What is a Scrum Master?

Nearly anyone who has heard of Scrum has heard of the term Scrum Master. But what is a Scrum Master exactly? What is their role in a Scrum team? What is the difference between a Scrum Master and a Product Owner? In this blog we take a look at the role of the Scrum Master, their responsibilities, the relationship they have with the Scrum team and what you need to do to become one.

What is a Scrum Master and Why is Their Role Crucial?

The role of Scrum Master is a relatively new one and with that, it is a role which is not universally defined in the exact same way. However, it is possible to describe the most important aspects or characteristics of the role. As you may or may not know, a Scrum team consists of the development team itself, a Product Owner and, of course, a Scrum Master.

The Scrum Master is the person who supports the rest of the Scrum team in their understanding and application of Scrum. Essentially the Scrum Master is in a leadership position where instead of managing the team, they manage Scrum itself. They are a guardian of the Scrum process and ensure it is understood and adhered to by everyone in the team. More importantly, the Scrum Master is a servant-leader:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It beginswith the natural feeling

that one wants to serve, to serve first.” –Robert K. Greenleaf

This aspect is crucial as the Scrum Master is there to guide and enable. This includes removing impediments, coaching team members on how to self-organize, and facilitating Scrum events. Aside from this, the Scrum Master also helps those who work with the team understand which of their interactions are helpful and which are a hinderance to help maximize the business value.

As part of their everyday tasks, the Scrum Master is responsible for facilitating the
various Scrum events. The events are often also referred to as rituals or ceremonies. This includes sprint planning, daily stand up, sprint review and sprint retrospective. One of the most important aspects of this facilitation is enforcing timeboxing. This means ensuring that the agreed time (ortimebox) is kept to.

Being a servant-leader, the Scrum Master often serves their team by supporting them with certain goals. The Scrum Master serves their Product Owner by working with them to maximize ROI and ensure the backlog is managed effectively. On the other hand, the development team is served by the Scrum Master through mentoring or coaching, the fostering of creativity and helping further the maturity of the team through skill sharing. In this respect, the Scrum Master is more focused onensuring the team runs optimally whilst the product owner is more focused on the direction the team is moving in.

Why pursue a career as a Scrum Master?

Earning a scrum certification is a significant step towards a rewarding career as a Scrum Master, where you can play an integral role in a company’s success. You’ll have the opportunity to develop products that positively impact the world around you, often making people’s lives better. Furthermore, on a more granular level, you will foster a positive working environment for team members within a company and ensure the most successful outcome of a product or project.

Scrum Master vs. Product Owner

In the Scrum framework, the Scrum Master and the Product Owner play pivotal roles, each contributing to the success of the product in unique ways. The Scrum Master focuses on team efficiency by facilitating Scrum practices, removing roadblocks, and ensuring the team adheres to agile principles. In contrast, the Product Owner is responsible for product vision and backlog management, acting as the key link between the development team, business stakeholders, and customers. This distinction ensures that both the team’s processes and the product’s direction are optimized for delivering high value.

The table below offers a detailed comparison of the Scrum Master vs. Product Owner, covering aspects such as their responsibilities, focus areas, and deliverables. By understanding these differences, organizations can enhance team collaboration, streamline workflows, and ensure the product aligns with both business goals and customer expectations. This is essential for achieving success in any agile project management setup.

Aspect	Scrum Master	Product Owner
Primary Focus	Inward: Focused on the Scrum team and its processes.	Outward: Focused on the product vision, business, and customer.
Role Description	A servant-leader who supports the team and ensures Scrum principles are followed effectively.	The link between the Scrum team, the business, and the customer. Owns and communicates the product vision.
Key Responsibilities	– Facilitates Scrum events (e.g., stand-ups, retrospectives). – Removes impediments blocking the team’s progress. – Supports the team in improving efficiency and performance.	– Defines and maintains the product backlog. – Ensures backlog items are clear, prioritized, and actionable. – Maximizes the business value of the product.
Interaction with Team	Enables and empowers the team by providing resources and resolving challenges.	Provides clarity to the team by breaking down user stories and aligning with customer needs.
Interaction with Customer	Minimal direct interaction. Focuses on team development.	Regularly interacts with customers and stakeholders to gather feedback and refine the product.
Key Deliverables	– Effective Scrum adoption and improved team dynamics. – Clear communication and collaboration within the team.	– Well-prioritized and actionable product backlog. – User stories with clear acceptance criteria.
Focus Area	Processes, team execution, and Scrum adherence.	Product vision, value delivery, and customer satisfaction.
Main Goal	To help the team deliver high-quality work efficiently and effectively.	To ensure the product delivers maximum value to the business and customers.

How to Become a Scrum Master

To become a certified Scrum Master through EXIN, you can pursue training or directly take Scrum Master certification exam. The EXIN Agile Scrum Master certification is specifically tailored for the Scrum Master role, blending the core principles of agile with Scrum, the most widely adopted agile methodology. This results in a certification with practical, real-world applications. The inclusion of practical assignments ensures you gain hands-on experience applying the skills you learn, enabling you to effectively step into a Scrum Master role immediately after completing your certification.

While formal educational requirements, such as a bachelor’s degree in IT, business administration, or a related field, are often preferred by companies and can provide pathways to valuable experience, obtaining a scrum master certification like Agile Scrum Master offered by EXIN is a significant way to validate your understanding of the Scrum framework. As you prepare for the scrum master certification exam, you’ll also develop the practical skills necessary to successfully lead Scrum teams.

The path to becoming a Scrum Master can lead to various career advancements. Many individuals who start as Scrum Masters later progress to roles such as Scrum coaches, product owners, or project managers, demonstrating the value and versatility of this foundational role.

What is a Scrum Master?