‘Scrum Master.’ Today this word has gained too much popularity globally, and it has become a part of development circles. So much that people assume everyone has the same understanding of what the role means as them. Over the period, we have seen other people develop different definitions of a Scrum Master’s work and perceived in society. This has to lead to confusion, and confusion has to lead us to challenges. 

Today everyone has their own set of parameters for determining the skills of a Scrum Master. Especially the firms or organizations that try to adopt the Scrum Framework into their system. You will find real-world examples of the challenges we are trying to talk about. 

One of the significant things that we think people or stakeholders discuss is

Oh no! I hired a Scrum Master, but I felt they were something else!

This is what happens in office spaces. People do not have the exact idea of what skills are to be expected from a Scrum Master. Therefore, they are disappointed with their skills and work output, or they do not know how Scrum Master’s work. Keep reading if you find yourself asking the same question and don’t want to ask.

At the end of this blog, your mind will be put at ease. In this blog, we shall assess the roles and responsibilities of a Scrum Master. 

What is a Scrum Master?

 Scrum is one among the many Project Management Frameworks used by different firms that have adopted the Agile Development Framework.

The salient concept to understand about Scrum is that it doesn’t mandate a team to use an array of specific fix steps to move forward during a project. Instead, Scrum Framework is a type of philosophy. It is designed to help a team grow and advance fluidly and adapt quickly to changes whenever necessary, without slowing down the process or the speed of the project.

Here’s where the Scrum Master comes in. For the development team who is busy creating software using the Scrum and Agile Framework, A Scrum Master is like a technical resource for the team. He likes a sensei to the development team as he helps them stay on track with the current project. 

The main objective of the Scrum Master is to make sure that the team works after understanding the Agile values. Moreover, their job is also to look after their team and create other available resources. 

To be specific, 

A Scrum Master is a professional who leads his team using the Agile Project Management Framework and ensures that the Scrum Theory, Practises, Values, and Principles are understood by everyone. 

Let’s discuss and see what this looks like in practice after reviewing the critical responsibilities of a Scrum Master.

Key Responsibilities:

 1. Keeping the team on track, organized, and focussed on what is the priority.

 – It is the foremost duty of the Scrum Master to keep their team organized and progressing towards the same goal. In other words, they help the Scrum Team to be on track.

Forex. If the Scrum Master decides to do daily standup(causal the team has them). Then, in their brief morning meetings, the team will discuss what they had accomplished yesterday, what they’re planning to work on today, and any obstacles they face while doing specific tasks at hand.

Thus these meetings would be concise and to the point. The Scrum Team would act carefully on the feedback given by the Scrum Master in the following session. 

The Scrum Master will also help in facilitating other Scrum ceremonies. Including Sprint Review sessions, where the Product Owner and development team discuss product backlog and find ways to remove obstacles that hinder the team’s progress. 

The Scrum Master’s role is to listen in these meetings. They ensure that the development team receives all insights into the project. Moreover, the Scrum Master helps facilitate the decision-making process between the Scrum Team to improve bonding and decide the project’s path. Their role here is to seize the decision to support their team with the agreed-upon plan.

2. Being a bridge between Product Management and Development Team.

 – One of the most critical risks that any product faces is the communication gap between the product management team and the development team. The product management team doesn’t convey their strategic vision to the developers who intend to make the software. So, if the bigger picture gets lost in translation, the developers might focus on the wrong priority at hand. And that, in turn, could make them lose sight of the product’s vision.

In the Agile Framework, the Scrum Master is appointed to assuage the risks where he acts as a communication bridge between the Product Management Team and the Development Team.

In a firm with a PO( Product Owner ), the Scrum Master intends to interact With the person in that role. A soft communication within reason would help convey the development team’s ideas to break tasks into smaller fragments before adding them to a sprint. And the Scrum Master can give these ideas with reasoning to the PO. And the PO could share the concerns of the development team with the stakeholders.

One of the most important aspects of being a practical Scrum Master is maintaining a solid relationship with PO and the product management team.

This helps regulate the flow of regular information sharing between both teams. To further understand how PO works and functions. Try your hand at Pspo vs. Cspo certification.

3. Clear hindrances and keep the team on track and away from diversions.

When the developer discovers an obstacle hindering their path towards completion of the team facing other challenges before a sprint task, the Scrum Master must help clear those hitches to function smoothly.

When the Project Manager goes directly to the development team with some last-minute changes in the code, they impress some big clients.

It will be the responsibility of the Scrum Master to intervene and remind the Project Manager that the team can only work on the tasks agreed upon in the current sprint.

It is the duty and responsibility of the Scrum Master to protect the time of his developing team and create a space for them where they can focus on doing their work.

4. Establish credibility and Lead through influence.

– As people say, a Scrum Master has a lot of responsibilities but no absolute authority in the hierarchy of an organization. ( Product Managers: doesn’t this all sound familiar? ). This is one of the reasons why some companies describe their Scrum Master as their Agile Coach. A professional needs to build credibility with his team to lead a team. This doesn’t happen overnight; you have to do your time at a specific organization and earn your place.