ID Scrum Master
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.
