We will discuss the Scrum Master Role in Sprint Retrospective in this article. This article is a part of our series about a deep dive in Scrum Master Role and responsibilities
Scrum Master Role in Sprint Retrospective is more Involved
Sprint Planning, the daily Scrum and Sprint Review all see the Scrum Master as predominantly a facilitator. However, this changes with Sprint Retrospective. Of course, the Scrum master does participate as a facilitator in the Sprint Retrospective. But in this Scrum Event Scrum Masters role goes beyond facilitator.
Scrum Guide says that “The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness.” Elsewhere the guide also says that “The Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness.” When we consider these two statements, it becomes clear that Scrum Master needs to be much more than a facilitator for this Scrum Event.
Facilitation of Sprint Retrospective
- Set the Stage It helps to clearly state the goal of the Sprint Retrospective at the beginning of the session.
- Manage The Timebox – Track time spend on each segment of the Scrum Event and track over all time spent. This will help with overall effectiveness of the session.
- Create a psychologically safe environment – Establish a safe place for the Scrum Team to share their views. Sprint Retrospective often turn into a blame game or crib session. It is important to keep the discussions polite and focused on improving the process.
- Encourage Active Participation: Make sure everyone has a chance to contribute. Ask open-ended questions to stimulate discussion. Actively engage quieter team members.
- Be an Active Listener – It is very important to be empathetic towards the Scrum Team members. Scrum Master should pay attention to both the verbal/non verbal signals as well as observe the team dynamics
- Follow the Chosen Format: Guide the team through each segment of the retrospective, such as identifying what went well and areas for improvement.
- Dig Deeper: Ask follow-up questions uncover root causes or underlying issues. Some techniques like the “5 Whys” may help for this.
- Help the Scrum team to create an actionable plan – Often the Scrum Teams discuss the same things again and again in every Sprint Retrospective. This makes the team lose interest. It is very important to have action items that can be measured and tracked. One good working agreement can be “at least one action item should be included for the immediate next sprint.” This will help to show ongoing progress. Such an ongoing progress helps to keep the Scrum Team engaged and interested.