Here are some commonly asked general questions for a scrum master position:
- How would you describe your strengths and weaknesses?
- How well do you handle multitasking?
- Tell me about yourself.
- How have your coworkers described you in past positions?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What unique traits would you bring to our company?
- What do you know about our company?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- How large is your product backlog? ...
- What is the typical age of a user story in the product backlog? ...
- What is your average lead time from an idea being added to the product backlog to its delivery?
What are soft skills does a good scrum master need?
Soft Skills For Scrum Masters: What Do You Need To Build Successful Agile Teams?
- Communication Skills. While general communication skills are essential for any role, there are a few specific aspects that a great Scrum Master will need to possess.
- Empathy. Active listening & empathy complement each other. ...
- Ownership of outcomes. ...
- Leadership Skills. ...
- Conflict Management & Problem Solving Skills. ...
- Coaching & Mentoring Skills. ...
- Wrapping Up. ...
How to become a good scrum master?
- My Scrum team, MY rules. Scrum Master is the team leader in Scrum. ...
- Hard skills + Soft skills = Scrum Master. Scrum Master is someone with a variety of skills and a personality of a (servant) leader. ...
- Great Scrum Master…. ...
- Let other leaders inspire you. ...
- Good Scrum Master doesn’t push, only pulls. ...
Do all companies need a scrum master?
The methodology is highly collaborative and requires efficient processes, and the results of the process depend upon the expertise of the scrum master. Agile methodologies may have started in tech companies, but scrum master jobs can be found in all kinds of industries and for all kinds of companies around the globe.
What to look for in a scrum master?
The roles and responsibilities of a scrum master
- Process owner One of the key scrum master responsibilities is to serve as the owner of the scrum process. ...
- Facilitator The scrum master is a facilitator, but what does that mean? This person doesn’t just oversee the scrum process. ...
- Coach
What are the 3 scrum questions?
During the daily scrum, each team member answers the following three questions: What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? Are there any impediments in your way?
What are the 3 most important skills every Scrum Master should have?
Top Skills of a Successful Scrum MasterShare Experiences and Encourages Collaboration.Introducing Engineering Practices.Communication and Good Listening Power.Acting as a Coach for Team Development.Flexibility and Persistence.Partnership with the Product Owner.Wanted and Dispensable.Optimism and Servant Leadership.More items...
What is the new fourth question that should be asked at a daily scrum?
What about the Sprint Goal - How far/close are we from achieving our Sprint Goal? This is a great question when the Team is having difficulties achieving its Sprint Goal. It also creates awareness in the Team on the importance of the Sprint Goal and brings it into discussion on a daily basis.
What should a Scrum Master know?
Specific topics include product backlogs, planning releases, problems that can occur, scalability, scrum roles, sprints, how to conduct daily scrum meetings, tasks, reports and team organization.
What are your weaknesses as a Scrum Master?
One of the most common weaknesses of a Scrum Master is that the teams are distributed geographically. When the teams are virtual and not working from a common space, there are delays, network issues, cultural and regional issues, different time zones, and different working hours.
What is your greatest strength as a Scrum Master?
A great scrum master must be able to be a servant leader. Therefore, communication and problem-solving skills are one of the most important attributes for the job.
What are the 3 common questions on Stand Up?
A quick Google search will show you that the 3 daily standup questions in a scrum meeting are: What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? What (if anything) is blocking your progress?
What are the 3 questions the sprint planning answers?
Common Questions About Sprint Planning, AnsweredTopic One: Why is this sprint valuable? The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current sprint. ... Topic Two: What can be done this sprint? ... Topic Three: How will the chosen work get done?
What do you say in a daily standup?
Daily stand-up meetings should bring the whole team together for a brief discussion of what is currently going on in everyone's working day. The main things you should aim to cover are what tasks are currently getting started, updates on currently underway tasks, and wrap-ups of any projects that are coming to an end.
What do Scrum Masters do all day?
A Scrum master is both a facilitator and coach who helps the Scrum team and broader organization understand and apply Scrum theory and practice. The Scrum master helps the Scrum team work more effectively by skillfully removing obstacles and distractions that may impede the team from meeting goals.
What are 2 behaviors of an effective Scrum Master?
SAFe Scrum Masters are responsible for supporting and fostering the following team attributes: Self-management and taking ownership and accountability. Aligned and collaborative. Success focused on clear goals and purpose.
Do scrum masters write user stories?
The Product Owner is responsible for creating User Stories. Generally, the Product Owner creates those, but sometime they are developed by the Scrum team in consultation with the Product Owner. the Collaboration in Scrum team favours the Product Owner involving the team in writing User Stories.
What are some key skills a successful Scrum Master should have select all that apply?
Select all that apply.Clearly communicate and prioritize the Product Backlog.Facilitate Scrum events such as the Sprint Planning and Retrospective.Help the team understand the overall goal and mission of the project.Make sure the product fulfills the customers' needs.
What are soft skills required for Scrum Master?
People Skills: Interpersonal skills are essential skills for a Scrum Master to be able to deal with the different personalities and demands of the team members, the PO, and the stakeholders. Bots will not be able to understand the complex human behavior in near future to be able to deal with it effectively.
What are the soft skills of a Scrum Master?
Here are 06 soft skills to become a great scrum master:Teaching and coaching skills.Communication skills.Facilitator skills.Servant leadership.Problem solving skills.Empathy.
Should Scrum Master have technical skills?
The answer to should a Scrum Master have technical knowledge is No, a Scrum Master does not require to possess technical knowledge and anyone from a non-technical background can become a Scrum Master.
How many questions are asked in a Scrum Master interview?
Want to be ready for that tough Scrum Master interview? Here are 52 questions that will help you really ace the upcoming interview and give you confidence during your Scrum Master interview.
Who is accountable for clear expression of product backlog items?
The Product Owner can do this themselves or delegate – the Product Owner remains accountable for clear expression of Product Backlog Items
Is hiring anyone daunting?
Hiring anyone can be daunting especially when the cost of a mis-hire is so high.
What is Scrum Master?
Especially when working as a Scrum Master, I spend a lot of time dropping in on conversations. It’s what is traditionally known as management by wandering around. For example, if I see a programmer and tester having what seems to be an important conversation, I might walk over and listen in case I can help with anything.
What is the first question in agile?
The first question is designed to see if we can get by without one or two people. I often see agile teams go too far in pursuit of teamwork and collaboration. Team members will feel like they need to be in every meeting, even ones that are completely irrelevant to them. This is the JavaScript developer who attends a meeting on whether the latest release from the database vendor is worth upgrading to.
Why don't you ask the same questions about every decision a team has made?
Also, you aren’t asking these questions because you (as a Scrum Master or product owner) have the right to overrule the team’s decision. But, you do have the right to understand how confident the team is in a decision and how aligned they are around the decision.
What does disagreement among team members in their confidence in an estimate indicate?
Disagreement among team members in their confidence in an estimate may also indicate the team rushed to create the estimate. That may be fine but consider the estimate to be less reliable.
Is too few meetings worth having?
Err or the side of too few meetings and too few people, but some meetings are worth having. And those meetings are made more valuable by having the right participants.
15 general scrum master interview questions
Interviewers often ask general questions to get an idea about why you're applying for the job. They may also be interested in learning more about your personality to see if you would be a good cultural fit for their team.
13 questions about experience and background
Once the interviewer gets to know you personally, they may inquire about your professional experience and background. These questions can be a good way for interviewers to learn more about the information you provided on your resume.
13 in-depth scrum master questions
In-depth questions are an opportunity for the interviewer to learn more about your qualifications for the position. These questions are often more technical and require more thorough answers and examples than other questions.
4 scrum master interview questions with sample answers
When preparing for your interview, it's helpful to write down your answers to commonly asked questions. Here are some example answers that you can use to help formulate your own responses:
How many Q&A communities are there on Stack Exchange?
Stack Exchange network consists of 178 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
What is the key output of backlog refinement?
The key output of backlog refinement is that you are ready for sprint planning.
What does a scrum master need to know?
The scrum master needs to make sure that the founders of the startup understand the concept of agility and know the areas where their involvement will be most needed. This will allow the applicant to see if there is a match between their skill set and the challenges at hand. Here is the list of the five most important questions to ask:
What should a scrum master do before making a decision?
Before coming to a decision, the scrum master should clearly evaluate the current situation within the startup. The scrum master needs to make sure that the founders of the startup understand the concept of agility and know the areas where their involvement will be most needed.
Why Are You Hiring a Scrum Master and Not a Project Manager?
By asking this question, the scrum master applicant will get a better understanding of the expectations for the role. For example, a newly formed company might need guidance on how to implement Scrum in order to deliver their minimum viable product (MVP). It is vital for the scrum master to know the scope of the work and the level of Agile maturity of the startup as early as possible﹣ideally even at the interview stage.
What Is the Leadership Style of the Startup Founders?
It is crucial that the applicant understands the leadership style of the core group within the startup. The scrum master will need to collaborate with the management of the startup at least on a weekly basis. Figuring out how the founders deploy their vision on a practical level will make the applicant more prepared in terms of stakeholder management.
How Would You Define Your Company Culture?
This question is probably important in any job interview, but much more so for a scrum master candidate. Agile is a mindset and not only a project management methodology.
Why do you need a scrum master?
An experienced scrum master is usually needed to level up the performance of a startup team. They need somebody to point out how they can improve and develop into a well-performing team. The discussion can go further by asking about the level of cohesiveness of the team. Are they self-organizing? If not, why?
Why do startups need scrum masters?
Sometimes this is due to friction and miscommunication between software developers and business stakeholders.
Two Questions About Estimates
Three Questions About Team Decisions
- As a Scrum Master or a product owner, I sometimes want to get a sense of how thoroughly a team has thought through a decision. Here are three questions I often ask: 1. What are three other options you considered before making this decisions? 2. What’s the worst thing that could happen if we pursue this direction? 3. What has to go right for this to...
Two Questions About Meetings
- I really dislike meetings. If I were dropped in a corridor with snakes at one end and a meeting at the other, I don’t know which direction I’d run. So I try to be diligent in keeping meetings--and the number of participants in a meeting--to a minimum. So there are two questions I often ask at the start of a meeting: 1. Do we need everyone who is here now? 2. Should anyone else be here? Th…
One Question to Ask When Wandering Around
- Especially when working as a Scrum Master, I spend a lot of time dropping in on conversations. It’s what is traditionally known as management by wandering around. For example, if I see a programmer and tester having what seems to be an important conversation, I might walk over and listen in case I can help with anything. (Obviously don’t do this every time they talk or if it looks li…
One Question to Ask During Daily Standups
- During a daily scrum, I’ll often look at a team’s sprint burndown chartand wonder how they’re going to finish everything by the planned end of the sprint. But when I ask this same team if they’re going to finish everything, the response is usually that they will. If I don’t agree that their prediction is realistic, I’ll look back at the burndown and ask: 1. What do you know that I don’t know? I migh…
Asking Questions Reveals More Than Making Statements
- When I first became a Scrum Master and hadn’t yet learned the power of questions, I often missed learning things about my teams and their work. Only after a while did I discover that the best way for me to learn things was to ask a question and then truly listen to the answer. I hope you’ll find these questions as useful as I have.
What Do You think?
- What are some of your favorite questions to ask teams? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.