“What is a Scrum Master?” in a Language Even Jip and Janneke Understand

You know how it is. You're at a friends birthday party. You're chatting with someone you don't know yet. The inevitable question that eventually comes up; “What do you do for work?”. Most people share; accountant, software developer, soccer player or cashier (depending on the party). But then I arrive. “I am a Scrum Master.” Many people raise their eyebrows in surprise. Often they say; “oh yeah, cool man.” And on to the next topic. Or the joker in the group shouts; “Oh scrumming, I always do that in the shower after the sauna…”.  I also hear regularly; ““That's something with rugby, right?” Fun fact; that's where it actually comes from! Small piece history:

When Jeff Sutherland (together with Ken Schwaber the pioneers behind the Scrum process) was developing this working method in 1993, he came across the term 'Scrum' in a paper by Takeuchi and Nonaka from 1986 in the Harvard Business Review. In that paper, the authors compare high-performance, cross-functional product development teams to rugby teams that use the Scrum formation when restarting play after a violation.

So much for the history lesson. Back to the party. Because every once in a while, someone dares to ask that one question; “Oh, you said a Scrum Master? What is that anyway? And then I often have doubts. Because, well, how am I going to explain this briefly and concisely to someone who has zero experience with Scrum, Agile or IT in general? My first article is therefore directly about this question: What is a Scrum Master? Not in technical jargon, but in plain language. This article is for 1) anyone who doesn't know what a scrum master is or 2) knows it, but has trouble explaining it. 

First a small disclaimer. I am an experienced Scrum Master, but not (yet) an experienced writer. However, from now on I will be posting an article on the web every week. If after reading this article (or this intro) you think; he sucks! Then be a little nice and give me some time to grow. And feel free to give feedback, that's how I learn. As the writer of the book Atomic Habits say; 

“Your 1st blog post will be bad, but your 1000th will be great.”

– James Clear

Okay, here we go! The redeeming answer to the question; “What is a Scrum Master (in plain language)?”  One more small disclaimer: For ease of reading, I sometimes refer to “he” as Scrum Master, but it could just as well have been “she”. 😉 Enjoy reading. 

I will explain this using two examples: 1) A sports team and 2) an orchestra. 

1. Example 1: A Sports Team
   Imagine a Scrum Master as a coach for a sports team, but for a team that doesn’t play sports. Instead, the team works together to complete projects. The Scrum Master doesn’t have deep knowledge of the specific sport the team is playing, but he does have a deep understanding of how teams function and how to optimize their performance.
   
   The Scrum Master is a mentor who guides and encourages the team to use their skills and abilities. The Scrum Master promotes teamwork, communication and continuous improvement.
   
   Just as a sports coach develops strategies and tactics to help the team win, the Scrum Master works with the team to develop effective practices and processes to ensure that team members are aware of their goals and stay on track to achieve them.
   
   The Scrum Master also monitors the progress and pace of the game, similar to how a sports coach observes and adjusts the team's performance on the field. He is alert to any obstacles or challenges that may slow the team down and works with the team to find solutions.

2. Example 2: An Orchestra
   Imagine a Scrum Master as a conductor in a symphony orchestra, but for a team that is working together to create something new, like software. This conductor has no specific knowledge of musical instruments, but has a deep understanding of how musicians work together and how to get the best out of themselves.
   
   The Scrum Master is a facilitator and coach who ensures that all team members come together harmoniously and use their unique skills and talents to achieve a common goal. In doing so, he creates an environment in which open communication, collaboration, and creativity thrive.
   
   The Scrum Master also keeps track of the time and rhythm of the process, similar to how a conductor keeps the beat and regulates the pace, ensuring that the team makes steady progress and adheres to the agreed schedule.
   
   Just as a conductor listens to the musicians to understand how they feel and what they need to perform at their best, the Scrum Master listens to the team to understand what challenges they face and how they can be helped. Scrum Masters are like a coach, always ready to help the team overcome obstacles and create an optimal working environment.
   
   In short, the Scrum Master’s role is to guide, support, and inspire a team to achieve common goals, even if he or she has no specific knowledge of the topic the team is working on. In this way, the Scrum Master is the driving force behind the team’s collaboration and success.

If you translate the above to an office environment, this means:

• The Scrum Master helps the team during meetings to have effective discussions, focused on the topic. 
• If there are things that are holding the team back, it is the Scrum Master's job to remove them. In addition, the Scrum Master solves problems when they arise, as long as they are not about the content. 
• The Scrum Master also plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between the team and external stakeholders. This keeps both team members and other stakeholders informed of ongoing developments within the team.
• Where most team members are busy with substantive (complex) work, the Scrum Master provides guidance on the (learning) process. The Scrum Master can take team members out of the content to get the team thinking and in this way improve the result. In this way, the Scrum Master guides the human aspects in the right direction by facilitating what the team needs.
• Finally, the Scrum Master is a coach and helps the team to become better at what they do. He encourages the team to decide for themselves how to approach their work and to work together effectively. The Scrum Master also ensures that the team is constantly learning and continuously improving.

In summary: The Scrum Master is an important supporter within the team. He ensures that the team works well together, that problems are solved, that the team works according to the Scrum method and adheres to the mutual agreements. In this way he helps the team and the individual team members to grow and to be successful in their development.

So, now you have a basic idea of what Scrum is. Curious about Scrum? The Scrum Guide (NL version) can explain it to you in detail.

Are you a Scrum Master too? I'd love to hear how you always explain it to people in the comments! 

No Scrum Master? Let me know if you have a better picture now! 😉 

Finally, I will be publishing a weekly article on various topics that I am knowledgeable and passionate about; change management, leadership & job satisfaction. So if you found this piece interesting, sign up for my newsletter and you will get an update with every new article I write.

With warm regards, 

Mark

PS For everyone I've ever spoken to at all those parties and never explained it properly; Sorry for that vague story about 'how software used to be built in two years and now much faster and that I'm some kind of team coach.' But now that you understand the basics of Scrum after reading this article, I'll happily explain to you at the next birthday how it works in practice, 😉