The Ultimate Guide on How to Become Scrum Master

Introduction

Do you know that according to Burning Glass, Scrum master is a skill-set in fairly strong demand, with 65,915 job postings worldwide over the past 12 months? 

It’s not surprising!!!

Businesses are striving hard to exceed the customers’ expectations with their limited budget and resources. And this is not just about software companies that need to be agile: customers expect instant delivery and excellent support in all stages. That is why the traditionally operated industries are looking to embrace agile. It has created excellent opportunities for people who aim to work on agile or Scrum.

Today, the role of Scrum Master has become more significant and widespread as per the ScrumMaster Trends Report released by Scrum.org and Age of Product. And, Scrum Master has become a bright career option for a lot of people across the world.

So do you also want to go for the Scrum Master career option? And have questions like:

• Why to become a Scrum Master?
• What are the benefits of choosing Scrum Master as a career option?
• What are Scrum Masterwork/career opportunities?
• What is the prerequisite to making a Scrum Master career?
• What are the required certifications to become a Scrum Master?
• How to become a scrum master?
• What is the salary of a Scrum Master?

In this blog, you will get answers to all these questions, so continue reading and why, when, and how to become a Scrum Master: 

Before we go in-depth on the ScrumMaster carer path or how to become a scrum master, let’s first know the history of Scrum Master– how it all got started. 

Origins of Scrum and Associated Organizations

In the early 1990s, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber worked together to build Scrum that later became their 1995 paper titled SCRUM Software Development Process. Schwaber and Sutherland inherited the name “Scrum” from a 1986 paper written by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka, who decided to use the term based on the game of rugby and the way team members work together from beginning to the end, passing the ball back and forth while moving up the field together. 

Following this approach in the software development process, small multidisciplinary teams could easily interact and improve their task together by using objectives instead of a list of controlled works.  

Scrum Guides website says that Scrum has been adopted by  a huge number  of software development firms worldwide. It has been widely used in education, manufacturing, marketing, operations, and other related fields. To help you understand why Scrum Master Career is a bright career option, below we have discussed several factors. 

Scrum Master Career - Why is it a Good Move?

Scrum Master has become one of the most demanded jobs worldwide. In the last few years, Scrum Master has been considered to be one of the top 15 emerging roles as the world has changed in the recent year and many companies have understood the significance of the Scrum Framework and how important a Scrum Master is for the implementation of Scrum.

According to one study.com, “The role of Scrum Master will grow annually by about 24% till the year 2026, as companies are slowly streamlining towards implementing the Scrum Methodology to their organization.”

There is a sharp increment in the implementation of Agile Methodology as companies start to realize the true value of Agile and how much it can benefit their overall growth. And as the implementation is taking place, companies need individuals, who are efficient in their Agile principles, skills, and knowledge. With that, the Scrum Master role is one of the chief roles in Scrum that support the overall process in Agile adoption and transformation. Hence, the demand for Scrum Masters has increased exponentially globally.

What Job Roles & Responsibilities Scrum Masters are Entitled to?

Scrum masters aim to act as an agile coach, supporting the scrum teams to self-organize and work cross-functionally to manage their product backlog in a better way while maximizing their efficiency.

The scrum master holds several roles and responsibilities in a project. They’re not part of a hierarchy, barking orders or demanding ROI, instead, they’re going for a more holistic approach to product development, providing their knowledge to other team members while supporting a shared decision-making power in the scrum team.

• The Scrum Master creates and onboards project teams, integrates them into the organization, and provides a clear vision of the product. 
• They are responsible to facilitate communication and information across the team.
• They also monitor project progress, come up with feedback, and drive a culture of agility and learning. 
• They host daily team meetings for regular updates, address potential hurdles, and ensure that the project is on track. 
• They also host sessions time-to-time to share updates with product stakeholders about how the project is progressing. 

Ultimately, it’s a Scrum Master’s job to ensure that the team is meeting deadlines with the expected outcome.

Scrum Master’s Task in Different Roles

Product Owner

Here, the ScrumMasters have to ensure that the scrum team is aware of the scope, goals, and product domain while making sure that the product owners know maximizing the product backlog.

Development Team

ScrumMasters are responsible to teach the team the disciplines of agile practices, cross-functionality, and self-organization. They also support them in creating excellent products while resolving the issues on the way. 

The Organization

ScrumMasters have to take the lead in supporting the organization to adopt  the right Scrum techniques while planning its implementation. It includes helping all parties concerned to understand Scrum, mainly if it is completely a new concept for the stakeholders and other employees.

Scrum Master is a vast field, which is bifurcated into different further segments. Here are the Scrum Master career opportunities or profiles you can choose from.

There are several career paths you can take to raise your professional life to the next level in the Scrum Master:

Agile Coach 

As an agile coach, you will be responsible to facilitate the implementation of Scrum and Agile together. It is considered a specialized and focused area of ScrumMaster.

Mentor 

To be a mentor, first, you need to mastered scrum methodology and have some years of work experience as a ScrumMaster. In this position, you will be teaching others how to become Scrum Master. 

Manager 

Going for a manager position does not need to have a very strong You can even move away from Scrum altogether and try for a manager position. As a manager, you should know how to lead people and has a good understanding of the organization. 

There are many more opportunities, limited only by your imagination and ambition. 

Is There Any Prerequisite to Become a Scrum Master? 

There are no prerequisites or eligibility criteria such as a high education or experience needs like other project management certifications. There are only two requirements on How to Become Scrum Master – first, one must take CSM certification training, and second, one must clear the CSM certification exam successfully. 

While there is no any major prerequisites to become a Scrum Maser, the job opportunity comes up with high remuneration.  In the next section, we will talk about the Scrum Master salary. 

Scrum Master Salary

As per Burning Glass, a Scrum master earns a median salary of $111,000 annually. 

According to payscale, the average annual salary of a Scrum Master is $89,000. 

Unsurprisingly, not every nation pays the same; there are several factors like the nation’s overall state of the economy and demand for Scrum Masters. 

Here, it is quite interesting to know that women are surpassing men in terms of payout. Although only 29 percent of the survey respondents were women, there were more women than men in the higher salary ranges.

Here is a quick list of annual average Scrum Master salaries in different countries  according to  Glassdoor. Keep in mind that there can be a variance depending on location, demand, and company size:

• United States: $99,492
• Singapore: SGD 81,000
• Australia: A$120K
• United Kingdom: £54,172
• Canada: CA$90K
• New Zealand: NZ$114K
• South Africa: ZAR 41K (monthly)
• China: ¥ 16K (monthly)
• India: ₹1,304K

Apart from the geography, the experience level fo the individual is a key factor. For example, an entry-level Scrum Master gets an average of $101,087 annually, according to Glassdoor, while a Senior Scrum Master's salary earns an average of $117,062 annually.

What are the Scrum Master Certifications?

Scrum Master Certification choice is another important factor when it comes to how to become a scrum master. 

As you go through different certifications and the issuing organizations, consider at what stage you are at within your career. For the entry-level positions, you need appropriate foundation-based courses on Agile and Scrum. If you are an experienced professional, go for advanced-level certificate courses. 

ScrumMaster® (CSM®) course

Professional Scrum Master Training 

Recommended Books on How to Become a Scrum Master

Apart from the certification courses, you can prepare yourself for certification tests and expand your knowledge base through different books on Scrum Master. Here is a quick list of major books Scrum professionals recommend. 

• “PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Second Edition” by Mike Griffiths
• “Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time” by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland
• “Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum” by Mike Cohn

Skills, Recruiters are Looking for in the Scrum Master

Whether you’re just getting started on how to become a scrum master or advancing within your career, this is the set of essential qualities that will empower you to lead your team to the best of your ability. Below is the list of hard skills and soft skills required to become a Scrum Master –

Scrum Master Career Path: How to Become a Scrum Master?

A Scrum Master is one of the major roles on an Agile project working on the Scrum framework. The person works as a key facilitator who is responsible to arrange meetings, work on team interactions, and maximize productivity by resolving problems. Anyone can become a Scrum master, regardless of your educational background and your experience. Here’s an overview of how to become a Scrum master in these simple steps.

Last Verdict on How to Become a Scrum Master

A career as a Scrum Master has excellent scope and opportunities as it holds one of the most earning potentials in various industries. Also, there is a massive growth in the demand for Scrum Master in the past years, companies are actively hiring Scrum professionals who can help boost their business value and implement Scrum in their organization. 

Also, a Scrum Master can choose many career paths including a mentor, Product Owner, Manager, and working with more challenging teams. Just like any other work professional, a Scrum Master cannot be a perfect expert and there will always be space for improvement. 

Overall, the Scrum Master role is an excellent career option if you are looking for growth and immense earning potential and want to stay relevant as per the market demand. 

Hopefully, you found the blog helpful in understanding why Scrum Master is a good career option, how to become a Scrum Master, required certifications, skillset, career growth, salary range, and other aspects.  

Need for help, check – Free Scrum Master Training Materiel. 

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Become a Scrum Master

Q1). Why to become a scrum master as a career?

Ans:- Scrum master is a rewarding career option. Here, you get a chance to play an integral role in a company’s overall success. You also get involved in product development that positively impacts people. On a more granular level, you’ll have the opportunity to foster a positive working environment for team members.

Q2). How to become a scrum master without a degree?‎

Ans:- While becoming a scrum master does not require any formal education requirements, you may explore the best work opportunities if you have completed your graduation. Consider earning a degree in management, business, computer science, or a specific industry to build the base of your career.

Q3). What is the Certified Scrum Master Exam?

Ans:- The CSM exam is an online test consisting of 35 multiple-choice questions. You need to answer 24 questions correctly in order to pass and earn your certification. When you want to take this exam, it is up to you, but it must be after you’ve completed your CSM course. 

Prepare for your next interview, check these Scrum Master Interview Questions! 

Q4). How long does it take to become a Certified Scrum Master?

Ans:- Generally, it takes 6 to 8 weeks to finish the Scrum Master Course. Here, some people need to spend some additional time in training. Although the course provides the tools and knowledge required to pass the exam, you may want to spend additional time reviewing the course materials and your notes before taking the test. 

Q5). How much does a Certified ScrumMaster make?

Ans:- As per Glassdoor’s recent report, the average salary for a Certified Scrum Master in America is $98,000. LinkedIn ranked being a Scrum Master as one of their top 10 promising jobs with 67% growth from 2016 to 2017. It looks like this industry offers some great opportunities and it’s worth looking into. 

Congratulations! You have finished the complete guide on how to become Scrum Master. Let us know what you liked the most about this particular career option. Also, feel free to ask if you have any questions about this blog in the comment section!