A scrum master is the facilitator for an agile development team. Scrum is a methodology that allows a team to self-organize and make changes quickly, in accordance with agile principles. The scrum master manages the process for how information is exchanged.
The core responsibilities of a Scrum Master include:
- Helping the Product Owner maintain the Product Backlog in a way that ensures the needed work is well understood so the team can continually make forward progress
- Helping the team to determine the definition of done for the product, with input from key stakeholders
- Coaching the team, within the Scrum principles, in order to deliver high-quality features for its product
- Promoting self-organization within the team
- Helping the Scrum Team to avoid or remove impediments to its progress, whether internal or external to the team
- Facilitating team events to ensure regular progress
- Educating key stakeholders in the product on Scrum principles
- Coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality