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A Scrum Master’s day to day involves leading Scrum meetings, assigning tasks to team members and coaching development teams when necessary. Be sure to read our “What Is Agile?” guide to learn more about Agile methodology.
You can also learn more about the Scrum framework and the roles within it by reading our guide to Scrum roles and responsibilities. We cover some common misconceptions and highlight the different roles within a Scrum team.
The Key Skills of a Scrum Master
A Scrum Master should have an understanding of Agile processes, ideally from working with Agile software development teams. Their knowledge can come from work experience, such as working within software development teams, or from relevant training, like obtaining a Scrum certification from the Project Management Institute.
Beyond having an education in Scrum, there are other essential Scrum Master skills one needs in order to be successful. Leadership skills are at the forefront of being a good Scrum Master, as Scrum Masters need to help keep their team on top of tasks and other responsibilities.
Scrum principles rely heavily on communication, and a Scrum Master needs to be able to clearly explain issues or areas of improvement while also ensuring they keep team morale high. When team members or stakeholders push back, the Scrum Master will need to rely on excellent conflict resolution skills so the project can move forward.
Key Scrum Master Hard Skills
Let’s break this down further, starting with the hard skills Scrum Masters must have. All of the skills listed below are important if you want to embark on a career as a Scrum Master. Without them, it may be difficult to find your dream role.
1. Technical Knowledge
More often than not, a Scrum Master will lead in software development project management. It’s important they understand what goes into the software development life cycle. This includes continuous improvement, testing and delivery of a software product.
Technical skills are essential because they guide the development team. The Scrum Master must know how to educate the development team and offer appropriate coaching.
2. Knowing the Scrum Process
As a Scrum Master, you must understand the full Scrum process from start to finish. This involves knowing how to delegate tasks from the product backlog and setting appropriate deadlines for each task. Scrum Masters must demonstrate effective sprint planning skills for Agile teams and know what’s necessary to ensure a sprint finishes within two to four weeks.
Scrum Masters need to know the difference between sprint reviews and retrospective meetings if they wish to succeed. This includes understanding the importance of testing software (reviews) and finding ways to improve future sprints (retrospectives).
3. How to Lead Daily Scrums Meetings
Scrum Masters can have the best communication skills in the world, but if they don’t know what goes into a daily Scrum meeting, their voice will be redundant. Scrum meetings tend to last 15 minutes, and the Scrum Master asks each developer three questions: “What did you do yesterday?,” “What will you do today?” and “Can you identify impediments in your way?”
During 15-minute daily Scrums, the Scrum Master asks each developer three questions.
A Scrum Master should also have the skills to analyze reports such as burn-up and burn-down charts. They need to know how to convey the data to the development team and make it clear what to do if a sprint isn’t sticking to the initial timeline. The Scrum Master also must know how to respond to issues the development team puts forth.
4. Impeccable Time Management
Though an Agile environment allows for a degree of flexibility, deadlines are still put in place. Scrum Masters constantly assess the team’s progress and find ways to improve efficiency. Within this, several tasks are worked on simultaneously, some of which often depend on others.
The Scrum Master ensures all these tasks are completed in a timely manner. To do so, they must have a deep understanding of how much time the team should spend on specific tasks, all with the goal of meeting deadlines. The best time management tools can support this goal, but the Scrum Master should already have fine-tuned time management skills.
5. Tech Savvy
Knowing how to use the best free project management software will give any Scrum Master a competitive edge. This is especially true if they’re familiar with the best tools for Agile, which are designed to make Scrum processes more fluid. Knowing how to use them will instill confidence in employers in your ability to deliver work in a timely manner.
monday.com provides easy-to-use sprint board templates for Agile teams.
On top of knowing how to use the software, Scrum Masters who can name some of the best options and explain why they’re the best have the advantage. For example, being able to describe how monday.com facilitates the digestion of complex data thanks to its excellent design shows an understanding of how software can help you do the best job possible.
If you’re unfamiliar with the best project management software, we recommend reading our monday.com review and our ClickUp review. Both of these software solutions have superb features to support Scrum teams.
Key Scrum Master Soft Skills
Let’s take a look at the soft skills Scrum Masters need to be the best in the role. Rather than technical knowledge, soft skills relate more to temperament and personality traits. Soft skills are just as important as hard skills.
1. Servant Leadership
The concept of “killing the ego” has become cool in the modern age. Though it may seem like a trendy notion, leaving ego at the door is essential for a Scrum Master. Their role as a leader is not to dictate but rather to serve the software development team.
Though there is a clear hierarchy within Scrum teams, the Scrum Master’s objective is to make everyone feel equal. This helps team members feel comfortable expressing themselves and challenging any processes they think are harming the health of the project.
2. Communication Skills
Communication skills are important, but it’s crucial to have the right communication skills. Scrum Masters communicate between cross-functional teams, so they need to be able to provide and gather feedback in a calm and clear manner.
Scrum Masters also communicate with key stakeholders. These are the higher-up people who often invest funds in a project. An experienced Scrum Master will need to be able to manage stakeholder expectations by leveraging interpersonal skills. This keeps spirits high and helps stakeholders feel confident with the Scrum team.
3. Organizational Skills
From managing the product backlog to analyzing project data, Scrum Masters have many balls to juggle simultaneously. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by their to-do list, a successful Scrum Master knows how to organize and plan what they need to do.
The hard skill of knowing how to get the most out of software tools can help in this regard. Services like Zoho Projects allow users to add calendar entries, streamline communication and set reminders for everything you need to do in your workload. Make the most of these tools.
4. Flexible Mentality
Scrum projects seldom go to plan and are often unpredictable. Features can change, software can stop working and stakeholders can shift the goalposts. Scrum Masters need to be able to adapt quickly and remain unflustered if the initial project plan needs to change paths.
Part of this involves fostering a culture of continuous learning. Instead of sticking to a set way of doing things, the Scrum Master should encourage the team to continuously improve their knowledge. In turn, this will help them become more adaptable. Having a flexible mentality is a core part of Agile practices and will serve you well in the long run.
5. Strong Leadership
In addition to practicing servant leadership, Scrum Masters must lead by example. This includes maintaining composure when challenges arise, being able to spot risks and offering solutions to help the software development team overcome those risks.
The benefits of strong leadership include building trust and allowing Scrum Masters more freedom to sail the ship towards the project goal. Strong leadership helps team members relax into their responsibilities, which can improve productivity and boost quality standards. Read our guide on Scrum anti-patterns to learn how to keep projects moving forward.
Final Thoughts
These skills will enable you to be better at your role and help your team members be better at theirs. If you’re reading this and think you lack the essential Scrum Master skills, don’t worry — there’s room to develop and improve them. Educating yourself on Agile principles, gaining work experience and looking for proper training will help you improve your skills.
Did you find this guide useful? Which other areas of project management would you like us to cover? Are there any tips you would give budding Scrum Masters? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading.
FAQ: Scrum Master Skills Checklist
A Scrum Master should have a deep understanding of the Scrum framework while also possessing strong communication and organizational skills that allow them to effectively support their team.
Hard skills in Scrum include having technical knowledge, a background in Scrum, effective time management skills and an understanding of current project management software.
Sources:
How much does a Scrum Master make? — ZipRecruiter
Dan brings with him five years of experience in tech journalism. While traveling the world with his camera, he can found writing about tech and photography, all with a smile on his face. You can also read Dan’s words TechRadar, The Phoblographer and TomsGuide. Aside from writing, editing and hosting podcasts, Dan also enjoys eating tacos—maybe a little too much!
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Brett is a freelance journalist with 10 years of experience in the tech industry. Brett has covered everything from smartphones to cameras to software while holding the roles of Tech Columnist and Gear Editor. He writes about project management for Cloudwards. When not behind his desk writing, Brett can be found out and about with one of his many cameras, hiking in the wilderness, playing with his dogs, or playing video games. Brett is a self-confessed coffee addict and will do nearly anything for a good cup of Joe.
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Igor is one of the fact-checking editors for Cloudwards. As a man of many talents, he has worked in customer service and SEO, is proficient in video and audio editing, and is also a trained opera singer, gracing European stages with his hometown church choir. Outside of work, Igor’s passions encompass music performance, fitness and capturing moments through travel photography. With a life enriched by diverse pursuits, Igor’s story unfolds rapidly, with many of the chapters yet to reveal themselves.
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