In the tech sector, agility and adaptability are crucial for the success of any project, and in this context, the role of the scrum master has become fundamental.
We’re talking about a professional who acts as the bridge between the work team and the project objectives, ensuring that everyone stays motivated and focused on the set goals. However, their role goes beyond just supervision; they also facilitate collaboration and continuous improvement among all project members.
Let’s explore in detail what a scrum master is, their main functions, and the key skills they need to effectively guide people and projects towards success.
What’s a Scrum Master?
A scrum master is a professional specialized in the Scrum agile methodology, a work framework mainly used for software development and project management. Their main responsibility is to ensure that the team follows the practices and principles of Scrum, which can be summarized as:
- Facilitating meetings
- Removing obstacles
- Fostering collaboration
With this and more, the scrum master optimizes the workflow, which directly impacts productivity and the quality of the final results.
Essentially, the scrum master acts as a servant leader who focuses on the well-being of the team and delivering value to the customer. Unlike a traditional manager, this professional doesn’t make decisions for the team or control their work. Instead, they empower team members by helping them self-organize and find solutions to problems that may arise during the project development.
According to data from Parabol, Scrum is the most widely used agile methodology among companies, with 66% of organizations reporting that it’s the framework they apply in their daily operations.
Main functions of a Scrum master
Scrum masters perform several key functions within an agile team.
Organizing sprint planning meetings
One of the scrum master’s main functions is to organize follow-up meetings within the team. Broadly speaking, there are two types of meetings: sprint planning and daily meetings.
Sprint planning meetings involve the product manager, the development team, and, of course, the scrum master. Their main purpose is to review pending tasks and decide which ones will be prioritized for the next sprint.
Additionally, these meetings also serve to confirm the team’s capacity for the next sprint, validate task estimates, and present data and statistics from the previous sprint for the upcoming one.
Organizing daily meetings
As the name suggests, these are short daily meetings where the scrum master asks about each team member’s responsibilities to follow up.
They’re brief meetings with specific questions so the team can dedicate time to their individual or collaborative tasks.
Removing obstacles
As the leader of an agile team, a scrum master must assess the project’s quick progress and support collaboration among all its members. To do this, it’s important to identify any obstacles, whether internal or external, that hinder the performance of your team at an individual or collective level.
The scrum master’s job is to find a solution to those problems or, if necessary, appoint someone qualified to do so.
Training the team on Scrum strategies and principles
Besides being the main guarantor that the methodology is followed in the team’s daily activities, a scrum master must help people understand why the methodology is important and its real impact on the development and delivery of a product, as this is often not entirely visible to the teams.
Promoting collaboration
From their leadership position, a scrum master is more than capable of promoting collaborative work among the people they lead. Encouraging and boosting skill complementarity will allow individuals to better develop their communication skills when asking for help when they need it.
On the other hand, a collaborative and proactive environment will enable projects to progress much faster and meet deadlines effectively.
Collaborating on the team’s pending tasks
Whenever possible and if qualified, a scrum master can help other team members with their pending tasks if they have the necessary skills. This is just an extension of the tendency towards collaboration and mutual support that the scrum master should encourage in the workplace, and there’s no better way than to lead by example.
4 Key skills a Scrum Master should have
To be an effective scrum master, it’s essential to possess a combination of technical and soft skills. Some of the most important include:
1. Communication skills
It’s crucial for a scrum master to have sharp communication skills, as this will allow them to navigate various spaces and purposes effectively.On one hand, the scrum master should communicate as clearly and effectively as possible with their team to convey instructions and recommendations that everyone, regardless of their background, can understand.
On the other hand, and this is very important, the scrum master must be the bridge between investors and the work team, or in other words, the link that connects business objectives with the operational capabilities to achieve them.
2. Empathy and active listening
The ability to understand others’ needs and concerns is crucial for resolving conflicts and fostering a positive work environment, and this is something the scrum master must cultivate as the head of a project and the person who has a panoramic view of the processes, objectives, and activities of the team.
3. Leadership skills
It’s clear that the scrum master must develop a certain type of leadership so that projects reach a successful conclusion and tasks and deliveries are completed on time.The leadership style of a scrum master is motivational and educational, helping their colleagues fulfill their responsibilities while providing them with tools and support as much as possible.
4. Problem-Solving
Leadership goes hand in hand with the ability to mediate in case of any internal conflicts within the team that directly compromise the work environment, collaboration among peers, and task completion.This problem-solving ability of the scrum master should also extend to potential conflicts between the work team and investors.
The role of the scrum master is essential for the success of agile projects. With their guidance and support, teams can achieve high performance, adapt to changes, and deliver continuous value.If you’re looking to improve your project management, consider the importance of having a competent scrum master on your team
At CodersLab, we connect projects with the most effective and assertive leaders in the field, ensuring that skilled individuals are ready to bring out the best in each team member and lead projects to success.
