I took over as Scrum Master back in November of 2024, and that will be my ongoing role on my team moving forward. I will still work as an instructional designer because the Scrum Master gig isn’t a full-time commitment. It’s a good fit for my skillset with the PMP.
As Scrum Master for an agile team of instructional designers, here are my three biggest responsibilities:
-
Make work visible and aligned. We have a Kanban board on Azure DevOps (ADO) for features and stories and I make sure everyone’s tasks are documented on the board, and connected to a larger epic of work. I monitor the board and make sure we discuss incoming requests in a timely manner, and support each other based on our capacity.
-
Ensure that work is moving to done. I create opportunities for team members to share what they have completed each week and hold each other accountable. I draw attention to work that is blocked and ask how we can remove impediments, and drill down into the backlog to see what we can realistically commit to.
-
Facilitate agile ceremonies. Our team has syncs, retros, demos, iteration planning, and backlog refinement. I am now the person responsible for all of these ceremonies. I schedule, share agendas, facilitate meetings, and synthesize takeaways for each.
No two Scrum Masters are the same, and this list is not comprehensive. There will be some reporting duties, one-on-one coaching, and miscellaneous other tasks that are part of the job. But I think keeping these core goals in mind will help me help my team to succeed.
Day Learning Design 