Key Skills of a SCRUM MASTER

Although some aspects of leadership can be learned, leadership is often identified as a natural characteristic of certain personalities. Therefore, it is not uncommon for certain professionals to act as better leaders and better Scrum Masters.

Let's look at some of the Key Skills of a SCRUM MASTER that will help you master your role.

1. Communication between the Scrum Master and his team

This is a must, in any role. However, as a Scrum Master, you are listening, summarizing, understanding, energizing, repeating, observing, writing, chatting, simplifying, critiquing, suggesting, affirming, presenting, all in one moment. Each conversation requires its own synergy and skill.

2. Take responsibility

You are the manager of your team. If you can build it and earn their trust, then it would be easy to defend them and be proud to represent them, whether they have achieved success or not.

3. Appreciate kindness

Humans tend to be critical, so doing everything you can to recognize the efforts of your team members and allow them to progress towards success requires genuine leadership, which will clearly earn the respect of your team.

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4. Neutrality

Being neutral does not mean being diplomatic. When faced with any challenge, decisions should be made based on validation and merit, rather than friendships. This can lead to very complex decisions for the Scrum Master.

5. Leadership without powers

Typically the definition of a master assumes a certain level of control in a team, however, in cases like these it is a directional leader who cannot reprimand when team members deviate. Therefore, it is essential to generate trust and show the importance of following a decision, which can be very demanding compared to a leader who can force decisions.

6. Detail as needed

A scrum master can be involved in a very specific decision that determines the solution to a problem or in a discussion that maps out the strategy for an implementation. Regardless of the level of detail, they should be able to shift gears.

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7. Multitasking

Assuming an ideal team of about 7 people, you as a Scrom Master are engaged in running a machine today and planning for tomorrow, while reviewing yesterday's events. Add to this mix, regulatory and management updates and planning for the next sprint and release - you need to be good at juggling and managing your time.

8. Organization

One of the best and most vital skills of a Scrum Master is organization, this skill is very important to manage a Scrum team, which requires planning and structure to keep everyone on the right track.

A Scrum Master must have very good team management skills, so this has to do with the team's operating procedure, which is a document that establishes objectives and agreements for all team members, such as; working hours, Scrum ceremony formats, stakeholder participation, and escalation routes.

This document should be modified as the team changes and should allow for transparency between roles and personalities.

Organization within a Scrum Master is key to collaboration with the Product Owner on the Product Backlog.

6. Management of project management tools

Another key skill of a Scrum Master is the ability to develop skills in using project management tools such as task boards and collaboration and documentation software, in addition to calendars.

Task boards for project organization are the primary tool used by all Scrum teams to organize, manage, and track work through the creation of lists.

Some tools to manage these boards include Asana , Trello , and Atlassian's Jira . The structure of these task boards allows the Scrum Master to establish workflows and move tasks around. Of course, any team member can modify the board online if necessary.

On the other hand, we have collaboration software to document and communicate with the team during the development cycle. If these collaboration software are managed inefficiently, it can overload the team with messaging and interrupt work. This is where the Scrum Master must set guidelines and manage these team communication tools.

We recommend using calendar tools such as Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar, or a calendar available within the collaboration platform, which will be useful for sending and managing event invitations.

These are nine of the Key Skills of a SCRUM MASTER to carry out his role successfully.

Have you considered becoming a Professional Scrum Master? The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification can help you demonstrate your abilities as a successful Scrum Master. Train yourself and enhance your current skills.