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The Scrum Master (SM) role originates from the Scrum Framework. The Scrum Framework helps self-organised teams to organise their project work as effectively and efficiently as possible. Scrum Masters lead the team through the project and apply the techniques of agile project management. 

Their job is to support all communication and collaboration between the stakeholders and the team to ensure the success of the project. They also ensure that the rules of the Scrum framework are followed.

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The Scrum Master roles in agile development

Scrum Masters use agile project management to drive a project and teams forward. They can work in many areas, so roles and responsibilities can vary. Depending on the area of application, the role can lean more towards moderator, project manager or coach. Among the most important roles that Scrum Masters take on are the following:

Lecturer

A Scrum Master teaches the concept of agile project management. It is increasingly applied when teams are just starting with Scrum. Here, Scrum Masters not only teach, but should also inspire and motivate. Their experience should excite the team for the method. One of the ways they do this is by making the team realise that this way of working together leads to better results. 

Even with experienced teams, it happens from time to time that certain processes are not carried out in accordance with the Scrum ideology. That's why Scrum Masters make sure that the processes are corrected and internalised by all team members over time. 

In the same way, Scrum Masters introduce new agile methods that have not yet been used in the team and ensure that these are also routinely implemented.

Mentor and moderator

An additional central role of Scrum Masters is that they both support and moderate. Especially at the beginning of the implementation of Scrum. Each individual team member should be well-trained in handling agile processes. Likewise, everyone should know their respective roles and feel responsible for the project. The objective is the appropriate handling of Scrum and that teams are able to manage themselves.

Furthermore, Scrum Masters protect the team from external influences, such as stakeholders. This allows the team to achieve their sprint goals and to work without being disturbed. Scrum masters also moderate open discussions and contribute to conflict resolution. This also includes proactively identifying and solving problems.

Another skill of Scrum Masters is not to interfere with the content of a project. Their entire focus is exclusively on the Scrum process. Thereby, they should always maintain excellent communication.

Coach

Excellent communication results, among other things, from Scrum Masters meeting individually with team members (1:1) and stakeholders. This allows disagreements in the team about processes and working styles to be gracefully mediated or, better still, avoided in advance. This is why coaching is the most important role of Scrum Masters.

Because of it, it is possible to get messages across best, and often in such a way that they don't even have to be expressed at all. In other words, by asking the right questions, team members are inspired to come up with the underlying message themselves. An ability that product owners would do well to learn a lesson from.

Coaching leads to improvements that benefit the team in the long run. This involves the areas of taking responsibility, personal development and self-organisation.

Some Scrum users speak out against 1:1 coaching. They are convinced that this communication should take place during the stand-up meetings. On the other hand, new teams are understandably in favour of individual coaching. Scrum Masters can decide for themselves about their coaching style and way of implementation. The important thing in the end is good communication and a project that runs as smoothly as possible.

Obstacle removal

Part of making a project run as smoothly as possible is removing obstacles. Scrum masters should think about what they can do daily to make the team's work easier. In this context, an optimal flow of communication is of great importance. For example, this could be achieved by having all team members work in the same room.

To ensure that the team can fully concentrate on their task, Scrum Masters proactively look for obstacles and distractions that might hinder progress. This includes, for example, the organisation of meetings when team members are dragged into too many unimportant meetings. Similarly, if team members are assigned too many tasks, Scrum Masters work with the product owner and stakeholders to rebalance the workload.

Top qualities of successful Scrum Masters

Effective Scrum Masters have a number of skills in common, regardless of their specific orientation in their organisation. Thanks to the following skills, Scrum Masters can lead their teams successfully:

Influential

Scrum masters often lead different teams within a project to achieve set objectives. They must be able to motivate the teams on an organisational level to maximise the potential of the team members. At the same time, they are also the contact person for the external stakeholders and take care of their concerns. Scrum masters must therefore have strong leadership and organisational skills.

Collaborative

Scrum masters are the linking element between the product owner and the development team. The product owner is responsible for the success of the project, while a scrum master takes care of the team. Therefore, effective collaboration between the product owner and scrum master is critical to create successful products that meet the needs of the business. 

Good Scrum Masters always find creative ways to improve collaboration and productivity for everyone involved. Also in terms of meeting the product owner's requirements from the backlog.

Observant

The important thing to understand is that Scrum Masters are not managers, but team members and mediators. Their job is to listen properly and identify the problems the development team is facing. It helps to observe and track these things carefully to get a clear overview for the members' functions and performances (in the sprint sessions).  

Competent

Seasoned Scrum Masters not only solve problems as they arise, but proactively prevent potential issues. That requires comprehensive knowledge of the process and the product. The competence of the Scrum Master avoids stumbling blocks and obstacles in advance. They should be familiar with different agile methods such as XP, Kanban or Lean. Finally, they should always act confidently while coaching their team.

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