Getting started: Your first day, week and month as a Scrum Master

Starting a new job as a Scrum Master can be both exciting and daunting. As the Scrum Master, you are responsible for optimising Scrum, facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring that the team is working towards their goals effectively, as well as supporting and educating the Product Owner and wider organisation on how Scrum works for them. To help you hit the ground running, here are some tips for what to do on your first day, week, and month as a Scrum Master.

First Day:

• Get to know the team. Take the time to introduce yourself to each team member and learn about their roles and responsibilities.
• Review the team’s current processes. Ask the team to walk you through their current workflow and identify any areas that do or don’t work for them
• Schedule one-on-one meetings with each team member. Use these meetings to get to know the team members better and discuss any concerns they may have, and discover their own interests and aspirations, to see how you can support them as Scrum Master

First Week:

• Attend the team’s daily Scrum meetings. Observe how the team conducts the meetings, see how the collaborate and communicate and give feedback after the fact that will cause them to reflect (both positive and constructive)
• Review the team’s product backlog. Familiarize yourself with the team’s priorities and goals. Understand more about what they are doing and why. Build a strong relationship with the Product Owner
• Schedule a retrospective meeting. Use this meeting to discuss the team’s recent work, understand their challenges and frustrations and get started building a strong team culture

First Month:

• Facilitate the team’s Scrum events. Help them understand the purpose and maximise the value they are getting these events
• Monitor the team’s progress. Keep an eye on the team’s progress and identify any issues that may be preventing them from achieving their goals.. Encourage the good behaviour and ask questions that cause them to think about their opportunities to get even better
• Identify and reveal or remove blockers. Enabling the team to be more productive, and removing their frustrations will enable them to better work towards high performance.

Starting a new job as a Scrum Master can be a challenging experience, but by following these tips, you can set yourself up for success. Remember to be patient and to take the time to get to know the team. With the right approach, you will be able to help the team achieve their goals and deliver high-quality products. The end goal is doing the right thing, and doing the right thing well. See the world through that lens and you will be heading in the right direction.

Want to make sure you are set up for success as a Scrum Master? Check out our Professional Scrum Master training to learn practical ideas from experienced Scrum Masters