In Scrum, the Scrum Master (SM) owns the responsibility for the process. During his day-to-day activities, the Scrum Master must ensure the team is following the Scrum Spirit, process, and the different practices of this the scrum framework. Selecting a Scrum team’s Scrum Master can be the difference between success or failure of the team’s ability in adopting scrum. Therefore, it is highly important to ensure the selected Scrum Master has the current qualities, Skills, and characteristics. This will assist the team to adapt to the different challenges they will face while adapting the Scrum framework. In order to assist one to determine the most suitable person lead the team as the Scrum Master, I have prepared a list of Characteristics, Skills, and qualities that a good Scrum Master should have in his armory.

1. DAVID TZEMACH
MAR 13 2018
HOW TO CHOOSE A
TRUE GREAT SCRUM
MASTER?

2. IN SCRUM, THE SCRUM MASTER (SM) OWNS THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROCESS. DURING HIS DAY-TO-DAY
ACTIVITIES, THE SCRUM MASTER MUST ENSURE THE TEAM IS
FOLLOWING THE SCRUM SPIRIT, PROCESS, AND THE
DIFFERENT PRACTICES OF THIS THE SCRUM FRAMEWORK.
SELECTING A SCRUM TEAM’S SCRUM MASTER CAN BE THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF THE TEAM’S
ABILITY IN ADOPTING SCRUM. THEREFORE, IT IS HIGHLY
IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THE SELECTED SCRUM MASTER HAS
THE CURRENT QUALITIES, SKILLS, AND CHARACTERISTICS. THIS
WILL ASSIST THE TEAM TO ADAPT TO THE DIFFERENT
CHALLENGES THEY WILL FACE WHILE ADAPTING THE SCRUM
FRAMEWORK.
IN ORDER TO ASSIST ONE TO DETERMINE THE MOST SUITABLE
PERSON LEAD THE TEAM AS THE SCRUM MASTER, I HAVE
PREPARED A LIST OF CHARACTERISTICS, SKILLS, AND
QUALITIES THAT A GOOD SCRUM MASTER SHOULD HAVE IN
HIS ARMORY.

3. HUMBLE
A SCRUM MASTER MAIN RESPONSIBILITY IS
TO ASSIST THE TEAM TO BECOME BETTER.
THERE IS NO ROOM FOR PERSONAL GLORY.
THIS CAN LEAD TO ANTAGONISM FROM
THE TEAM MEMBERS.
IN ADDITION, HE SHOULD ENSURE THE
ENFORCEMENT OF THE PROCESS IS DONE
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE TEAM.
THIS IS THE PREFERRED METHOD, RATHER
THAN ENFORCING HIS AGENDA OF HOW
THE TEAM SHOULD BE WORKING.

4. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
ONE OF THE MAIN ACTIVITIES OF AN
SM IS TO REMOVE IMPEDIMENTS
FROM THE TEAM.
THE SM SHOULD HAVE THE
RELEVANT SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND
EXPERIENCE TO REMOVE ANY
OBSTACLES FROM THE TEAM DURING
THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES.

5. A GREAT EDUCATOR
THE SM SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO
EDUCATE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE
SCRUM FRAMEWORK.
THIS IS NOT ONLY FOR THE TEAM, BUT THE
SM SHOULD BE PROACTIVE AND EDUCATE
MANY PERSONNEL IN THE ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS PERSONNEL CAN BE THOSE WHO EITHER
SUPPORT THE PROCESS OR ALTERNATIVELY
WANT TO LEARN ABOUT AGILE AND IN
PARTICULAR SCRUM.

6. HAVE THE TIME TO DO IS JOB
AS PART OF HIS DAY-TO-DAY WORK, THE SM NEEDS
TO OBSERVE THE TEAM’S PERFORMANCE BASED ON HIS
AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES.
THIS INCLUDES COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE TEAM
AND OUTSIDE (PO), PROVIDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ARTIFACTS ALLOWING THE TEAM TO GROW,
ENFORCEMENT OF THE SCRUM PROCESS, ETC.
THIS IS JUST A PARTIAL LIST OF THE SM ACTIVITIES,
BUT BASED ON IT, WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THE SM
MUST BE THERE FOR THE TEAM ON A DAY-TO-DAY
BASIS.
THERE ARE NO MAGICAL SOLUTIONS, THE ROLE
DEMANDS A LOT OF INVESTMENT (BOTH WITHIN THE
TEAM AND EXTERNALLY)

7. FOCUS ON THE TEAM INSTEAD OF TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS
THE SM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE TO PROVIDE
TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS. THUS, HE DOES
NOT HAVE TO BE THE MOST TECHNICAL
PERSON ON THE TEAM.
THE MAIN REASON IS THAT HIGHLY
TECHNICAL PEOPLE ARE THE TEAM
SPECIALISTS. THEY WILL FIND IT RELATIVELY
DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON THE PROCESS AND
THE TEAM. THIS IS THE MAIN
RESPONSIBILITY RELATED TO THIS ROLE.

8. MASTERING IS ROLE
I THINK IT IS OBVIOUS THAT A SCRUM
MASTER SHOULD BE AN EXPERT IN HIS
FIELD.
A GREAT SCRUM MASTER WILL ALWAYS
SEARCH FOR NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE
HIS SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND
PRACTICES.
THIS WILL HELP HIM HANDLE DIFFERENT
CHALLENGES THAT WILL A RAISE DURING
THE SPRINTS.

9. FAMILIAR WITH THE ORGANIZATION
THE SCRUM MASTER SHOULD
UNDERSTAND THE ORGANIZATION
HIERARCHY, COMPLEXITY, CULTURE AND
WHO ARE THE KEY PEOPLE THAT CAN
HELP HIM TO PROMOTE THE AGILE
AGENDA.
A SCRUM MASTER WHO CONTROLS
THESE FOUR ORGANIZATION ASPECTS
WILL BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND
EFFECTIVE IN HIS WORK, SIMPLE AS
THAT.

10. CAN INFLUENCE OTHERS
IT’S VERY EASY, A SCRUM MASTER
THAT CANNOT INFLUENCE HIS TEAM
WILL FAIL EVEN BEFORE HE STARTS.
EVEN THOUGH AN SM MIGHT NOT
HAVE AN AUTHORITY TO TELL
PEOPLE WHAT TO DO, HE SHOULD
STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO
INFLUENCE THEM, BASED ON
CHARISMA, LEADERSHIP, RESPECT,
AND TRUST.

11. HAS A COACHING PERSONALITY
THE MAIN ROLE OF THE SCRUM
MASTER IS TO COACH THE TEAM AND
ANY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS (PRODUCT
OWNER, TL’S ETC.) WITH AGILE.
A GREAT SCRUM MASTER HAS THE
PERSONALITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS
AND COACHING THEM WITH PLEASURE
AND IN A WAY THAT SHOULD HELP
THEM TO GROW THROUGHOUT THE
PROCESS, (THE TEAM SUCCESS SHOULD
BE MORE IMPORTANT FOR HIM THAN
HIS OWN SUCCESS).

12. COMMITTED TO BOTH THE TEAM AND PROCESS
THE SM REPRESENTS BOTH THE
TEAM AND THE PROCESS. IT IS HIS
JOB TO ENSURE THE TEAM CAN
WORK AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL AND
THAT THE SCRUM PROCESS IS
ENFORCED.
AN SM THAT IS NOT FULLY
COMMITTED TO BOTH THE TEAM
AND PROCESS WILL SIMPLY FAIL
TO BE THE LEADER AS IS
EXPECTED OF HIM.

13. ORGANIZED
IT IS VERY SIMPLE. A GREAT SM
MUST BE A WELL-ORGANIZED
PERSON.
THIS WILL ALLOW HIM TO HANDLE
ALL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DAY-TO-
DAY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE CRUCIAL
TO THE SUCCESS OF THE TEAM.
IT WILL ENABLE THEM TO PERFORM
THEIR ACTIVITIES AT THE HIGHEST
LEVEL.

14. RESPONSIBLE
SMS HAVE SOME IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES
AS THE PROCESS ENFORCERS.
THE BIGGER CHALLENGE IS THAT THEY NEED
TO PERFORM THIS FUNCTION WITHOUT REAL
AUTHORITY (BY DEFINITION THE SCRUM
MASTER IS A LEADER WITHOUT AN
AUTHORITY).
A GREAT SM MUST UNDERSTAND IT AND
ALWAYS LOOK FOR NEW WAYS (PRACTICES,
TOOLS ETC.) THAT CAN IMPROVE THE TEAM
AND THEIR CHANCES TO SUCCEED WITH THE
PROJECT GOALS.

15. SELF AND KEEN LEARNER
AS AN EDUCATOR, COACH OR
TRAINER, THE SM SHOULD SET AN
EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS AS A KEEN
LEARNER.
THAT IS THE MINIMUM EXPECTATION
THAT WE WANT TO SEE IN THE PERSON
THAT HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO
EDUCATE PEOPLE ACROSS THE
ORGANIZATION, EVEN MORE THAN
HIMSELF.

16. FAMILIAR WITH THE HUMAN NATURE
AN SM SHOULD BE ABLE TO REMOVE IMPEDIMENTS
FROM THE TEAM THAT AFFECTS THE TEAM
PERFORMANCE.
IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUE
PROBLEMS OF THE TEAM, THE SM SHOULD KNOW
HOW TO READ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, BODY LANGUAGE.
THIS WILL ASSIST HIM TO UNCOVER THE REAL PROBLEM
OF THE TEAM.
THEREFORE, ONE OF THE IMPORTANT SKILLS IS THE
ABILITY OF THE SM HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATIONS
AND RELATIONSHIPS (BOTH WITHIN THE TEAM AND
EXTERNALLY).
THIS WILL ASSIST HIM TO PROMOTE BOTH PERSONAL
GOALS AND THE TEAM TO SUCCEED IN PERFORMING
THEIR WORK.

17. KNOW HOW TO HANDLE CONFLICTS
THE SM WILL HAVE CONFLICTS, IT
COMES WITH THE JOB. THIS IS A KEY
DIFFERENTIATOR OF A GREAT SM
FROM ANOTHER OTHER POSITION.
THE SM UNDERSTANDING CONFLICTS
ARE A NECESSARY PART OF THE TEAM
GROWTH.
HE WILL, THEREFORE, USE CONFLICTS
TO IMPROVE THE TEAM AND NOT FOR
SHOWING IS ABILITIES.

18. FAMILIAR WITH THE PRODUCT
THERE IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE IN A SCRUM
MASTER THAT UNDERSTAND THE PRODUCT, LET US
JUST REVIEW SOME OF THE EXPECTED BENEFITS:
• THE SCRUM MASTER CAN SHARE IS EXPERIENCE
WITH THE TEAM ONCE THEY NEED TO MAKE
THE ESTIMATIONS AND COMMITMENTS.
• THE SCRUM MASTER CAN ENSURE THAT THE
TEAM WILL RECEIVE USER STORIES THAT MEET
THE INVEST STANDARDS.
• THE SCRUM MASTER WILL GAIN A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY AND
CHALLENGES OF THE REQUIREMENTS.

19. POSSESS A SINGLE ROLE
THE SCRUM MASTER IS A FULL-TIME
JOB AND THEREFORE NEED TO BE
TREATED WITH THE APPROPRIATE
RESPECT. TO BE ABLE TO DO ITS JOB
WITH THE EXPECTED STANDARDS.
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT
THE CHOSEN SM WILL FOCUS ON
ONLY DOING ITS ROLE WITHOUT
WEARING ANY OTHER HATS (A
CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THIS ISSUE IS A
TEAM MEMBER THAT FACILITATES AS
BOTH THE SM AND PO).

20. A FACILITATOR
A SCRUM MASTER MUST BE A GREAT
FACILITATOR; AS THE OWNER OF THE
PROCESS, THE SM SHOULD SUPPORT THE
TEAM TO PERFORM IN THE HIGHEST LEVEL
AND TO CREATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL
VARIABLES THAT WILL HELP THEM TO DO
SO.
KNOWING SCRUM IS NOT ENOUGH, THE
SCRUM MASTER SHOULD HAVE THE SKILLS
TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM THAT ARISES IN
THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES AND THE
ABILITY TO INNOVATE NEW WAYS TO HELP
THE TEAM TO INCREASE THEIR
KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICES, AND EFFICIENCY.

21. A SERVANT LEADER
THE SM SHOULD SERVE THE TEAM, PO, THE
ORGANIZATION, AND NOT HIMSELF.
HE SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE (AND NOT BY
TITLE) AND STICK WITH THE TEAM DURING BAD
AND GOOD TIMES.
IN THE AGILE MANIFESTO, WE HAVE A SPECIFIC
PRINCIPLE TO DESCRIBE THE IDEA BEHIND THE
“SERVANT” LEADER:
"BUILD PROJECTS AROUND MOTIVATED
INDIVIDUALS. PROVIDE THEM AN ENVIRONMENT
THAT SUPPORTS THEIR NEEDS AND TRUST THEM
TO GET THE JOB DONE"

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