How to Measure Scrum Master Performance

To understand how to measure a Scrum Master’s performance, let’s first define what a Scrum Master does. The Scrum Master is a leader serving the Scrum Team and the larger organization and is responsible for ensuring that Scrum practices are grasped well by the Scrum Team both in theory and practice. The Scrum Master helps create synergy, both within and outside the team, to boost its worth. Some of the functions are:

As a facilitator, I need to set boundaries, foster a collaborative environment, and assist the team in accomplishing their objectives. As a coach, the focus lies in coaching team members on perspectives and mindset, aiding Scrum teams in reaching their goals. Additionally, it should serve as a conflict navigator, mitigating the adverse effects of conflicts and promoting a healthy competitive atmosphere; as a mentor, they have to guide team members and cultivate supportive relationships to facilitate their growth and development

Role of the Scrum Master in Team Ownership & Collaboration

The Scrum Master is not the boss, but much of a Scrum Team’s success will depend on his or her performance. For most Scrum Masters, success is defined as the team taking full responsibility and ownership of the process. Through their initiatives, the team conducts and facilitates Scrum Events, has team meetings to discuss issues, and reaches out to other groups. They also communicate with the organization's stakeholders. 

A few metrics must be defined to check whether the team works with a sense of ownership and responsibility.  Here are some guidelines on how you could do this:

1. Align team goals:  

Having a shared purpose is what makes the team succeed. The Scrum Master should ensure that his or her success is fully aligned with team goals. A conversation is a simple tool for learning the factors that influence and affect the team. Being attentive and authentic in understanding individual viewpoints and consciously managing relationships will help Scrum Masters check that Scrum practices are being understood and adhered to.

2. Maintain metrics and notes about all events: 

Scrum Masters should take notes during meetings and conversations and note the number of times these interactions were performed. Everything should be measured, whether it is completing tasks, features being worked on, time to complete tasks, etc., and trends should be noted

3. Check the level of team ownership: 

The level of team ownership is best checked when the Scrum Master is away from work for a short period (for example, when he or she is on leave). After returning, suppose you find that the team is not functioning well and that some processes, such as taking feedback, have not been managed well. In that case, the group requires more attention and coaching before owning the process.

4. Keep track of Sprint Goals:

The Scrum guide says that the Scrum Master is responsible for “Helping the Development Team to create high-value products” and “Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team.” They show the Scrum Master’s responsibility in helping the team achieve Sprint Goals. For the team to complete the goal both as individuals and as a group, limitations, dependencies, and barriers must be actively supervised, the acceptance criteria must be definite, and there should be no misunderstanding in the “Definition of Done.” understood by all. The Scrum Master can maintain “Burn Down” or “Burn Up” charts to check for accomplishments. Linking the team's performance is a good measure of the success of its Scrum Master.

5. Check system behavior: 

Scrum teams don’t perform in silos. They are influenced by organization policies and cultures, the technologies that are used, and the synergy between teams. The Scrum Master needs to go beyond team metrics and look at systems behaviors to measure their own performance. Two systems metrics that could be helpful are Lead Time and Cycle Time. 

Measuring Lead Time, when items remain unattended in the Backlog, helps understand how good the team is at focusing on all stakeholder specifications. Teams can focus only on the current Sprint and its priorities while allowing some items to languish in the Backlog.

Measuring Cycle time, although a Kanban practice, can help the Scrum Master to optimize teamwork. It is the time taken with a Sprint from ‘work in progress” to meeting the Definition of Done. Shorter and consistent Cycle times are a good indicator of better production rates.

6. Coach for success:

The Scrum Master should tap the potential of professional coaching and evaluate their performance as a coaching success as part of their performance metrics. Coaching the Scrum Team means empowering the team but not doing their work or solving all the problems. This process is not constant but always evolves as the group develops. Successful coaching results can be assessed by checking on the following metrics:

• Accuracy of team estimation

At Sprint Retrospectives, the Scrum Teams can explore the calculation made about effort versus the actual effort. Keeping track of these results and analyzing the team is effectiveness in estimating can be done. The Scrum Master’s coaching efforts can be considered successful if there are enhancements in how estimates are made. 

• Increase in team interaction 

As a facilitator and coach, the Scrum Master’s essential duty is to maintain a positive open communication environment. The team can assess whether this is being achieved by regularly observing and evaluating it.

• Increase in Velocity

Coaching and guidance from a successful Scrum Master should increase Velocity. Once the process is stable and the team can achieve a reasonably predictable cadence, velocity improvements can be measured by comparing the number of story points delivered from one Sprint to the next. 

7. Check customer satisfaction

The real test of whether a Scrum Master is performing to a high standard is whether the end goal of customer satisfaction is achieved. Only when the customer is happy can the Scrum Team say it has delivered value. A good Scrum Master makes the team understand the importance of what they are accomplishing. It can be done through:

• Customer surveys

Feedback from detailed customer surveys can show the degree of satisfaction of the customer. The product owner can generate reports after discussions or through online surveys.

• Customer helpline calls

Support calls to customer helplines are an excellent source of information. Metrics about user satisfaction can be checked to see if complaints and problem areas are within acceptable limits.

• Sales and financials of the product

If the product is for sale, the sales figures are useful analysis metrics, especially compared to competitors. If the results increase the customer’s revenue, it is a further indication of value added by the Scrum Process

8. Assess sustainability

An Agile process and happy customers should be clear indicators of sustainability. But it is not enough. To be considered truly sustainable, a process needs happy people who feel empowered and valued in the company. They should feel like coming into work each day and contributing towards their goals. It can be done with a simple self-evaluation process by asking team members to say how happy they are with their role, the team, and the company on a scale of 1 to 5. The outputs from such tools can help the Scrum Master facilitate the changes needed to bring stability and sustainability to the team. The indicators of happiness and, consequently, the trust factor is are metrics that Scrum Masters can use to evaluate their roles.

9. Scrum Master checklist

Since the Scrum Master’s success depends on the definition of success, it is a good practice for a Scrum Master to have a checklist to assess his or her performance. 

• Questions could be about the process or individual Sprints. For example: Does the Scrum Team have a clear vision? Is the Sprint Goal well understood?
• Questions could be about the team. For example, is the team happy to work on this project? Are contributions from team members being valued?

The questions are not standard; they depend on what the Scrum Master focuses on. Keeping the list updated and changing the questions according to what is happening in the process is more important than the questions themselves. 

Also, Check:Best for Scrum Master Certification

Conclusion 

In conclusion, evaluating the performance of a Scrum Master involves a comprehensive assessment of various metrics and indicators. By aligning team goals, maintaining metrics about events, checking the level of team ownership, tracking Sprint Goals, analyzing system behavior, coaching for success, measuring customer satisfaction, assessing sustainability, and utilizing a Scrum Master checklist, organizations can gauge the effectiveness of their Scrum Masters. Additionally, promoting open communication and facilitating a positive work environment are crucial for enhancing team performance and achieving customer satisfaction. With a focus on continuous improvement and adherence to Agile principles, a high-performing Scrum Master plays a pivotal role in driving success for both the Scrum Team and the organization.
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