Build Your Own Scrum Master

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Align a team and their Scrum Master on expected facilitator behaviors, team working context, and mutual support actions.

Use it when: Use during a team retrospective when onboarding a new Scrum Master, resetting working norms, or re-evaluating servant-leadership support.

Skip it when: Skip if the team does not use a Scrum framework, lacks an active Scrum Master role, or is in an unresolved formal performance evaluation.

Group arrangement: Solo silent writing followed by whole-group clustering and paired or group action planning.

Timing: UWT suggested standard 45-minute retrospective block to replace the unrealistic 5-15 minute placeholder in legacy scrapings.

Materials and tools

• Sticky notes (3 pads of different colors or plain yellow)
• Fine-tip markers (one per participant)
• Whiteboard or wall space with 3 pre-drawn columns
• Small adhesive dot stickers (3 per participant)
• Digital whiteboard board tool if operating online

Before participants arrive

1. Label three columns on the wall or board: 1. Ideal Behaviors & Traits; 2. What SM Needs to Know About Us; 3. How We Support Our SM.
2. Distribute markers, sticky notes, and dot stickers to all seats.

Say this to open

Today we are defining what effective Scrum Master support looks like for our team and how we will work together. We will examine three areas: the behaviors we value, what our Scrum Master needs to know about our team culture, and how we will actively support them. We will write silently first, cluster our ideas together, and pick concrete practices to test.

How to run it

1. Introduce columns and silent writing 8 minutes

   Explain the three board columns. Participants write silently on sticky notes, one thought per note. For example, under column 2 someone might write: 'We need 15 minutes of quiet before standup to review tickets.' Participants can write for any or all columns. Passing or writing privately is fully respected.

2. Post and cluster ideas 12 minutes

   Invite participants to post their notes in the matching column. Read the notes aloud in a neutral tone. Invite the room to group duplicate or related notes into shared clusters. Assign a simple heading to each cluster.

3. Prioritize with dot voting 7 minutes

   Give each participant 3 voting dots. People place dots on the clusters or individual notes that matter most to their day-to-day delivery and team health. Participants may place multiple dots on one item or spread them out.

4. Agree on mutual action items 12 minutes

   Review the top-voted items from each column. Facilitate a brief discussion between the team and the Scrum Master to agree on 1 to 2 concrete behavioral adjustments for the upcoming sprint, including at least one action the team takes to support the Scrum Master.

5. Close and debrief 6 minutes

   Ask 2 debrief questions to the group. Limit responses to 3 or 4 volunteers to fit within the time box. Document the agreed commitments in team notes.

Debrief questions

• Which expectation surprised you the most, and why?
• What is one concrete thing our team can do next week to make our Scrum Master's job easier?

Finished output: A clustered board of mutual expectations with 1 to 3 agreed action items committed to the team's sprint backlog or team working agreement.

Remote

Set up a shared digital whiteboard with three labeled columns. Give participants 7 minutes to add digital notes silently. Use screen sharing while the facilitator groups notes based on verbal team input. Conduct voting using the digital board's built-in voting tool or stamped emojis.

Hybrid

In-person members use physical stickies while a dedicated digital scribe duplicates them onto a shared digital board in real time, or all members log into the digital whiteboard simultaneously from their individual laptops.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can dictate notes to a peer or facilitator instead of writing.
• Any participant may observe without posting sticky notes or sharing verbally.

If the session gets stuck

Feedback turns into a list of personal grievances against the current Scrum Master.

Intervene and redirect the prompt back to observable role behaviors, team norms, and future sprints rather than past interpersonal conflicts.

Participants only write expectations for the Scrum Master and leave the 'How We Support' column empty.

Pause before clustering and ask everyone to write at least one concrete way the team protects the Scrum Master's time or autonomy.

Terms used here

• Scrum Master: The team role responsible for facilitating agile events, resolving impediments, and supporting team process.
• Dot voting: A simple prioritization method where people place limited adhesive stickers or marks on their preferred options.