What does a Scrum Master do?

Project management was a simple term: You planned a project in advance and then executed the plan. Today – especially in IT, but also in other industries – there is much more behind project management: terms like agile, scrum, daily standups, sprints, waterfall model, classic model, and, and, and.

The Scrum Master plays an important role in agile project management. Today we’re looking at why the Scrum Master is so important. What does a Scrum Master do all day? What does a Scrum Master earn? And – if all of this appeals to you – how can you become a Scrum Master?
 

Definition: What is a Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master is an essential part of the agile method “Scrum”. It should allow the team to organize itself and make changes quickly. The Scrum Master therefore primarily helps with communication and regulates how information is exchanged among each other.

Scrum Masters, play a very important role in companies that pursue agile project management. The Scrum Master is the key piece that holds communication between multiple teams together. We will look at exactly what practical tasks these are in the next chapter.
 

 

How do you become a Scrum Master? Requirements and skills

Are you interested in the Scrum Master’s job? But you are not yet sure what training you need and what you have to be able to do?
What Does an IT Project Manager Do?The IT project manager is responsible for the organization, planning, and control of IT projects. What does an IT project manager do and what are…Read More

Training & studies

There is no Scrum Master program. However, many IT study programs deal with the topic of project management in detail and also include subjects related to agile project management.

Scrum masters have to keep an eye on many departments and areas at the same time and bring them under one roof. Scrum Masters need a lot of experience in their industry in order to understand all departments. So if you want to be a Scrum Master in IT later, you should study something in the area of software development, for example.

Almost every Scrum Master must first get a Scrum Master certification. This is a certificate for participation in a multi-day Scrum Master seminar. In these seminars, you will learn specifically what is important for you as a Scrum Master. Many job advertisements for Scrum Masters require such a certificate.

So there is no direct training or a course for the Scrum Masters profession. But it definitely helps if you have an idea of the respective industry and project management. If you combine this with a Scrum Master Certificate, you have a very good chance of finding a job as a Scrum Master.
 

 

Qualifications & skills

In addition to a professional qualification, you should have various skills in order to be successful as a Scrum Master:

• Very good communication
• Good overview, but also an eye for detail
• Confidence
• Very reliable
• Flexibility
• Leadership skills
• Very well organized
• Good English knowledge

What Does An Application Manager Do?As an Application Manager, you have a great deal of responsibility – you have an overview of the most varied of systems, manage their functioning,…Read More

What are the tasks of a Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master’s job is exciting because it is so diverse. We have already mentioned that the Scrum Master’s job is to ensure communication between departments in an “Agile Environment”.

The Scrum Master’s job primarily consists of sprint planning. When should what be done by whom? This requires a good overview, so a Scrum Master has to be very well organized. The teams need to know what they have to do: Because if someone knocks on your door every few minutes and asks what they should do now, you have not done a good job as a Scrum Master.

Agile project management is popular today because it offers flexibility. In classic project management, it is much harder to react to problems. The Scrum Master must therefore be able to throw his plans over in the shortest possible time and have everything under control in case of problems and plan changes.

Further tasks of a Scrum Master can be:

• Lead Scrum Meetings.
• Help the team become more productive.
• Analyze past problems and avoid them in the future.
• Moderate conflicts.
• Avoid and point out misunderstandings.
• Stay in constant contact with managers, project leaders, and product owners.
• Enable and encourage independent work.

These are not easy tasks and require responsible behavior. If the sprint planning is a catastrophe and the product is not finished, it is the Scrum Master’s fault – it is his job to ensure that everyone in the team can work as smoothly as possible and that nobody has to wait for each other. It should avoid “bottlenecks” and also protect the team from distractions and external influences.
 

 

How much does a Scrum Master earn?

The Scrum Masters job is highly regarded in companies and plays an important role in product development and product support. Therefore, attractive salaries are also paid.

As a beginner, you can expect around $82,655 per year. From the beginning of your career as a Scrum Master to the Senior Scrum Master, you can expect a linear but quite steep increase in your salary.
 

Potential industries for Scrum Master

Many employers who run agile project management and therefore need Scrum Master are active in IT. These are often software companies that develop their own products. The gaming industry, for example, also often relies on “Agile Development”.

In addition to software companies, there are also service providers and consultants who look after their own customers and assist companies in agile project management.

But product manufacturers such as automotive companies or retailers can also use Scrum Masters. Experienced Scrum Masters are needed wherever agile project management and Scrum are used in any form. Your opportunities for careers as a Scrum Master are numerous and exciting.
 

Application as a Scrum Master

Scrum masters need experience because in the best case they should know all departments to be supervised well. A young professional will probably not be appointed directly as a Scrum Master, even if they already have a Scrum Master certificate with them.

Therefore, when applying for a Scrum Master position, you should definitely have experience in relevant areas. This can be an internship in project management, for example – but you shouldn’t expect a position as a Scrum Master immediately after university.

So look around for positions in project management, do internships and expand your knowledge in various departments and industries. As a Scrum Master, with a portfolio of successfully managed projects, you have much better chances of an application interview.
 

Conclusion

Again to take notes:

The Scrum Master is the communication link between departments that work according to the agile method “Scrum”. For example, the Scrum Master is responsible for sprint planning.

There is no direct degree for Scrum Masters, but you should have experience in business, project management, or software development.

Your starting salary as a Scrum Master will be around $82,655 per year. After a few years, however, you can expect almost $99,364 a year.
 

What does an IT manager do?IT managers lead either IT teams or the entire IT department, depending on the size of the company. They act as an interface and mediate…Read More MCQPractice competitive and technical Multiple Choice Questions and Answers (MCQs) with simple and logical explanations to prepare for tests and interviews.Read More