A Scrum Master is a facilitator for an Agile development team who is responsible for managing the exchange of information between team members. The Scrum Master helps to facilitate Scrum to the larger team by ensuring the Scrum framework is followed. They are accountable for establishing Scrum by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization. The role of a Scrum Master is to use Agile project management to champion a project, teams, and team members. They are committed to the Scrum values and practices, but should also remain flexible and open to opportunities for the team to improve their workflow. The Scrum Masters main role is that of a facilitator. They ensure that best practices are followed and that the teams projects progress. Some of the key responsibilities of a Scrum Master include:
- Coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality
- Focusing on creating high-value increments that meet the Definition of Done
- Influencing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress
- Leading daily stand-up meetings, reviews, demos, and other project-related meetings
- Supporting team members in their tasks
- Fostering a positive working environment for team members in a company and ensuring the most successful outcome of a product or project
The Scrum Master is not responsible for telling the team what work they are supposed to do or for managing which work in the project has to get done by which time in order for the project to succeed. Instead, they are there to run team-centric meetings (status updates and retrospectives) and help coordinate different teams and remove blockers.
