Interview questions for Scrum master

Scrum requires flexible tools for dynamic projects. Try ProjectManager.com and get agile tools that fit scrum teams at any experience level. It’s free for 30 days. The scrum master is a key member of the scrum team, but also a somewhat misunderstood one, which can make the hiring process problematic.Put simply, the scrum master is the person responsible for promoting and supporting scrum. But what does that mean? It means that the scrum master is the one who helps everyone else understand scrum theory, practices, rules and values.

Think of the scrum master as a servant leader for the scrum team, but also as a person who helps those outside of the team understand how to best interact with the scrum team. However, as important as the scrum master is, the position is not project leader. They are not accountable for outcomes: the whole team is.

It’s a difficult position to fill, as the scrum master needs to help the team reach consensus on tasks and timelines, facilitate the daily scrum meetings, keep the team focused on what has been agreed on in those daily scrums, remove obstacles in their way and protect them from distractions.

1) What are the advantages of doing Scrum?

The advantage of doing scrum is that while performing the test
• It minimizes the risk in response to changes made to the system
• It increases ROI ( Return of Investment)
• It improves the process continuously
• It repeatedly and rapidly looks into actual working software
• Anyone can see real working software and continue to enhance for another iteration

2) How long does a scrum cycle last? Who is involved in the Scrum cycle?

Scrum cycle depends on the type of project the team is working. Usually, it ranges about 2-4 weeks to nearly a month. In scrum cycle, it includes a
• Scrum master
• Product owner
• Team

3) What is a user story in Scrum?

In scrum, a user story is short, one sentence definitions of a feature or functionality.

4) What are the artifacts of Scrum process?

Scrum process artifacts include
• Sprint backlog
• Product backlog
• Velocity chart
• Burn-down chart

5) What is Scrum Sprint?

Scrum project is developed in a series of “sprint”. It is a repeatable and regular work cycle in scrum methodology during which work is accomplished and kept ready for review.

6. How do user stories, epics and tasks differ?

User stories, epics and tasks are all essential to a project. An employer aims to assess your understanding of these three primary components in Scrum methodology. You may choose to define these terms by illustrating examples of their use.
Example: “Epics are high-level descriptions of the client requirement. These are complex goals that require the efforts of multiple teams. We break down the epics into user stories that provide the team with a simple explanation of the requirement. User stories illustrate the user perspective. They help devise methods to build a more user-centric product. Tasks are the smallest unit in Scrum. They track the work of an individual or team completed daily or weekly.”

7. What is the ideal duration is for Sprint? How it affects the workflow?

Sprint in Scrum usually lasts for 30 days or two weeks. The two-week sprint planning is preferred for various reason. First, it makes it easier for the team to estimate, plan and complete the work in two weeks. Secondly, it gives enough time to the product owner to change the priorities more often and allows the team to adapt quickly to the market pressures.

8. Explain product backlog in Scrum?

Before the scrum sprint initiates, product owner reviews the list of all new features, change requests, enhancements and bug reports and determines which ones are of high priorities. If the project is new it includes new features that the new system must provide, this list of item is referred to as Product Backlog. The things that are kept on sprint are referred to as Sprint Backlog.

9. What is user mapping?

User mapping is an essential part of Scrum methodology. Employers often ask this question to assess your ability to use system functionalities and provide appropriate service to the customer in the product development process. You may provide examples of experiences of using user mapping to improve a product.
Example: “User mapping is an Agile approach to planning user stories in two independent dimensions. The horizontal axis represents a user’s goals and aspirations, while the vertical axis describes their level of sophistication. This process helps align system functionalities, system backlog and plan a release that adds more value to the customer. At my previous job, we often used this technique to work with clients and derive an extensive understanding of the user to build customer-centric products.”

10. Explain the activities performed in Agile scrum meeting
During scrum meetings?

• Team analyze how much time they got to complete task during the Sprint
• From product backlog, the team takes the first item and breaks into tasks
• Team estimates how long a task will take
• If there is any time left during the sprint, they will move on to the next item on the product backlog
• Decide the features which have clarity and estimates how many to be scoped for sprint

11. What is the scrum of scrums?

• Scrum of scrums is a way to connect multiple teams on a single project. With this question, an employer may want to assess your understanding of this technique, its difficulties and ability to tackle them. Sharing examples of past collaborative efforts, including coordinating between teams, may be helpful.
• Example: “Scrum of scrums is an agile technique that expands collaboration between multiple teams on a single project. It requires adaptation and transparency between teams to ensure the timely delivery of interdependent sprints. I coordinated between development, testing and client teams to deploy an application within three months at my previous job.”

12. What is the role of scrum master in Scrum?

• Removes any obstacles that the team faces during the pursuit of its sprint goals
• Maximizing the productivity of the team
• Making sure that the scripting language used for system testing and unit testing is written in the same language
• Guides the team and product owner to improve the effectiveness of their practices
• Makes sure that all standard scrum practices are followed

13. What does a scrum burndown chart should consist of?

A scrum burndown chart should consist of
• X-axis that displays working days
• Y-axis that displays remaining effort
• Ideal effort as a guideline
• Real progress of the effort
11) What are the drawbacks of using Scrum?
• It will be a tricky job for an Agile scrum master to plan, organize and structure a project that lacks a clear goal
• Daily scrum meeting requires frequent reviews and substantial resources
• A successful project relies on the maturity and dedication of all the team members
• Uncertainty regarding the product, frequent changes, and frequent product delivery remains during the scrum cycle
• It makes all dysfunction visible
• It requires significant change