How Do You Spot A Dedicated Scrum Master?

Top 6 attributes

Scrum is a demanding project management framework. Every team member must be dedicated to the goal of continuously improving, pushing the limits on what they can achieve. Scrum Masters lead the charge, keeping a consistent and even pace for demanding, complex projects.
 
Here are the top 6 attributes of the best Scrum Masters:

Scrum Masters aren’t authoritarian bosses. They aren’t simply collaborators, either. Scrum Masters take full responsibility for the project and any missteps that may occur along the journey. They take responsibility for the success of the team. The enthusiasm for the project never dies, either, even when the team is struck by failure.
 
Great Scrum Masters are well-versed in the art of servant leadership. They act as supporters and mentors to the entire team, ensuring project success through steady and compassionate leadership.

Scrum Masters must facilitate complex project activities for cross-functional teams. This means they have to be in tune not only with project deadlines but the emotional state of the team as a whole and for each individual.
 
Lowered morale has an overall negative effect on productivity and on collaboration. Getting morale high requires a highly-trained sensitivity. Scrum Masters need to get a feel for the team and for the flow of the project. Adept project managers know when to push the limits of the team’s abilities, rallying the team, and when to reign in expectations, reducing stress on workers.

Dedicated Scrum Masters need an extensive breadth of knowledge of the Scrum project management framework as well as the product being produced, the value it will generate in the market, and the development process that will bring that product to market. They are a jack-of-all-trades, spotting small technical issues and establishing overarching marketing goals.

The agile methodology is at the heart of the Scrum management framework. Agile purports constant improvement through continuous communication, evaluation, and an unabashed acceptance of change. A dedicated Scrum Master should adhere to the core principles of agile.
 
Experienced Scrum Masters understand that each sprint is another step closer to the end product. The end product should be as perfect as possible -- barring any feature that causes scope creep. Each sprint is an opportunity to better the product, the team, and the processes they use.

Scrum projects often involve the work of multiple departments. Developers talk with business people, marketers, and product owners, for example. With all of this communication comes a massive risk of miscommunication and disorganization, however.
 
Tasks could easily get scattered, lost, traded or unfinished without proper communication protocols. Team members could easily feel overburdened, embittered, or angry if they feel too much work is being heaped on them and avoided by others.
 
Scrum Masters should ameliorate communication issues and hostile feelings before they arise among the team. Project managers have to be observant in order to catch these issues. They must be willing to mediate any rough spots between employees as well, promoting cohesion among team members.

Responding to change is one of the most vital parts of the agile management methodology that is built into the Scrum framework. Expert Scrum Masters are not only accepting of change but welcome it, even if the project is quite far along. Therefore, good Scrum Masters are adaptive rather than reactive.
 
Scrum Masters are resourceful, coming up with solutions to problems in creative ways. They value the rhythm of the project, but also know how to carefully adjust the course to respond to unexpected changes.
 
Scrum Masters should be enthusiastic, emotionally intelligent leaders and observant mediators, catching issues before they bubble up. They ensure a project’s success with their extensive knowledge in development and management. Devoted to improving and accounting for change, Scrum Masters are responsive, adaptive managers. Exceptional Scrum Masters guide change effortlessly, keeping a steady pace for the project even when unexpected bottlenecks hit. Expert Scrum.

Masters are therefore one of the most highly-prized professionals in any organization. Without great Scrum Masters, scrum projects fall apart. They are loyal leaders, who are fiercely intelligent, knowledgeable, and empathetic.