Important qualities of a SCRUM master
Scrum is a subset of the agile software development methodology that has frequent iterations and delivery plans by disintegrating the whole requirements in to smaller phases known as SPRINT which could accommodate a short duration from 10 days to 20 days depending upon the type of deliverable.
It is characterized with flexible and holistic approach and has a non-hierarchical structure encouraging team to self-organize by daily communication and collaboration.
Scrum helps business owners to take right decisions in terms of requirements and prioritize the deliverable pertaining to their need. Scrum focuses on optimizing the work of the team fostering quick and effective response to emerging changes.
Scrum methodology has three roles for the team members and stakeholders: Product owner, Scrum master and Team
Product Owner: This role plays a vital role as the business priorities of the software development can be decided only by the product owner. This could either be the Clients or the Intermediary who could take ownership on approving the business requirements and their priority
Scrum Master: The one who drives the team and acts as a liaison between both the parties and help product owners in terms of estimating the tasks and communicating the deliverable at right time.
Team: The persons who are responsible for developing the software product right from designing, developing and testing & deploying.
In this blog we are going to focus on Scrum Master and what attributes you need to rock as a Scrum Master
Above all, Scrum master is a facilitator and a mediator between Client side and the development team
During the daily meetings, which are called stand-up meetings, the scrum master asks the team members the following three questions:
What was completed on yesterday?
Are there any hurdles/dependencies on your path?
Asking these questions aims at review of work that has already be done, identifying impediments and problems, understanding what short-term goals the team has and what it needs to achieve them. The essence of Scrum is interacting among individuals to make the team work as one unit.
Ideally a good Scrum Master must be
It is very important to understand your team with their strengths and weaknesses.
Always have an alternate plan of action as there could be emergency leaves and sickness would cause the resource to be un-helpful.
Right tasks should be allocated to the right person and this would be possible only when you interact with your team frequently to know about them completely
It is always better to set the right expectations both to Stake holders and the team, so that they are well-prepared to meet out the eventualities.
Communicate frequently to the team and track the tasks using a light weighted process such as SCRUM boards.
Facilitating the work of the team. Scrum Master shouldn’t tell the team what to do but must support the team members while they are doing it.
Helping to determine the time of the sprint.
Helping the team to agree on what can be completed during a specific period of time (sprint )
Ensuring the development process is performed following Scrum rules.
Protecting the team from distractions
Coaching the team within Scrum principles (Teaching or finding someone who can if needed)
Scrum Master should assist the process but not be overprotective or over controlling.
Embracing changes and fostering continuous improvement
A takeaway is that a good scrum master should carefully balance the line between the team members and the product stakeholders by creating an enjoyable working environment in which people respond quickly and efficiently to changes, encouraging improvement and boosting confidence by taking appropriate decisions. It is also highly needed to make sure that the velocity of the team should be perpetually increased.
Try it out and Rock it hard as a good SCRUM master!!!
