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How to become a Scrum Master

Scrum Master

Career progression and salary expectations for a Scrum Master

1

Junior Scrum Master

| Up to £35,000
2

Scrum Master

| Up to £50,000
3

Agile Coach

| Up to £70,000

The role of a Scrum Master

Will the real Scrum Masters please stand up?

Scrum Masters promote and facilitate the Scrum management methodology, overseeing the work carried out within a business and helping improve overall productivity.

Scrum is part of the Agile movement, and aims to add structure to a company’s output. Some common practices a Scrum Master might implement include daily stand-ups to talk about the work being carried out, sprints, burn down charts and retrospectives.

Typical duties for a Scrum Master could include:

  • Coaching employees to get the best out of them
  • Facilitating daily stand-ups
  • Improving overall team environment
  • Removing barriers and impediments
  • Educating people on the Scrum framework
  • Helping implement and encourage organisational change
Aside from an in-depth knowledge of the Scrum framework, it will take excellent organisational and problem solving skills to become a Scrum Master.

As well as being a facilitator, at times you’ll often have to act as more of a mediator, ironing out any issues that arise between the team. As such, patience and objectivity will be similarly key to your success – not to mention the success of the organisation.

A complete immunity to post-it notes will also be a distinct advantage…

Other key skills for a Scrum Master could include:

  • Confidence
  • Enthusiasm
  • Tact
  • Attention to detail
  • The ability to work well under pressure
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
"I was working as a Junior Developer when Scrum got rolled out in my company, and instantly, I was hooked. I’ve always been pretty process-driven, and I loved how sprints put direct timescales on the work we were doing. After doing a little research and training, I moved into a Junior Scrum Master position, and haven’t looked back since. My advice for anyone looking to get into the industry would be to observe a Scrum team for a few sprints, really see what makes the Scrum Master tick, and get involved in meet-ups. Even when you start, it might take you a while to get up to speed, but failure is just another way to learn."

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