Scrum Masters are the backbone of agile development. They keep things organized, on track, and help ensure that everyone is working collaboratively. The main motive of a scrum master is to ensure that everyone on the team knows what they are supposed to be doing and when they are supposed to be doing it.
With an average salary of $103,573 for a Scrum Master in the US (Source:builtin.com), it is crucial that you learn the skills of a good safe scrum master that helps outshine others and grab better career opportunities. Here we’ll provide you with insights on ten essential SAFe Scrum Master skills that others don’t reveal. To kick-start your career in Agile, enroll in KnowledgeHut Agile training topics.
What is SAFe Scrum Master?
SAFe Scrum Master is a professional certification that validates an individual's ability to lead SAFe Agile transformations and help deliver Value at Scale. The holder of SAFe scrum master with SSM certification has demonstrated the ability to apply the SAFe Principles in a SAFe Enterprise and help SAFe Agile Teams deliver value.
They are committed to continuous learning and improvement of their skillset, as well as the development of their team members. In addition, they are expected to be familiar with the operations of a SAFe enterprise and be able to support its delivery.
SAFe Scrum Master certification is a training and certification program that teaches scrum masters the essential knowledge and skills they need to implement the SAFe framework within their organization.
The course covers topics such as team dynamics, release planning, and product development flow. In addition, participants learn how to effectively coach and support agile teams. Upon completion of the course, participants are prepared to take the SAFe Scrum Master exam and earn their certification with the skills of a good safe scrum master.
SAFe Scrum Master Skills that Every Corporate Look For
In order to be successful in your role, there are certain skills that you must possess. Here are 10 essential SAFe Scrum Master skills that will help you to succeed:
Hard Skills
As anyone in the business world knows, hard skills are essential for success. They are the measurable, tangible abilities that you can acquire through education or experience, and they are the foundation upon which all other skills are built. The below-listed hard skills are most sought after in SAFe Scrum Master.
1. Facilitation Skills
As a SAFe Scrum Master, you are responsible for leading and guiding your team through the process of delivering a product or project. In order to do this effectively, it is essential that you have strong facilitation skills. These skills will help you build trust with your team and create an environment where everyone can be productive.
It allows you to lead productive meetings, identify and resolve team conflict, and keep the team focused on the task at hand. Without these skills, it would be very difficult to effectively manage a SAFe Scrum team.
2. Conflict Resolution Skills
In a SAFe Scrum environment, team members are encouraged to work together collaboratively to resolve conflict and create a shared understanding. This approach can lead to more effective and efficient conflict resolution than traditional top-down methods.
Conflict resolution skills of a good safe scrum master help build strong relationships with team members and promote a culture of trust and respect. With the ability to effectively resolve conflicts, SAFe Scrum Masters can help their teams operate more efficiently, leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.
3. Organizational Skills
Any successful Scrum Master knows that organization is key to the success of their team. Without a clear structure and process in place, it would be impossible to manage the high levels of collaboration and communication that are essential to Scrum.
The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring that the team members have the space and time they need to do their best work, and this can only be achieved through careful planning and organization. Scrum Master must be able to effectively prioritize tasks and weigh competing demands in order to ensure that the team is always working on the most important items.
SAFe is a complex system, and scrum masters need to be able to keep track of multiple moving parts at once. By developing strong organizational skills, Scrum Masters can help their teams to achieve peak performance.
While some people may be naturally gifted in this area, others may need to work hard to develop these skills. However, the effort will pay off in the form of a more smoothly running team and a more successful project.
4. Strong knowledge of Scrum and Agile
Scrum and Agile proficiency are also important skills of a good safe scrum master. Both place an emphasis on teamwork, collaboration, and continuous improvement. As a result, strong knowledge of these frameworks is essential for anyone who wants to be a Scrum Master.
Scrum provides a structure for collaboration that can be used by any team, regardless of size or area of expertise. This makes it an essential tool for anyone looking to improve their team's productivity. Learning agile training topics, on the other hand, provides a set of guiding principles that help ensure the software is developed in a way that is customer-focused and delivers value.
In addition to being knowledgeable about the framework, the Scrum Master must also be able to clearly convey information to the team and help to resolve any conflicts that may arise.
5. Technical Skills
The technical skills of a good safe scrum master play an important role in project success. SAFe Scrum Masters need to have a deep understanding of the products they are working on and be able to effectively communicate with both development and product teams.
They also need to be able to troubleshoot and identify issues quickly. In addition, SAFe Scrum Masters need to be able to work with multiple teams simultaneously and be able to teach new team members the basics of SAFe scrum.
Failure to have these technical skills can lead to projects being delayed or even failing entirely. As such, it is essential that any prospective Scrum Master takes the time to develop their technical skillset before taking on this role. With the right skill set, a Scrum Master can be instrumental in ensuring the success of any SAFe project.
6. Problem-Solving Skills
As a SAFe Scrum Master, one of your key responsibilities is to help the team identify and solve problems. After all, what's the point of scrum if not to identify and solve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible? But being able to effectively solve problems is not just a key scrum skill; it's also a key life skill.
Scrum Masters are responsible for leading Agile teams and helping them to achieve their sprint goals. In order to be successful, they must have strong problem-solving skills. They need to be able to quickly identify problems and find creative solutions that work for the team.
Scrum Masters also need to be able to facilitate discussions and help team members to resolve conflicts. By developing strong problem-solving skills, Scrum Masters can ensure that their teams are productive and efficient. In turn, this will lead to better results for the organization as a whole.
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Soft Skills
While hard skills are important for a SAFe Scrum Master to possess, it is the soft skills that truly make someone successful in this role. As a SAFe Scrum Master, you are responsible for ensuring the successful execution of the scrum process.
This requires strong soft skills in order to effectively facilitate scrum ceremonies, provide scrum coaching and support, and resolve team conflict.
1. Strong Communication Skills
In today's highly competitive business landscape, Strong communication skills are essential if you want to be successful. The ability to effectively communicate with others is key to success in any field, but it is especially important for Scrum Masters.
As the leader of a Scrum team, the Scrum Master is responsible for facilitating communication between team members and stakeholders. They need to be able to clearly explain the Scrum process, resolve conflicts, and provide support to team members.
In addition, Scrum Masters need to be able to effectively communicate with upper management, as they are often the ones who need to sell the benefits of Scrum to decision-makers. Scrum Masters who can effectively communicate and build strong relationships with their team members are more likely to be successful in achieving the team's goals.
A Scrum Master needs to be able to clearly and concisely communicate the vision and goals of the project to the team, as well as provide feedback and coaching. Those who lack these skills may find it difficult to motivate their team members and may struggle to achieve the team's objectives.
2. Time Management Skills
As a SAFe Scrum Master, one of your most important roles is to help the team stay focused and on track. This can be a challenge, as the team will inevitably run into obstacles and be distracted by other tasks.
The time management skills of a good safe scrum master help the team stay focused and make the most efficient use of their time. By keeping the team organized and on schedule, you can help them avoid costly delays and maximize their productivity.
In addition, time management skills also help you to identify potential problems before they become major issues. By staying organized and keeping the team on track, you can play an essential role in ensuring the success of your project.
3. Leadership Skills
The role of a SAFe Scrum Master is to guide and coach their team through the process of delivering a product or service. They need to be able to motivate and inspire their team, provide clear direction, and remove any obstacles that may be preventing the team from achieving their goal.
In addition to leadership, the skills of a good safe scrum master comprise collaboration and better understanding. A Scrum Master needs to be able to not only lead their team but also collaborate with other teams in order to ensure the success of the project in an effective way.
4. Coaching Skills
As a SAFe Scrum Master, you are responsible for ensuring the success of the Scrum Team. One of the most important aspects of this role is coaching. A coach helps team members to identify and overcome challenges, develop new skills, and improve their performance.
By providing guidance and support, a coach can help Scrum Teams to achieve their full potential. In order to be an effective coach, you need to have a deep understanding of the Scrum framework and be able to apply its principles in a variety of situations.
But knowledge alone is not enough, you must be able to build trust and rapport with team members, and create a safe and supportive environment where they can openly share their thoughts and feelings. Only by developing these coaching skills will you be able to truly succeed as a SAFe Scrum Master.
How to Prepare for the SAFe Scrum Master Exam?
Before you appear for the exam, you'll need to do some preparation and understand the skills of a good safe scrum master. The below-mentioned tips will help you prepare for the SAFe Scrum Master exam so that you can go into it feeling confident and ready to succeed.
1. Understand the Exam Format
The SAFe Scrum Master exam is a multiple-choice, closed-book exam. That means that you won't be able to use any external materials during the exam, so it's important to make sure that you're familiar with the content before you take the exam.
There are a total of 50 questions on the exam, and you'll have two hours to complete it. You'll need to answer at least 38 of the questions correctly in order to pass the exam.
2. Study the SAFe Scrum Master Exam Guide
The SAFe Scrum Master Exam guide covers all of the topics that will be covered on the exam, so it's a great resource to use as you prepare. Take some time to read through the guide and make sure that you understand all of the concepts that will be covered. If there are any terms or concepts that you're not familiar with, be sure to look them up so that you can be prepared for the exam.
3. Review the Scrum Alliance Study Materials
The Scrum Alliance offers a variety of study materials that can be helpful as you prepare for the SAFe Scrum Master exam. These materials include practice exams, flashcards, and SAFe online courses .
The practice exams are a great way to get a feel for what the actual exam will be like. You can use the flashcards to quiz yourself on key terms and concepts. And the online course covers all of the topics that will be on the exam in more depth.
4. Take a SAFe Scrum Master Exam Prep Course
If you want to succeed in the SAFe Scrum Master exam, you definitely want to consider knowledgeHut’s SSM certification. It is designed to help you learn the material and succeed in the exam.
Bottom Line
As a scrum master, you need to be well-versed in the agile methodology and understand how to apply it in order to effectively manage your team’s sprints. But that’s just the beginning. You also need to be skilled in areas like problem-solving, communication, and conflict resolution if you want to be successful in this role.
And those skills don’t come easy - they require time and effort to learn and master. If you’re looking to become a SAFe scrum master, or simply improve your skill set, KnowledgeHut’s SAFe scrum master with SSM certification can help. It covers all of the essential skills mentioned above so that you can confidently lead your team through every agile journey.