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Do you know that the success of a Scrum Team depends on the role of the Scrum Master? The Scrum Master is an active member of the Scrum Team alongside the Developers and the Product Owner. While everyone in the team had dedicated responsibilities, the Scrum Master’s role was quite interesting! They are the one who commits to delivering valuable Product Improvements that the business requires. Want to know how does he do that? Let’s understand the purpose of the Scrum Master in the Scrum Team!

A Quick Recap Of The Scrum Definition

Scrum is simple. This a lightweight framework that requires a Scrum Master to create an Agile Environment where:

• The Product Owner creates the Product Roadmap and manages the Product Backlog.
• The Scrum Team, containing Developers, works in Increments to deliver Sprint Goals.
• The stakeholders inspect the Product Deliverables and provides feedback.

So, the Scrum theory depends upon the collective intelligence of the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. The Scrum Team can use various processes and techniques to enhance the relative efficacy of current management and workspace. Let’s get into how the Scrum Master servers the Scrum team!

The Scrum Master serves the following:

• Product Owner
• Scrum Team
• Organization

1. Scrum Master Build Self-Managing Teams To Work In A Cross-Functional Setting:

One primary responsibility of the Scrum Master is to encourage the Scrum Team to be self-organizing and cross-functional. It involves empowering team members to make decisions collectively and ensuring each member possesses a diverse skill set. 

The Scrum Master carefully crafts the Scrum Team driven to work in an environment where everyone is transparent about what’s happening and the business expectations! The collaboration helps the team tackle challenges and deliver high-quality Increments during each Sprint efficiently.

2. Organize Scrum Events & Make The Scrum Team Involved:

The Scrum Master is the organizer of every Scrum event that happens in an Agile-driven Project, including the following:

• Sprint Planning: They orchestrate discussions to define the Sprint Goal and guides the selection of Product Backlog Items for the upcoming Sprint.
• Daily Scrum: They make every Scrum Team Member attend the daily stand-up meeting to discuss progress and the current challenges. 
• Sprint Review: The Product Owner presents the Sprint's outcome to the stakeholders, plan what to do next and potentially do the Product Backlog Refinement.
• Sprint Retrospective: Organizing sessions with the Scrum Team to reflect on the previous Sprint and identify areas for performance improvement.

3. Act As An Agile Leader To Resolve Team Conflicts & Removing Impediments:

The Scrum Master serves as a guardian against impediments that could hinder the progress of the Scrum Team. Impediments can range from organizational obstacles to team-specific issues. The Scrum Master actively works to remove these impediments or guides the team in overcoming them. They address the latest impediments promptly during the Daily Scrum and guides the team to find the best solutions!

4. Agile Coaching and Mentoring For Continuous Learning:

The role of the Scrum Master extends beyond facilitating events and removing impediments. They are like an Agile Coach with profound knowledge of Scrum & Agile Principles. So, the Scrum Master continuously pushes the Scrum Team to extend their skillset by acquiring certifications like CSPO or CSM. 

Agile Coaching involves aiding the team in overcoming challenges, while mentoring focuses on sharing knowledge and experience. These aspects contribute to developing a high-performing and continuously improving Scrum Team.

Final Thoughts:

The journey towards becoming an exemplary Scrum Team is ongoing. The Scrum Master is the True Leader of the Scrum Team, who guides the team in introspection and adaptation. As we discussed the Scrum Master’s input in a Scrum Team, you must discover the other roles in the Scrum Team. Keep learning as an Agilist,  and find more Learning Resources on the PremierAgile website!

Reference:

 https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#scrum-master