ScrumMaster Role

The ScrumMaster is a servant-leader responsible for helping teams and organizations effectively implement Scrum. Despite the title, a ScrumMaster in charge of team members nor do they give orders. Instead, they coach the team, facilitate Scrum events, remove obstacles, and drive organizational change. The name refers to mastery of Scrum knowledge, which takes years to develop as the role touches many aspects of organizational life.

Framed simply, the ScrumMaster is responsible for making sure that Scrum functions effectively and, by extension, that includes the Developers and the Product Owner.

In more depth, ScrumMasters:

• coach the whole team in the art of Scrum
• coach the Product Owner
• coach the team on relevant technical or engineering practices – this will differ by problem domain
• watch the team to understand what is happening. Are team members collaborating? This involves watching both individual behaviour and team member interactions.
• maintain the Sprint Backlog with the team
• help the team understand the value of flow and coach them to achieve it
• help the team stay focused on quality - this often happens through reminding the team of their Definition of Done and improving the same.
• facilitate team events - including Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and Product Backlog Refinement. A great ScrumMaster is constantly finding new ways to improves these events and make them more engaging. Hint: this often involves changing event agendas so that team members don’t get bored.
• maintain team Impediments Backlog. The ScrumMaster should help the team by keeping their current list of impediments` visible to the team and the team’s manager.
• protect the team from outside interference and, when it happens, track the effects.
• nurture the Team’s independence
• help the team remember important things they committed to and that they might be losing track of - example: many teams commit to Definition of Done or Improvements (from a Sprint Retrospective) but then, during the heat of Sprint, they forget to act on them.
• explain Scrum to the Organization - Scrum is different from the way many organizations work, and the ScrumMaster is responsible for helping others to understand those differences.
• change the Organization - Eventually the ScrumMaster is responsible for helping the organization evolve.

This list is only a start. The role has a great deal more depth and, unlike a traditional manager, you have no power to enforce your intentions. If you make the role work well, it will be through understanding people, empathy, understanding systems, some negotiation, and myriad of other skills. It is the hardest role I’ve attempted and, 20 years on, I’m still learning.

Mistakes that organizations make:

• thinking the ScrumMaster is just a meeting organizer and facilitator
• appointing a ScrumMaster instead of getting the team to make the decision about who would best help them
• making the Team’s Manager their ScrumMaster

ScrumMaster vs Project Manager

Aspect	ScrumMaster	Project Manager
Authority	No formal authority; servant-leader	Directs team; has management authority
Focus	Team effectiveness & process	Scope, schedule, budget
Approach	Coaches team to self-organize	Assigns and tracks tasks
Metrics	Team moral, Cycle Time	Completion dates, resource utilization
Impediments	Removes organizational blockers	Manages risks and issues

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a ScrumMaster do all day?

A ScrumMaster coaches the team, facilitates Scrum events (Daily Scrum, Sprint Planning, Retrospectives), helps to remove impediments, helps the team track their own progress, protects the team from interruptions, and helps the organization understand and adopt Scrum practices.

Is a ScrumMaster the same as a Project Manager?

No. While both coordinate work, a ScrumMaster is a servant-leader who coaches the team to self-organize, whereas a Project Manager typically directs work and manages tasks. A ScrumMaster has no formal authority over team members.

Can a ScrumMaster manage multiple teams?

While possible, it’s not ideal. A dedicated ScrumMaster for one team is most effective. For multiple teams see: ScrumMaster for Three Teams? What are the Alternatives? - which explores the tradeoffs

What skills does a ScrumMaster need?

Key skills include: coaching and mentoring, facilitation, understanding of Scrum and Agile principles, conflict resolution, systems thinking, empathy, communication, knowledge of Kanban, understanding flow and organizational change management.

updated: Dec 19, 2025