It is already known that Scrum is, if not the most, one of the most used Agile frameworks. This framework, among several aspects of the theory, describes three main roles:
- Developers (Dev Team)
- Product Owner (PO)
- Scrum Master (SM)
By the book, the accountability for each role is:
- Dev team executes the development process
- The PO defines what will be done, the product and its functionalities, features, values
- The SM mentors all the process and the team
In this text, I want to explore the Scrum Master role accountabilities, tasks, actions, and the aspects for conducting the work.
Along my years working with projects, leading, and managing teams of different sizes, I developed my own way for leading and coaching the teams.
As I started to learn about Agile methods, and more recently, about Scrum, I recognize that I already used values, principles, and artifacts defined by the agile thinking theory.
I studied the PMBOK® [PMI01] principles and learned about the Microsoft Solutions Framework [MSF01]. Based on my background as Electrical/Electronics Engineer, I always seek for enhancing everything I put my hands on. I always seek for better ways, experiment possibilities, until I meet solutions, frameworks, and workflows that fit in my goals and show me better paths to walk through.
I got contact with agile methodologies on the early 2000’s, and a lot of concepts, values, artifacts had caught my attention. Some of them, I was already using in my daily work, when managing or working on projects, even to create new things, or to fix and update others.
Recently, I learned about Lean, Scrum, and I dove deeper into the Agile theory and thinking. I figure that I became, along the time, more like a Scrum Master, than a traditional Project Manager. Not that, sometimes, I had to embody more than one role, mostly Scrum Master and Product Owner, and/or Developer.
In this text, I want to explore the Scrum Master role, a little deeper. I read a lot about the definitions, and I feel that the role of the Scrum Master, in a team, is much bigger, than it is defined on the documents, in special the Scrum Guide [SS01].
I want to tell how I see the role, the principles, the accountabilities, and what the Scrum Master could do to enhance the team, the process, and help all the project cycle to reach success and deliver values.
By the book, the Scrum Master is accountable for guarantee that the Scrum Framework will be used under its definitions, values, pillars, ceremonies, and artifacts, as described on the Scrum Guide [SS01]. Also coach the entire organization to adopt the philosophy and its values.
The Scrum Master is also responsible to keep the team’s effectiveness. The Scrum Master should acts more as Servant Leader, for the team and the organization, be there, watch, and help when needed.
The Scrum Master should have granted the authority to take any decisions needed to assure that the process doesn’t deviate from its goal, and no issue might damage the final results, and the success.
The Scrum Master should coach the team members, encourage the adoption of self-managed and cross-functional approach. Guarantee the team focus on creating high-value increments that meet the Definition of Done and deliver actual value.
The Scrum Master is responsible for removing any impediment that can block the team working progress, and also guarantee that the scrum events and ceremonies take place, respect the timebox, and bring positive results to improve the teamwork.
To the Product Owner, the Scrum Master should help the definition for and effective Product Goal, and the Product Backlog definition and management.
The Scrum Master must work along with the Product Owner to get clear, concise, and refined Product Backlog items to be chosen for the next Sprint. The Scrum Master should encourage the empiricism for update and improve the Product Backlog, mostly when dealing with planning for non-trivial environments. The Scrum Master should be available to facilitate the stakeholders connection, when needed.
For the organization, the Scrum Master is responsible to pave the road for the organization adoption of Scrum, plan, and mentor its implementation, helping employees, stakeholders, and top-rank managers to understand, embrace, and adopt empiricism approach to deal with complex work, and removing any barrier between stakeholders and the team.
By definition, it’s said that Scrum has no Project Manager, on the strict sense, similar to the traditional project methodologies. But the Scrum Master has management responsibilities, and must use traditional project management measures, when feels they are required to solve problems that may arise.
In a practical world, the Scrum Master is a king of Project Mentor, coach, or even manager. Its roles are somehow beyond the Guide definition.
To be a proper Scrum Master, the professional granted to this position must have some skills and behaviors beyond the definition. Even though, the Scrum Master should be a leader, more than a straight chief, or traditional manager. Not demanding, but explaining what has to be done, and why.
The Scrum Master should be a more rational person, develop the emotional intelligence [Gd01] near perfection, and never lose temper, use violent communication, or let the emotions take control, when decisions should be taken. Advices should be taught, and encouraging the team to not fear failures, but to learn with them, and adapt.
The Scrum Master should instigate the team members along the ceremonies, to speak, and put their ideas, concerns, problems, or insights to the group. Must be humble to listen to the members, analyze, and then take decisions for what to do with those ideas. Even along the Daily Scrum, when it is stated that the Scrum Master may only be there to watch, sometimes it makes important some intervention to assure that the team is going through the right path.
The Scrum Master should not be seated in his office, until someone calls. The SM should be moving from group to group, observing, listening, intervening when feels it’s necessary, even if not asked by the team.
The job of the Scrum Master must start with the first events of the project process, even before the Scrum framework be installed and started.
The Scrum Master, to be really effective, should be an extremely experienced professional, skilled to see beyond the horizon, predict and understand the actions to be taken.
References
Gd01 – GOLEMAN, Daniel, “Inteligência emocional”, Objetiva, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 2011.
MM01 – “Curso Gestão Ágil 2.0”, Mind Master, 2022.
MSF01 – “MSF Team Model v. 3.1”, Microsoft, 2002.
PMI01 – “A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide)”, sixth edition, Project Management Institute, 2017.
SS01 – SCHWABER, Ken & SUTHERLAND, Jeff, “The Scrum Guide”, Scrum Org, 2020.