The Scrum Master Role (2) - A Practical Look

 By Chantal Jenoure

Part 2 of 'The Ambidextrous Scrum Master'

In my previous blog post, I shared about the Scrum Master Role - A First Look, where I covered the theory of what the role entails.

In this blog post, I want to demonstrate how the theory translates to real life applications. 

What else does a Scrum Master do? 

1. Guide the adherence to the Scrum Process and Scrum Framework 

Source: Scrum Alliance

As humans, we are not the best at naturally adapting to change. We have to be deliberate and mindful when changing to a new way of working. With this context in mind, simply put, the Scrum Master ensures that the Scrum Framework is adhered to. 

Therefore, the Scrum Master typically:

• Ensures the roles and value of each Scrum Event is understood and appreciated by the Scrum Team
• Facilitates the Scrum events, as necessary, but ensures that they are held and are positive, productive and timeboxed
• Guides and supports the Product Owner in their role:
1. Preparing for sprint planning or refinement sessions
2. Preparing for sprint review
3. Managing the product backlog
4. Managing communication with stakeholders
• Guides the team towards delivering a potentially shippable increment at the end of each sprint.

2. Ensures the Scrum Team’s effectiveness through continuous improvement within the Scrum Framework

At every opportunity, the Scrum Master should be challenging their team members towards being better than they were in their last sprint. 

Unsplash Photo by Headway

When are these decisions around continuous improvements made? At the Retrospective.

The Scrum Master guides the conversation to discuss the three famous questions:

1. What is working well?

2. What isn't working well?

3. What can we try to do differently?

Side note: Not all Retrospectives have to cover these questions literally. You can achieve the same results by using a number of different activities.

Hint: Look for opportunities for the team to look at reducing waste and deliver good quality output, faster. Bearing in mind that their pace must also be sustainable.  

3. Coaching and mentoring

Many new Scrum Masters shy away from this aspect of their roles. But, the only way to get better, is to keep doing them.

Here are a few tips to get you going. 

In these one-on-one conversations with team members, as a Scrum Master, you want to build trust and your relationship with each individual on your team, by:

Unsplash Photo by Medienstürmer

1. Getting to know each individual and trying to build a connection with them. Find out a little about their backgrounds, their family life, hobbies, passions etc. 

2. Identifying each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. What is unique about this person? How can we maximize what they bring to the team? What areas can this person be challenged to learn or grow? What are their hopes and aspirations? What are their immediate goals? Key here is to also discover opportunities for cross-functionality to be built within the team.

3.  Identifying if there are areas they believe that the team can grow and improve. Some may assume that this should be shared publicly in Retrospectives but I have found that your team members may share things in this private setting more readily than in a public one, especially if the team is new. (Hint: Be diplomatic with how you move forward with addressing whatever issues or opportunities are shared. There should be no finger-pointing, etc. Remember you want your team’s environment to always be a safe space and that’s something you have to create, maintain and protect, at all costs.) 

4. Deciding on actionable takeaways and holding the team accountable to them. 

Continuing the series, we will look at the Scrum Master's role in relation to the Product Owner and the organisation.

Missed Part 1? Take "A First Look at the Role of the Scrum Master (Part 1) here!