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With more than 1 million Scrum certified professionals around the globe, the role of a Scrum Master in the Scrum framework is so critical that it can make or break the overall effectiveness of the team. Along with explaining to the group the Scrum theory, rules, and values, a Scrum Master ensures that the entire Scrum Team has a shared understanding of the Scrum Team's goals.

Most importantly, as part of being a servant-leader to the Scrum Team, a Scrum Master must be the master of facilitation as well. By being an effective facilitator, a Scrum Master helps groups quickly understand their common objectives and will also assist them in planning to attain those objectives - all in all, by remaining "content-neutral."

The reason behind a Scrum Master staying "neutral" is that every member within the Scrum Team feels comfortable to pitch in, this creates an environment which nurtures the best thinking and will eventually help in attaining synergy.

Here are some good Scrum Master facilitation practices that can improve the overall efficiency of a Scrum Master, and ultimately that of the Scrum Team, for faster progress and meaningful productivity.

Best Scrum Master Facilitation Practices

1. Set the Right Place at the Right Time

At times, certain parts of the usual office space may not be the right or convenient space to gather all participants and keep the creative juices flowing. For that, the Scrum Master may have to choose a different venue, that too, without causing any harm to the participants' schedule.

For that, the Scrum Master must pre-plan the venue and timings and make sure that it coincides with the schedule of each participant. As Scrum Events can gather participants from different tiers of an organization, it is quite common for the participants to have varying time preferences.

To accommodate such differences, the Scrum Master must consider the individual's preferences beforehand and arrive at a suitable timing for all. Similarly, the Scrum Master must make sure every participant knows the meeting's desired outcomes so that they can prepare for it in advance.

2. Be an Active Listener

Active listening has a lot to do with a Scrum Master being an effective facilitator. By being an active listener, a Scrum Master can grasp the flow of progress and oversee whether the session is capable of producing the desired outcomes.

This will also allow a Scrum Master to ask questions on behalf of those participants who may be reluctant to raise questions but may have solid queries that can change the flow of discussion for the better. By actively listening and clarifying ambiguities with direct questions, a Scrum Master can ensure that sessions end with the utmost clarity.

3. Keep Every Participant Engaged and Focused

The primary objective behind hosting a facilitated event is to get inputs from all participants involved, which essentially leads to the desired outcomes.

For that, the Scrum Master must be capable of continually observing all the members in the room and seeing that all participants are engaged, and all opinions are heard. This also means the Scrum Master must make sure that the participants aren't distracted by their smartphones or other devices.

Likewise, the Scrum Master must also make sure that no participant hi-jacks the entire event. Whether it be a participant from a higher position or pay grade, the opportunities for expressing views and ideas must be equally shared to all. Scrum Masters can also utilize workflow management methods such as Kanban, which are used by around 80% of organizations using Scrum.

If the session expects remote participants or is conducted virtually, the Scrum Masters must master the art of remote facilitation. They must be skilled and experienced in using communication tools like Skype, Zoom, or Slack.

4. Remain Content Neutral

Even though the Scrum Master conducts the sessions and makes sure all opinions are heard, they do not have to be fixated on expressing their views, instead they should be the part of a discussion that encourages free and open communication between the team. The Scrum Master should be focused on overseeing how the discussion progresses and should ensure that the facilitated event produces the desired results.

If the Scrum Master participates in the sessions, it can spoil the entire fabric of the collaborative efforts, intended from the other participants, and can lead to low-quality decisions. The Scrum Master must not have any interests or preferences for the solutions offered by the participants.

The Scrum Master must not be biased and must strictly avoid favoring a participant's opinion, due to their position in the organization. By being unbiased and "content-neutral," a Scrum Master can ensure that the ideas are discussed based on their quality rather than the person who raises it.

5. Finish Right on Time

Effective time management by the Scrum Master will be deeply appreciated by the participants. Almost every individual partaking the facilitated events will have their own calendars running and restricting them from spending an extra minute.

To ensure they never feel rushed or delayed, the Scrum Master must make sure that the sessions start and end right on time. One of the striking qualities of the Scrum framework is that all events are time-boxed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. If the Scrum Master succeeds in starting the event at the right time, none of the participants will have to modify their respective schedules.

When consumed with the spirit of discussion, it is natural for participants to lose track of time. To make sure the meetings end at the predetermined time, allocating the role of the time-keeper to a participant can be fruitful.

Time warnings at the last 10 or 5 minutes can be announced in the room to make sure each participant understands that they are nearing the end of the meeting, and they would have to proactively manage their time.

6. Be Open to Feedback

Always being open to feedback is one of the most critical Scrum Master facilitation practices that ensure that the Scrum Master gels well with the Scrum Team. With the help of feedback, Scrum Masters can continually improve their facilitation skills and inspect whether the Scrum Team can attain the desired results in the stipulated time.

Scrum Masters can utilize techniques such as the five-finger vote or the emperor's vote to gain feedback from the participants quickly. If the Scrum Master wants detailed reports, they can rely on tools like JotForm for structured feedback. But this may consume more time for the participants, and in most cases, it may inhibit them from leaving feedback.

In Conclusion

Facilitation will be easy to understand but can be challenging to master and execute. Along with the numerous duties bestowed upon, a part of being a Scrum Master means being a master of facilitation as well.

Of course, many of the Scrum Master facilitation practices discussed may seem easy to follow. But in reality, these are frequently overlooked and require continuous efforts from the Scrum Master. By following these best practices, Scrum Masters can witness a significant increase in their facilitation skills and can ultimately help teams achieve the desired results more efficiently.

References:

1. https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/scrum-master-master-art-facilitation
2. https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/scrum-master-facilitator
3. Scrum Guide from https://www.ScrumGuides.org

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