Scrum Master Assessment

One of the Scrum Master’s responsibilities is to help the team continuously improve. She observes the team, asks questions and guides them to the way of better performance and ultimate success. Isn’t it great? But wait a minute…

What about a Scrum Master herself? 

Isn’t she supposed to improve as well? If so, who can help her? It’s simple. Her team! 

How can the team help the Scrum Master to get better? One way to do this is to conduct a Scrum Master Assessment.


What is Scrum Master Assessment and where to get it

Scrum Master Assessment is a way to get feedback on how well a Scrum Master serves the team. Click here to see an assessment sample. You can use Google Forms or other similar survey tools to create your own questionnaire.

Guidelines for conducting an effective assessment

Assessment is most helpful when SM is ready for it 

This assessment will result in something useful in the end only if it's a personal choice. No enforcement, please. Very few people are open to constructive feedback, especially those who are insecure with their role. Most individuals are afraid to hear negative comments so they need to be really ready for it. Otherwise, the person who is assessed may start doubting all her actions and lose her confidence afterward. We all know how a Scrum Master’s behavior can affect the team’s dynamic overall so it may turn to do more harm than good.


Assessment should be done anonymously 

The main purpose of this assessment is to help a Scrum Master improve so getting constructive feedback is crucial. We all can say nice things to others, but when it comes to some helpful critique, it may be tough. It also may create some unnecessary tension within the team. For this reason, it’s always better to do an assessment in an anonymous way.

Some people may argue that agile teams are mature and open and as a result, transperency should be everywhere. However, this is an evaluation of a specific person so some privacy will not hurt.

Have a third party take care of your own assessment process

If the feedback is for yourself, it’s best if someone else captures it. It could be an Agile Coach, a peer Scrum Master or someone you closely work with. Also, some may prefer to do it verbally rather than in a written way. Therefore, you are not the best person to deal with it.

The problem with gathering your own feedback is the same as collecting money for your own birthday.


It should be a Product Backlog item

Create a task for an assessment and put it in the Product Backlog list. Then work with the Product Owner to have it prioritized for one of the upcoming sprints. To do it properly, the team will need to dedicate some time, so it's good if they commit to this task. 

I recommend to have it as part of Planning discussions so the team is clear on what they are expected to do. Otherwise, you may end up with complaints that the team has more important things to focus on and no one will take it seriously.


No follow up plan means no value

Unless you have a preliminary plan on what to do with the assessment results, it may not make sense to get the feedback in the first place. It’s the same as having retrospectives and never taking any action items for improvements. 

As an idea, the assessment results may be shared with the person’s mentor or someone who can work with the Scrum Master and come up with some improvements. Also, have some follow up sessions to check on current progress and possible adjustments to the plan.


Have fun with the assessment and feel free to share your experience of how it went.