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Project Management vocabulary · Agile & Scrum

Scrum master

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˈskrʌm ˌmæstər/nounCore term

In project management, scrum master means: In Scrum, the person who helps the team and the organisation understand and use Scrum well, runs or supports the events and helps remove obstacles that slow the team down.

In Turkish: scrum master, scrum yöneticisi

How it is used

Often written Scrum Master with capitals. The role coaches and serves the team rather than giving orders, so it is described as a servant leader. Scrum masters facilitate daily stand-ups and retrospectives.

Example sentences

  1. Our scrum master is talking to the network team so they unblock our test server today.

  2. The scrum master suggested a shorter retrospective format because the team was tired of the old one.

Common collocations

  • act as scrum master
  • certified scrum master
  • scrum master role
  • scrumA popular agile framework in which a small team delivers work in fixed cycles called sprints, with set roles such as product owner and scrum master and regular events like planning and reviews.
  • product ownerIn Scrum, the person responsible for getting the most value from the product, mainly by managing and ordering the product backlog and representing the needs of users and the business.
  • daily stand-upA very short daily team meeting, often 15 minutes, where each person shares progress, plans for the day and anything blocking their work.
  • retrospectiveA regular team meeting at the end of a sprint or project to discuss what went well, what did not and what to change in the next cycle.
  • blockerSomething that completely stops a person or team from continuing their work until it is removed, such as a missing approval, access or decision.

More terms: Agile & Scrum

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