[MUSIC] Welcome to Expert Viewpoints. In this video, we will hear Agile and Scrum experts describe
the role of the Scrum Master. Its unique functions and which aspects of this role
are most critical to its success. In my opinion, the role of
the Scrum Master is the facilitator and the servant leader. Your job is to ensure that
the team understands and is following the Scrum principles,
practices and values. The way I like to think about it is
the product owner focuses on building the right thing. The development team focuses on
building the thing right, and the Scrum Master focuses on
building the thing efficiently. So what are the aspects of
the Scrum Master role that are most critical to success? I believe that the aspects of the Scrum
Master role that are most critical to the success of a Scrum Master is that of
being a servant leader, being a coach and being a mentor. These are crucial in your ability to help
the team understand and follow Scrum. My opinion, the overall role of
a Scrum Master is to facilitate the effective implementation of his
Scrum principles and practices. Promote collaboration, remove impediments,
and foster continuous improvement. Unlike other roles, the Scrum Master
does not have authority over the team, but serves as a servant leader and
facilitator. A Scrum Master has
a unique role in many ways. A Scrum Master is responsible for
ensuring that the team and organization understand Scrum theory and
practice. In a sense,
they need to sell the value of Scrum. So, they are not solely accountable for
the team's effectiveness alone, but they are accountable to
the entire organization as a whole. A Scrum Master must epitomize
servant leadership to be effective. This service takes the form of,
number one, coaching the team. Number two,
the Scrum Master guides the team and positions them to create
high value increments. Number three, one of the key roles of the Scrum Master
is to remove impediments or blockers. And finally, a Scrum Master is
a master organizer and facilitator. A Scrum Master differs from
most other management roles. A Scrum Master is not necessarily
responsible for doing the work, but they are tasked to pave the way for
the team to accomplish its goals. Rather, they prepare the team to
self-organize, determine what needs to be done, and work together to accomplish
what is referred to in Scrum as done. Being a Scrum Master is multifaceted. It's not one dimensional at all. You are a coach, a leader, a guide,
an expert in the Scrum framework process. Your goal is the team's success. That's why you're there. Notice that I didn't say anything about
completing tasks, project management. That's because this is what
makes the Scrum Master a little bit different from other roles. You're not even a manager
in the hierarchical sense. In fact, you're trying to put yourself
as far behind the scenes as you can. You are a servant leader, you
are the person that is there to support the team and however you can make
that successful, that's your job. You need to help them
get to the finish line. The main role of the Scrum Master is
to facilitate the Scrum processes and ceremonies. And to act as a coach to the team through
their adoption of the Scrum framework. Unlike the product owner, they are not
involved with the product strategy, the why of the product. Nor are they like the development team
in determining how the work is done. They are the conduit between the two and
fostering that communication is one of their responsibilities that
is most critical to success. First and foremost,
understand the Scrum process and ensure it is understood and followed. A Scrum Master is in
a sense a process manager. Next, the Scrum Master is also
a facilitator and a coach. They must facilitate
all required events and ensure the right people are present and
contribute. As a coach, ensure the team is empowered
to self direct and excel on the job. The Scrum Master is also
a conflict manager. If a conflict surfaces,
the Scrum Master collaborates with all involved to reach
a satisfactory resolution. In addition, the Scrum Master engages
stakeholders to recognize and leverage different ways of thinking. And ensures all stakeholders are working
together to achieve the goals of the project. And finally,
the Scrum Master is a status manager. They ensure the Kanban board
is up to date, develop and maintain burn down charts. Collaborate with the product
manager to ensure the backlog of requirements is current and
refined as needed. A Scrum Master is a servant leader,
a facilitator, a coach, a good communicator,
a liaison, a good observer. The most important role,
the most vital aspect of a Scrum Master is removing impediments and
also being that binding agent, that agent that binds
the entire team together. That way, the team is able to meet its
prints goal and at the end of the day, the customer is going to be satisfied
with all the work that has been done during the sprint. You're focused on the team's success. It's not really about your success. You're not successful if
the team is not successful. It's not just about finishing tasks or
success is defined by the customers needs. And you're there to help the team
get there because there's going to be challenges,
there's going to be roadblocks. And you're going to be the one to help
them clear a path to the success that is defined by your customer or
your product owner. And you're going to help them
get better along the way. You're going to do process improvement and you're going to show them
how they can be successful. [MUSIC]