What is a Scrum Master - Everything you need to know

Introduction

What is a Scrum Master? What is part of the role of the Scrum Master? 

If you are considering going for a Scrum Master career, these are common questions you will have in your mind. 

Scrum masters are expert professionals, who play role in implementing and ensuring compliance with the Scrum framework and its methodologies. Although the scrum framework can be used in any industry, it is mostly used in the IT industry. 

According to Glassdoor, the job of a scrum master is one of the 25 highest paying jobs in America.

There are plenty of good reasons to become a Scrum Master – the job is in great demand and pays well. But the most important reason to become a Scrum Master is that it fits your knowledge, skills, and interests. 

If you are actively looking to become a Scrum Master, here is a comprehensive guide on what is a scrum master, scrum master career path, and agile scrum master certification.

Read on to learn about the following topics about the Scrum Master career path – 

• What is a scrum master? 
• Scrum Master salary range 
• In-demand Scrum Master certifications 
• Best Scrum Master training courses
• Scrum Master career path

What is a Scrum Master?

Scrum is a lightweight agile framework focused on time-boxed iterations called sprints. Scrum Masters are the facilitators of the scrum, they are accountable to establish Scrum as defined in the Scrum and ensure the team follows the Scrum protocols at every stage during the process.  

To make this happen, they support everyone in understanding the Scrum theory and practice, within the Scrum Team as well as the organization. While the name master sounds authoritative, the Scrum Masters are actually servant-leaders who do not hold any direct authority on the team and are not involved in the decision-making. Acting as facilitators, Scrum masters perform as coaches for the rest of the team. 

What does a Scrum Master do?

As discussed above what is a Scrum Master? A Scrum Master is the leader of the team. They work to establish the Scrum methodology within the team and keep members aligned with the Scrum principles and practices. 

A Scrum Master holds a number of responsibilities while leading the development team through product creation, sales, development and marketing.

Scrum Master Roles & Responsibilities

After you are clear with the Scrum Master meaning and definition. Let’s talk about their tasks The Scrum Master role is focused on using Agile project management to champion a project, a team or team members. Since scrum masters need to work in different settings, the exact tasks and responsibilities vary. Depending on the company and work situation, Scrum Master can take on the role of a coach, a facilitator or project manager. 

The responsibilities may vary from day to day but might include: 

• Leading Different types of meetings including standup, reviews, project-related, etc. 
• Helping the team members in their daily tasks
• Ensuring the team’s progress by ensuring every person is on the right track
• Guiding the team to better understand the Scrum principles and best practices 
• Devising techniques to facilitate product backlog management
•  Facilitating open communication and conflict resolution 
• Helping the product owner in getting the product backlog arrangements to accomplish maximum value
• Protecting the team from outside interruptions and distractions 
• Resolving the different obstacles and problems in the process 
• Imparting scrum and agile knowledge to the development team
• Ensuring growth in the efficiency and productivity of the team

Also read: Importance of Agile for Business Analyst

Scrum Master Skills: Top Skills of a Successful Scrum Master

To become a successful Scrum Master, one needs to have  certain Scrum Master skills whether you are just getting started or advancing in your career. These are the must-have Scrum Skills that will empower you to lead the team to the best of your ability:

• Agile project management methodology allows you to make sure that your team follow the specific processes to finish and launch the project in the phase for customer feedback at each step. 
• Software development is something vital when it comes to software projects. You should also be aware of the goals, structure and processes, panning that monitoring in order to produce better software. 
• Business analysis is another must-have Scrum master skill that helps you to focus on constantly enhancing a product to make it as per the expectations of the customer, stakeholders, and the company. 

Apart from the technical part, effective Scrum masters often come up with a set of soft Scrum skills. Building these Scrum master skills will empower you to lead the team to the best of your ability: 

• Communication skills – One should have excellent communication skills, it enables you to effectively collaborate with other team members. 
• Organization Skills – A Scrum Master has to manage multiple things at once, so he needs to be organized. This is one of the most important Scrum Master skills which you can learn through a professional Scrum Master Training Program. So he can effectively manage multiple tasks, meetings, resources and priorities at once. 
• Adaptability– Being adaptable allows you to make changes as required to achieve the best possible results. 

Read more about what is a Scrum Master – Agile Scrum Master Tutorial Guide

Scrum Master Job Description

To help you understand what is a Scrum Master and the complete Scrum Master career tasks and eligibility criteria, here is the complete overview of the Scrum Master job description. 

Overview

A Scrum Master is mostly working to support others get tasks done.  They  themself don’t write code or do testing themselves. They communicate, coordinate, facilitate, and do whatever it takes to help the team deliver what’s operated. They operate in a very flexible way and are open to opportunities for the Scrum team to reflect on. 

Responsibilities 

• Maintain the project timeline
• Lead different  meetings and 
• Guide the team 
• Facilitate internal communication and collaboration
• Be the point of contact for external communications 
• Work with product owners to handle backlogs and new requests
• Resolve conflicts and deal with obstacles 
• Ensuring the best deliverables 

Requirements and Scrum Master Skills

• Previous experience as a Scrum Master
• Knowledge of software development
• Expertise in Scrum techniques and artefacts (including the definition of done, user stories, automated testing, backlog refinement)
• Knowledge of other Agile frameworks (Crystal, XP etc.)
• Communication and problem-solving skills
• Conflict-resolution ability
• Organizational skills
• Degree in Computer Science, Business or similar field
• Scrum master certification (additional) 

How to become a Scrum Master & Scrum Master Certifications

The Scrum Master career path is incredibly easy.  To help you go through the process, we have explained the Scrum Master career path in five easy steps: 

Step 1: Learn the Scrum basics

Before you can become a Scrum Master, first you need to familiarize yourself with the basics of Scrum. It is not limited to just what is a scrum master? Learn about the values as well as the principles of Agile and a common Scrum framework. To help learners in their preparation, Scrum Alliance has added a resource link to their site that features some recommended reading materials for Scrum Master training online.

Step 2: Enrol in a Scrum Certification Course

The next step, sign up for a Scrum Master training course in your chosen certification path and learn from the basics of what is a scrum master to the advanced level methodologies. Various training institutions offer these courses that typically take over for 1-2 months with different cost ranges. 

Step 3: Appear and Qualify for the Scrum Master Exam 

After you are done with the Scrum Master training and certification course, it’s time to take your exam and get your knowledge validated. The actual exam will vary slightly, depending on your Scrum training certification program. In general, it will be a multiple-choice test with a 60-85% pass mark. The exam will be about an hour long. 

Step 4: Apply for the Job

Once you have passed the exam, you have become a certified Scrum Master. Now, add your certification badge to your CV, polish your portfolio and start applying for Scrum Master jobs in your dream companies. Check these Agile Scrum Master Interview Questions And Answers to make yourself interview-ready. 

Top Scrum Master Training and Certifications

Scrum Master Training Certification not only validates your skills and knowledge but also gives you an edge over the other candidates while applying for Scrum Master jobs. After you finish your Scrum Master training course, you can include the skills in your resume to boost your chances of getting shortlisted. 

Here are some in-demand Scrum Master training certification courses you can consider taking any one or a combination of 

• Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

Scrum master Market Demand & Salary

Scrum masters are in great demand worldwide. It is one of the top 15 developing positions among the most promising careers in the future according to Linkedin.  

As per the IT sector analysis, the market demand will go high at a rate of around 24% every year through 2026 as organizations streamline their software development processes and embrace what is known as the Agile methodology, which is creating a high demand for scrum masters and also a higher pay scale.

Career opportunities in the Scrum Master are on the rise which is unsurprising in the current global economy. Businesses are continuously looking for competent Scrum Masters who can help them complete projects on time and on a budget without sacrificing quality. Overall, the demand for Scrum Masters has increased exponentially globally

Scrum Master Salary Range

The average salary of a scrum master is $99,492 per year, while their median hourly pay ranges around $46, it is safe to say that these professionals get paid well.

Irrespective of the job profile or any other factors, the basic criterion that affects the salary range is the experience level.

Suppose you are a beginner in the industry, your payout will be lower than professionals with more experience under their belt.

Likewise, as a scrum master, your salary will go high with the years of experience you spend in the industry.

Scrum Master Salary as per Experience Level 

Here is the average salary figures based on experience level in the US:

Entry-level scrum master salary - $85,000 per year

Senior scrum master salary - $1,17,062 per year

Bottom Line

The Scrum Master job role has excellent future scope and growth opportunities with the excellent earning potential. Also, there is a huge increment in the market demand for Scrum Master in the last few years.  Businesses need proficient and skilled Scrum professionals who can help grow their business. 

If you're passionate about the Scrum Master field, take the next step into this new career. Enrol in the online scrum master training and ensure your success.  Below are some of the frequently asked questions related to the scrum master meaning, what is a scrum master? what is part of the role of the scrum master? 

FAQs

What Is a Scrum Master?

A Scrum Master is an expert professional, responsible to lead the team through a project using Agile project management methodologies. It is the simplest answer for what is a scrum master? A Scrum Master also effectively facilitates the communication and collaboration between leadership and team members to ensure the best results.

What is Scrum Master meaning? 

While there is no any exact phrase or work to explain the Scrum Master meaning. Generally, Scrum Master is defined as a facilitator for an Agile development team.

Is Scrum Master a good job option?

There is not a single reason to answer is Scrum Master a good job option. There is huge market demand, the salary offering for this job profile is excellent and also the future scope for Scrum Master is great. 

What is part of the role of the Scrum Master?

Scrum Masters are not just a Scrum Master. Some parts of the role of the Scrum Master includes servant leaders and coaches for an Agile Team. They actively play their role in educating the team in Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, and SAFe, ensuring that the agreed Agile process is being followed properly.

What are the top qualities of a good Scrum Master?

Here are the top Scrum Master qualities: 

• Communication
• Taking responsibility
• Neutrality
• Leadership without powers
• Multitasker
• Problem solver

That’s it for now. Hopefully, you found the blog helpful in understanding what is a Scrum Master? How to become a Scrum Master? Top Scrum Master training and certifications? Skillset, career growth, etc. 

If you have any more questions or queries, feel free to share in the comment section below, we will get back to you.