Without them, nothing works: The Scrum Master holds all the strings in his hands. But what do they actually do precisely? Read here what the most important tasks of a Scrum Master are – and what skills you need for the job.

The Scrum Master as ambassador and Servant Leader

The Scrum Master helps to introduce and implement agile work processes according to Scrum. In doing so, he acts as a teacher and ambassador of the Scrum idea: He ensures that team members understand Scrum and adhere to the principles and rules of the framework. Especially teams that are new to Scrum are usually not yet very familiar with the agile mindset. It is the task of the Scrum Master to introduce Scrum to his team and to inspire all participants for the method.

The Scrum Master leads the Scrum Team, but does not take on a classic leadership role. Instead, they act as a Servant Leader. This means: They commit himself fully to the service of others. They help their team to self-organize and help members to grow and develop.

Problem solver, process optimizer, mentor: The Scrum Master is all in one

Another task of the Scrum Master: they facilitate meetings such as Sprint Planning or the Daily Scrum and conduct retrospectives, i.e. meetings for follow-up. Here, the participants evaluate what went well and what went badly and jointly identify potential for improvement. The Scrum Master thus acts as a supporter and facilitator and ensures good communication. Scrum Masters do not interfere with the content of projects. Their focus is on process optimization.

In addition, the Scrum Master is  the contact person for problems, both interpersonal and organizational. They tackle internal and external obstacles and do everything they can to make their team’s work easier and to ensure that everything runs smoothly. For example, the Scrum Master keeps inappropriate tasks away from the Scrum Team so they can work with focus and without distraction.

Last but not least, a Scrum Master is always a coach and mentor: He supports the development team in organizing itself and provides help for self-help.

Mediator between the parties: An important task of the Scrum Master

The Scrum Master does not only work with the development team. One of the tasks of the Scrum Master is to support the Product Owner. Although he is not involved in its operational tasks, the Scrum Master helps him find techniques to clearly define the product goal. The tasks of a Scrum Master also include working with the Product Owner to develop methods for managing the Product Backlog. In addition, the Scrum Master liaises between the Product Owner and the development team if there are conflicts that they cannot resolve together.

What qualities does a good Scrum Master need on the job?

The Scrum Master job primarily involves interpersonal and methodological skills. Thanks to his communicative and mediating role, the Scrum Master has many points of contact within the company. If you want to become a Scrum Master, you should enjoy working in a team and be able to communicate well with others. In addition, you should like contact with people and enjoy developing individuals and groups.

Knowledge of agile methods and knowledge from project management as well as communication skills, motivation and commitment are also basic requirements for the job as Scrum Master.