What does a Scrum Master do?
A scrum master helps oversee the scrum and development team. They are knowledgeable in Agile methodology and scrum and able to educate others. They also act as a buffer between the scrum team and product owner and maintain a safe working environment for the team by helping with conflict resolution.
To work as a scrum master, you need to hold some level of scrum master certification. Any experience working on a scrum team is beneficial, and the more experience the better. You will need to be able to think fast to help solve problems. Communication skills are a plus, as you will be communicating with the development and scrum teams and product owner. Leadership skills are a must as well.
- Lead the scrum team in using Agile methodology and scrum practices
- Helping the product owner and development team to achieve customer satisfaction
- Lead the scrum and development teams in self-organization
- Remove impediments and coach the scrum team on removing impediments
- Help the scrum and development teams to identify and fill in blanks in the Agile framework
- Resolve conflicts and issues that occur
- Help the scrum team achieve higher levels of scrum maturity
- Support the product owner and provide education where needed
- Prior experience on a scrum team
- Ability to analyze and think quickly and to resolve conflict
- Knowledgeable in techniques to fill in gaps in the scrum
- Ability to determine what is scrum and what is not
- Experience with successful Agile techniques
- Ability to work with and lead a team
- Strong communication, interpersonal and mentoring skills
- Ability to adapt to a changing environment
- Self-motivation and ability to stay focused in the middle of distraction
Scrum Master Salaries
Average Base Pay
Scrum Master Career Path
Learn how to become a Scrum Master, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Scrum Master Insights
US Navy“Pay is not the best and the chain of command can make your life amazing or terrible”
Tes Global“and there are some company perks and many opportunities to learn and develop your career further.”
Minto“Contract was for a period of time and I enjoyed and embraced every challenge with an agile team.”
DomainTools“It was a great place to work and then they were purchased by private equity.”
Verizon“Work life balance isn’t the best but there have been major improvement and things are going the right way.”
Tata Consultancy Services“Very good work atmosphere Good place for women One of the best organizations i have worked so far”
EPAM Systems“Good work life balance You decide when you are ready for promotion Fully remote if you want”
BigBear.ai“great benefit options including a 3% contribution to your 401k regardless of whether you contribute or not”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of a scrum master
A scrum master spends each day ensuring the team is following the Scrum framework, so the daily tasks could involve removing roadblocks or coaching team members through the next steps. They often serve as the team lead and act as a buffer between the team and the product owner.
Scrum master jobs require the organization and execution of projects. Companies tend to gravitate toward those who can use scrum to guide teams and deliver on project deadlines. The best part about being a scrum master is that it involves helping others deal with particularly challenging issues.
Scrum masters get paid well. The average base salary for scrum masters is $7,300 per year, and this number is based on location and years of experience. Those who have additional training and experience can make up to $9,700 per year.
Scrum masters must be comfortable breaking down complex projects into smaller increments and can quickly adapt to changing circumstances. One of the challenges of working as a scrum master is that they might encounter difficulties with coworkers, especially when they're operating as part of a team.