What are the Scrum Master responsibilities and what does the Scrum Master do all day?

The title implies that a Sprint is a regular occasion in the life of a Scrum Master. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just as no two Projects are the same, each Sprint is unique. Even within the same Project, with the same Team, there will be differences. The Framework of the Sprint will be the same, but the content and Team Dynamics will vary.

The Scrum Master Responsibilities and the Sprint

Among Scrum Masters key Roles is the stewardship of the Agile and Scrum Principles and Practices. While the Scrum Master is not a Project Manager, they are definitely a facilitator. They ensure that the Scrum Ceremonies are held and that any obstacles, internal and external, are eliminated. The Scrum Master ensures that the Road Ahead is Clear.

The Scrum Framework utilizes prescribed Meetings, or Ceremonies, to Initiate the Sprint, Manage and monitor it while it remains in development, and Review the completed Product and the efficiency of the Sprint. These meetings are:-.

• ‘The Sprint Planning’ – when the Scope and content of the Sprint is chosen.
• ‘The Daily Scrum’ (or Daily Stand-up) – a 15 minute Meeting to understand what has been Done, what is to be Done and what concerns require solving.
• ‘The Sprint Review’ – A “show and tell” of the Sprint Product to all Stakeholders. Pending agreement, the Sprint is “Done” (completed and approved).
• ‘The Retrospective’ – a “Lessons Learnt” analysis of the Sprint process. Where findings from the Sprint are taken into consideration to improve the next Sprint.

The Scrum Master does not “own” any of these Meetings. They Facilitate them and ensure that they are held according to recommended practices and the desired outcomes result. Naturally, this is only part of their Sprint Portfolio.

Starting a Sprint and the Scrum Master Responsibilities

As soon as the Project has begun and the Scrum team have been organised, it is time to prepare for the very first Sprint. A Sprint Planning Meeting is convened, which is where Work to be Done is selected from the Product Backlog. The Product Owner discusses the need for the Product and what aspects are crucial to the success of the Project. The Development Team select Work and assess the time required to Develop it. They likewise specify a “Goal” for the Sprint, based on their existing understanding of the Product.

The Scrum Master functions as Facilitator in this Meeting, they-.

• Convenes and Time-Manages the Meeting, which may take up to an maximum of one day, although it may take less time.
• Ensures that everybody in the Team understands its purpose and outcomes.
• May Gamify the Estimation process by using “Planning Poker”. This is a technique where a democratic agreement on complexity and timing of each Work Item is discussed.
• Ensures that the agreed Work Items are transferred to the Sprint Backlog.
• Ensures, with the Product Owner, that the Team have a viable Sprint Goal and a reasonable idea of the Effort and Teamwork required to produce the Increment. That is the Product sub-set that will be the output of the Sprint.

Once the Sprint Planning Meeting is complete, the Scrum Team have an agreed workload to be finished during the Sprint. The Work is added to a Sprint Backlog.

The Scrum Master Responsibilities and their Daily obstacles.

While the Scrum Team is occupied with finishing the Work in the Sprint Backlog, the Scrum Master:-.

• Rides interference for the Team from outside influences in the Organisation.
• Ensures that the Daily Scrum or Stand-up Meeting is held, typically at the same time and place daily.
• It is for Development Team members only, although there is a view that the Product Owner should at least be able to attend, but not participate.
• Limits the Daily Scrum meeting to 15 minutes.

While the Daily Scrum is owned and run by the Development Team, it has three extremely basic precepts:-.

• ‘What Did I Do Yesterday To Meet Our Goal?’.
• ‘What Will I Do Today To Meet Our Goal?’.
• Are there any Impediments that Have To Be Removed To Reach Our Goal?

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The Scrum Master is an active listener. They will first of all ensure that the views being expressed are realistic and that everything is being revealed that needs to be. All Agile Development is based on trust, openness and honesty. Hiding any bad news can affect the result of the Sprint, and even result in a cancellation of the Sprint and the Project.

Any barriers that were raised must be taken on by the Scrum Master. It can happen, even throughout a two-week Sprint, that there will be a request for Changes. The Product Owner will evaluate the demand and include it to the Product Backlog if they consider them needed. It is the Scrum Master’s job to persevere and postpone any Changes to the next Sprint, even if they impact the existing Increment.

Where the Planning for the next day’s Work can not fit into the 15-minute timebox, the Development Team will often hold a 2nd Meeting to firm up how they will complete the next day’s Work.

Getting ready for “Done”.

When all the Work is nearing its end and the Acceptance Criteria are met, or are close to being fulfilled, the Scrum Master can notify all Stakeholders that the Sprint Review Meeting is to be held. The Meeting must take no longer than four hours, and once again, the Scrum Master is both Facilitator and timekeeper.

The Product Owner might be said to be the keynote speaker, explaining what has actually been “done” in the Sprint and what remains in the Product Backlog. The Team offer a review of the successes and obstacles of the Sprint and what was done to overcome the challenges.

Planning a route forward is done as a group activity.

If this was the final Sprint, the Scrum Master will prepare for the Release Meeting.

Introspection in the Retrospective.

The Retrospective is essentially a Process Improvement Meeting. As the Scrum Master is the steward of the Scrum Framework, the Scrum Master has an important role to play in this Meeting. It is a fairly long Meeting, but must not go beyond 3 hours, which the Scrum Master Timeboxes.

It is very important that the Meeting does not become a “Blame Game”, so the focus is on the positives, while recognizing improvements to be implemented in the next Sprint. The focus is on efficiency and Product Quality. Again, gamification can be utilized to engage the Team and ensure that everybody voices their opinion.

If this was the last Sprint, the Scrum Master now calls for the Release Planning Meeting to prepare for the Release of the last Increment into Production.

All set for the next Sprint.

That is how the Scrum Master plays their role in a typical Sprint. The only problem is that there is no such thing as a typical Sprint, due to the human element. So we shall dive a little much deeper into what actually happens.

Welcome to the Real World.

We have explained above what must happen, without taking into account any of the complexities that Team members bring to the mix. To comprehend how the Scrum Master adds to the success of a Sprint, we require to understand Tuckman’s Theory of Teams.

In 1965, Bruce Tuckman Developed a Four-Stage Theory of how Teams progress through Four Maturity Levels, particularly:-.

• ‘Forming’ – the new Team gets to meet each other.
• ‘Storming’ – dissent and conflict emerge as Team members test each other.
• ‘Norming’ – Team members accept each other and start Working as a Team.
• ‘Performing’ – the Team has reached a high level of efficiency and Works in harmony.

Tuckman’s Stages.

The Scrum Master both understands Tuckman’s Stages and what to expect in each of them. They also know that, where a Team has actually not worked together before, they are going to experience at least the first 3 stages and ideally, the fourth stage. The impact this can have on each Sprint is massive.

• ‘Sprint 1’ will start with “Forming” and move to “Storming”. It is quite likely that the Team will not mature beyond Storming in this first Sprint. If this is the case, the Scrum Master’s will need to be putting out fires and calming bruised egos. By getting the Team to concentrate on following the Scrum Principles, the Scrum Master can deflect the disputes.

• ‘Second to Fourth Sprint’. Hopefully, by the second Sprint the Team will have started “Norming”. Working towards a common Goal and not their own positions. Moving to the Norming stage can take some time and it may be a number of Sprints before the Team is actually Collaborative and cohesive. The Scrum Master can focus on Coaching and directing the Team on the Scrum Fundamentals, rather than doing troubleshooting. As the Team Dynamics improve, the Scrum Master will play less of an active Role.

• Later Sprints – It is possible that the Team does not achieve the fourth stage, where they can be regarded as a high-performance Team. This does not mean that they are not producing a quality Product, simply that there are some inadequacies and waste. If however, they do mature into a “Performing” Team, it is suggested that they stay in this grouping for future Work. It has taken much Change Management and Coaching from the Scrum Master to obtain this level and this should not be wasted.

The Successful Scrum Master and the Scrum Master Responsibilities

The very best Scrum Masters Work themselves out of a Job. When the Team is performing efficiently and according to Scrum precepts, the Scrum Master has actually attained his objective. He can remain with the Team for the next Project, or he can move to a brand-new Team and repeat the cycle.