Scrum Master Role

In the Scrum method of agile software development, there are three fundamental roles: the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the team. In my last article, I discussed the Product Owner role and how he or she is the single individual responsible for the success of a project. The second role I'll examine is the Scrum Master role, who, in short, acts as a liaison, or facilitator, between the Product Owner and the development team. He or she is not a manager or taskmaster, never commits to work on behalf of the team, and has no actual authority over either the Product Owner of the Scrum team.

In agile software development, the Scrum Master role is a demanding part to play and requires a particular personality to do so effectively. Typically, the best Scrum Masters must be true team players, who find the accomplishments of others as gratifying as their own and can comfortably relinquish control to the Product Owner and team. As such, traditional project managers seldom make successful Scrum Masters because Scrum demands that they resist the temptation to micro-manage the development team.

So what does a Scrum Master's work with an agile software development team look like? The primary function is to remove any barriers (or "impediments") that stand in the way of sprint goals. Put another way, the Scrum Master does everything within his or her power to facilitate productivity. If a developer's computer breaks, it's the job of the Scrum Master to fix it or replace it. If a team room is too hot, it's the Scrum Master's task to cool it down and create a comfortable environment where developers remain focused on their work. It's easy to sum up the work a Scrum Master does in a sentence, but that hardly accounts for the infinite number of scenarios he or she might encounter while serving a development team.

But a Scrum Master's work isn't just limited to the team; he or she also has a responsibility to help the Product Owner maximize productivity. This might include helping to maintain the backlog and release plan or it might entail radiating Scrum artifacts - such as burndown charts - to ensure the Product Owner is apprised of the team's successes.

Using Scrum to manage agile software development is the leading strategy to help teams reduce risk and associated costs, while increasing the quality of a team's releases. Through an emphasis on communication and collaboration, Scrum brings everyone together - from developers to stakeholders - to build a better product.