Scrum Master at Discovery Limited

Key Purpose

• To foster a collaborative, interactive and engaged team style with shared (or common) accountability for delivery. Coaching team members for performance, and driving the team skills profile with regard to Scrum skills. Empowers the team to self-manage. Plays an active role in maintaining team morale and enthusiasm. To ensure the development team follows the Scrum (agile) development process, to facilitate team decision making and solutioning, to remove impediments to the effective functioning of the team and the coach the team members to become better at the Scrum methodology. Accountable for scheduling the development cycles (sprints), and preparing for & facilitating the scrum ceremonies during each cycle. Accountable for the production of the Scrum artefacts such as Burn Down Charts.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to

• Development schedule and task balancing - Scheduling, planning for and facilitating the development cycles (Sprint planning sessions). Facilitating the end-of-cycle process (Sprint Review Meeting and the Sprint Retrospective). Providing input to the Development Mangers capacity planning process.
• Scrum ceremonies - During each cycle, prepare and facilitate the daily or weekly scrum ceremonies (daily scrums/ stand-up meetings, backlog grooming sessions, sprint reviews, sprint retrospective). Facilitate key planning sessions such as Product Planning sessions.
• Scrum artefacts - Accountable for the production and documentation associated with each sprint, e.g. Burndown Charts, Release Burndown, Definition of Done (DoD), Definition of Ready.
• Coaching for performance - Coaching the team members on the application of the Scrum methodology.
• Act as Scrum master for 1-2 agile teams with a focus on guiding the teams towards improving the way they work and becoming a high performance team
• Facilitate scrum ceremonies such as sprint planning, daily stand-ups, retrospective and sprint reviews
• Ensure key scrum artefacts such as the product backlog, sprint backlog, sprint burndown chart, etc. are created and effectively utilised
• Assist the product owner with product backlog refinement
• Maintain relevant metrics that help the team understand how they are doing

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Strong Attention to detail
• Microsoft Office – with intermediate Excel
• Highly organised and good planning skills
• Proactive, flexible and adaptable to a varied environment
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills and strong organizational skills.
• Team player
• Personal insight and a natural capacity to self-reflect, learn and develop
• Ability to work in pressurized environment and meet deadlines
• Ability to adapt to constant change
• Customer Focus. Dedicate to meeting expectations of our client. Develop and sustain productive relationships
• Drive to results, with a desire to attain standards of excellence
• Problem solving. Ability to see the detail, set priorities, anticipate consequences and identify solutions. Look beyond the obviously and doesn’t stop at the first answer,
• Enthusiasm and initiative. Openly contributes to and participates in debates for process improvements, new initiatives and their implementation
• Personal learning. Knows personal strengths, weaknesses and picks up on the need to adapt personal and interpersonal behaviours quickly

Education and Experience

Essential

• Matric
• IT Related Qualification
• Certified in Scrum Methodology (Certified Scrum Master)
• 3-4 years as a Scrum Master.
• 3 years in a software development related role.
• Facilitating agile ceremonies.
• Deep understanding of lean-agile values and principles.
• Extensive experience and understanding of the Scrum framework.
• Knowledge of other agile frameworks such as Kanban and SAFe beneficial.

Advantageous

• Agile Certified Practioner, PM experience, developer experien