What Does a Scrum Master Do?
The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide and for helping the Scrum Team improve its effectiveness. That does not make the Scrum Master a meeting coordinator, project administrator, or the person responsible for assigning work.
Effective Scrum Masters coach, teach, facilitate, remove or help remove impediments, and help the organization understand how its structures and decisions affect the Scrum Team.
A strong Scrum Master can:
- Facilitate without taking control
- Coach individuals and teams
- Teach Scrum clearly and accurately
- Navigate conflict and organizational politics
- Recognize unhealthy team dynamics
- Help remove impediments
- Influence without relying on authority
- Create conditions for self-management
Scrum Master & Product Owner Interaction
The Scrum Master works closely with the Product Owner to improve Product Backlog management, stakeholder collaboration, empiricism, and clarity around the Product Goal. The relationship should not be adversarial. Both accountabilities serve the same Scrum Team and the same goal of delivering valuable outcomes.
Where the product owner’s primary responsibility is to the stakeholders and the product, the Scrum Master is always looking out for the well-being and health of the entire Scrum team, which includes the developers as well as the product owner. Keeping this tension in place is essential for optimizing velocity while maintaining quality.
Scrum Master as a Change Agent
The final job of the Scrum Master is to be a change agent in the organization. Good Scrum Masters reach beyond transforming the team to help transform the company as well. Scrum Master’s look for opportunities to create a learning organization, offering lunch-and-learn and other informal training on Scrum, advising new Scrum teams, and generally being a resource and advocate for Scrum throughout the organization. A Scrum Master’s subtle, servant leadership can have a tremendous impact on the rest of the company.
Some key competencies of Scrum Masters, besides those already listed, include:
- Build Trust and Earn Respect
- Help Others Find Answers
- Provide Leadership through Influence
- Enjoy Working with Other People
- Stay Calm under Pressure
For a deeper understanding of the Scrum Master role, read “The Job and Daily Life of the ScrumMaster.”
Ready to build these skills in practice? Explore upcoming Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) courses.