigger bottom line. 

The world of Scrum is one that likely isn’t well-known to the outside world, especially if you work in a traditional corporate cubicle. However, in product and development work, the job of a Scrum Master is to help everyone not only understand their roles but also work together in a way that is both efficient and productive, keeping timelines on schedule. 

What Is a Scrum Master? 

To better define what a scrum master is, it’s helpful to think of them as someone who is both a facilitator and a coach. Their job is to help a team work together in a way that is more effective than working independently. The job of a Scrum Master is also to be the person teams can rely on to overcome any obstacle or distraction that might prevent them from meeting target dates or milestones for projects. 

Created as part of the Scrum framework, the person who is a Scrum master isn’t generally just doing this role. Instead, they are likely someone who is an expert at Scrum and has been selected for their ability to coach others properly. As long as this person can help improve interactions between different teams involved in development and/or product, they will do just fine in this role. 

Scrum Master Versus Project Management

It’s not uncommon to learn that the role and responsibilities of a Scrum Master are often conflated with those of a Project Manager. In at least one way, they are similar in that the Project Manager, like the Scrum Master, assumes a leadership role on a team to help manage a plan. However, things differ from here.

A project manager will be assigned to ensure the team adheres to the timeline and has the necessary resources to complete the job. A Scrum Master, on the other hand, ensures the team is successfully completing the work. A Project Manager might also be working directly with a customer, something a Scrum Master is unlikely to ever do. 

Finally, a Scrum Master will serve as a coach to the team, focusing on executing critical Agile practices. They will be the ones who help complete the work that the Project Manager instructs them to focus on. 

The Role of a Scrum Master

In many ways, no specifically defined list indicates the exact responsibilities of a Scrum Master. Instead, the role can vary from company to company and depend on the type of work being done. 

Coach Team Members

A Scrum Master is only as successful as their team, so it’s essential to coach team members and build up a collaborative atmosphere. Some might even call collaboration something of a magic ingredient that can help make Agile work as well as it does. This person will be responsible for indicating when and where daily stand-ups will occur and should actively listen and learn where their team needs help. 

Remember, as a Scrum Master, your team will look to you for help every time. This is why being a Scrum Master is not just a responsibility, but also an opportunity to support your team in both their professional and personal development. It’s good to remind yourself, in the role of a Scrum Master, that a team should always be learning. 

Oversee Scrum Ceremonies

Another responsibility of a Scrum Master is to ensure that all necessary and traditional Scrum events take place. This includes not only the daily stand-up, but also sprint reviews, retrospectives, and in-depth analyses of areas where the team can plan more effectively and improve. This level of responsibility ensures that a team continually works to deliver more value with every sprint that takes place. 

Removing Roadblocks

If there is ever an obstacle or a roadblock standing in the way of a development process, it’s the job of the Scrum Master to remove it. In fact, the best Scrum Masters can anticipate these roadblocks before their team does and will proactively work to prevent them from becoming a larger issue for the team. Even a single, minor issue can quickly escalate into something that affects all the work the team is doing. 

Supporting the Product Owners

One of the most essential roles of a Scrum Master is to support the efforts of Product Owners. If the product owner is bringing the vision, the Scrum Master will ensure the vision is executed correctly. This means that it’s the Scrum Master who must manage any backlog of work, and that all of this work is directly aligned with the goals of the Product Owner. 

Help Avoid Distractions 

The responsibility of a Scrum Master is to help the team excel by shielding them from distractions. It should go without saying that any kind of distraction will be Agile’s biggest concern and its worst enemy. A Scrum Master has a significant responsibility to help their team avoid distractions. Whether this distraction is a roadblock or a different product owner trying to assign and prioritize work, the Scrum Master has to act as a shield wall. 

Promoting Continuous Improvement

If you live in the Agile world, you know that standing in one place is essentially acting as if you are going backward in the product or development world. The job of a Scrum Master, if they want their team to excel, is to work toward a culture of continuous improvement. This means that holding retrospectives with the team to identify opportunities and red flags will be crucial for pinpointing areas for improvement in their next set of sprints. 

Tracking Team Metrics

Unsurprisingly, it’s the job of a Scrum Master to look at the data coming in from a team and decide how to use this data best. The Scrum Master will help their team excel by analyzing all this data and understanding how to make improvements, ultimately making the team as effective and efficient as possible. Any type of measurement that can be done is likely to have long-term benefits. 

Maintain Proper Scrum Practices

It won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that a Scrum Master is in the room, on the phone, and responding to emails to ensure that the team is working well with key stakeholders. A Scrum Master isn’t just a team leader, but you are the face of the work to an entire organization, which likely includes senior leaders who don’t want to hear excuses, only results. 

Training People 

If a Scrum Master wants excellence on a team, they must be willing to work for it, which means investing in the team’s training. There is no question that mentoring staff will be beneficial to the overall team and its results. The Scrum Master is a mentor through and through, and this means helping people not only learn their role but also fit in with the team. 

Protecting the Team

The most effective Scrum Masters are the ones who are willing to go out and fight for their team. This means not just blocking against potential roadblocks, but also standing in the way of stakeholders, helping to distract them with something that isn’t relevant to the current sprint. 

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Are you looking to do some other reading on the role of a Scrum Master? Good news for you, as there is a lot you can get to know about this role, including how they facilitate collaboration and productivity. Alternatively, you can catch up with your morning coffee and some light reading on how to master Agile projects. 

If you are looking for something different altogether, consider other important methodologies in the workforce, such as Total Quality Management. You also might want to pick up an article and learn more about the Five Focusing Steps in the Theory of Constraints. This is a great beginner’s guide to help immerse you in something you might not be familiar with. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, the role of a Scrum Master is of critical importance, and it cannot be overstated how important they are. In the product and development world, a Scrum Master might not get all of the glory, but rest assured, they are doing some of the most important work that needs to be completed before anything gets into the hands of customers.