Project management

Who is Scrum Master and what does this professional?

Meet the Scrum Master, a key member of the Scrum Team who seeks to keep the project within the principles and values ​​of the Scrum framework.

Thiago Coutinho
Published on Feb 11, 2022  ·  Updated on Jul 29, 2022
Scrum Master

You've probably watched Star Wars, or at least you know a little bit about it, right? For this article, I will talk about the master Yoda of the framework Scrum, the Jedi Master of agile project management.

This is the Scrum Master, responsible for conveying the teachings and values ​​of the agile Scrum methodology. Being one of the 3 roles of the Scrum Team, together with the Product Owner and the Development Team, it works to facilitate the work of the entire team, especially with regard to understanding Scrum concepts.

So to learn more about how Scrum Masterworks and what your relationship with other team members is, continue reading this article.

In order for you to stay even more aware of the Scrum methodology and how the work of the Scrum Master professional works, we have separated, in this article, topics full of content. Check it out!

  • Who is Scrum Master?
  • What does Scrum Master do?
  • What did you think of the Scrum Master?

Ready?


Who is Scrum Master?


Scrum Master is the Scrum Team member who generally has more knowledge about this framework. Therefore, it is responsible for enhancing the work of the team and ensuring that everyone understands and applies the principles of Scrum.

One of its main characteristics is soft skills, which are communication, facilitation and policy skills.

In addition, he needs to be proactive and willing to make the necessary changes, as well as remove impediments raised by the team during the execution of each Sprint. The Scrum Master should be neutral, as it aims to develop the independence of the Scrum Team so that they can reach the solutions alone.

Thus, it can be said that the Scrum Master is the technical leader of the team, the guide who guides the Product Owner as the Development Team to work on the development of the project in the mold of Scrum.

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What does Scrum Master do?


The first thing that must be said about the Scrum Master's functions is that he is a facilitator. That is, it seeks to facilitate and empower all members of the team involved in the Scrum project.

It is important not to confuse this function with being an intermediary. The Scrum Master is not intermediate between Scrum Team members, nor Team with external parties. Instead, it works so that both the Product Owner and the Development Team can communicate directly, without their interference.

In this way, the Scrum Master will be able to achieve one of the objectives of agile methodologies such as Scrum, which is the construction of self-organized teams capable of acting independently, directing the course of the project.

Another important function of this Scrum Team member is to ensure the removal of impairments that arise during Sprints and hamper the achievement of the goal set for each of them.

Once the Development Team identifies an impediment, the Scrum Master must take action to remove this problem. For this, it can act on its own or mobilize resources and people.

To address such impediments, it is not enough to propose temporary solutions or to reach small points of the problem. On the contrary, one must look for the root causes of the problem, which can be done through Ishikawa diagram, to be able to eliminate the impediment conclusively.

Still on the Development Team, the Scrum Master should assist and guide them in meeting and practicing Scrum events such as the Daily Scrum, daily meeting of alignment on the activities of the previous day and defining the service of the current day.

Regarding the Product Owner, the Scrum Master should guide you so that he can assemble the Product Backlog according to Scrum, ie prioritizing the right requirements to get the highest value possible.

In addition, the Scrum Master should make sure that the Product Owner is keeping the Product Backlog up to date, adding the increments that are verified as necessary after customer and Development Team meetings, especially after delivery of each Sprint.

Remember that the only one who has the decision-making power in the Scrum Team is the Product Owner, so the Scrum Master should help you make this decision always aiming for the highest good, which is the development of the product generating maximum value for the customer.

By now, it must have been clear that the Scrum Master cherishes Scrum's compliance, acting as a technical leader, the voice of wisdom for all involved in the project.

To do this, he works to promote all the organizational changes that are necessary for the good fulfillment of Scrum. And not only for Scrum compliance, but also to facilitate the work of the team, increasing the effectiveness of the team.

And how does he promote these organizational changes? For example, if an impairment identified by the Development Team is caused by the company structure, the Scrum Master will persistently work to change this structure, no matter how difficult and slow it may seem.

This is a very important assignment of this professional, this transition between the Scrum Team and the organization in charge of the project. It is through his political and communication skills that he manages to promote the alignment of the objectives of both parties, thus ensuring the success of the project.


What did you think of the Scrum Master?


Now that you've learned all about the Scrum Jedi Master, what do you think? Where do you work, does agile management apply?


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Thiago Coutinho
Written by
Thiago has a degree in Production Engineering, a graduate course in statistics and a degree in administration from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF). Black Belt in Lean…

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