In the article before, we have discussed many metrics that can be used by the Product Owners or the Developers in order to help them generate value at a regular frequency and in a efficient as well as effective manner. However, one accountability that we have not yet discussed is the master of the scrum, our Scrum Master. Does this mean that Scrum Master does not have any metrics ? Or that the Scrum Masters performance can not be quanitified at all?
If that has to be true, then how will the Scrum Masters improve their own way of working and ensure more effective as well as efficient outcomes for the whole Scrum Team?
In order to decide what metrics, the Scrum Master can track and use we need to consider the key accountabilities of Scrum Master as explained in the Scrum Guide. The Scrum Guide says, master is accountable to ensure that
- The team continuously improves its effectiveness
- Developers are able to create high value increment that meet definition of done
- And the Scrum Team implements scrum the way it is defined.
Considering the about 3 asks from the Scrum Master, Scrum Master needs to track the trends in other metrics so that the Scrum Master can help Developers or the Product Owners to help improve their own ways of working.
Also, the Scrum Master is a coach for the Scrum Team and at such needs to ensure that the team is self-managed where the team is empowered, enabled and capable of taking decisions independently without excessive support from the Scrum Master. Scrum Master also ensures that the Scrum Team is implementing scrum the way defined in the guide and to do that scram master may track how the various Scrum Events and are the rules stated in the guide are being followed by the team not only in the words but also in the spirit that they are meant.
When considered in this perspective, it is the Scrum Master who is helping the Scrum Team and the rest of the organisation to create a metric framework that can act as a backbone which supports the Scrum Team to continually improve its way of working leading to better value delivered more frequently.
Below I have given some sample Metrics that can help the Scrum Master.
- Number of times Scrum Master has to be the interface for the developers – with PO /With Organization
- Team Independence
- Over All team effectiveness – trends in other metrics
- Metrics which are found useful by Scrum Team / Metrics which are found cumbersome