21 Scrum Master Interview Questions and Answers

A scrum master is responsible for the successful implementation and operation of scrum, a framework for managing agile software development. They keep the team organized and on track, and help to remove any impediments to the team’s progress.

If you’re interviewing for a scrum master role, you’ll need to be prepared to answer questions about your experience with agile development and scrum in particular. You’ll also need to be able to articulate your experience with problem solving and team management.

To help you prepare, we’ve gathered some common scrum master interview questions and provided sample answers.

What do you find most rewarding about being a scrum master?

This question is an opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the role. It also allows you to talk about some of the most important aspects of being a scrum master. You can talk about the challenges you enjoy and how you like to solve them.

Example: “I find the most rewarding part of being a scrum master is seeing the team come together to solve problems. I love facilitating these conversations and helping teams work through challenges. I find that I am good at identifying what’s really going on and helping the team understand where they’re stuck. I also love when the team can come up with solutions on their own and when they can celebrate their accomplishments.”

What is your process for improving your skills as a scrum master?

This question can give the interviewer insight into your dedication to your career and how you learn new things. It can also show how you approach your job and how you might improve your skills to become a better scrum master. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific skill you want to improve and how you plan to do so.

Example: “I am always looking for ways to improve my skills as a scrum master. I try to attend at least one conference each year to learn about new strategies for my job. I also read books and blogs about agile development to learn new ways to improve my skills as a scrum master. I am always open to feedback from my team members, and I use their suggestions to improve my skills as a scrum master.”

Why are you interested in working here?

Employers ask this question to see if you did your research on the company and its goals. When answering this question, make sure to highlight the aspects of the company that attracted you to it. Consider mentioning a few of the company’s values or goals and how they align with your own.

Example: “I am interested in working here because of your mission to create a more efficient and effective workplace. I have been a scrum master for five years, and I have seen the positive effects that agile development can have on a company. I would love to be a part of a company that is committed to making its employees happy and productive. I think that your company’s commitment to agile development is a great step toward achieving these goals.”

How would your former coworkers describe you?

This question is a great way to learn more about a candidate’s interpersonal skills. It also helps the interviewer understand how the candidate’s former coworkers feel about their leadership style. If you are interviewing someone who has been a scrum master for a long time, ask them to describe the team’s feelings about the candidate. If you are interviewing someone who has only recently become a scrum master, ask them to describe how the team felt about their predecessor.

Example: “My former coworkers would describe me as someone who is always willing to help. I like to make sure that everyone on my team knows that I’m always available for questions and concerns. They would also say that I’m very knowledgeable about the project management process and that I’m always willing to share my expertise with others.”

Are you familiar with any other agile development processes?

Scrum is just one of many agile development processes. Employers ask this question to see if you have experience with other agile processes and what your thoughts are about them. If you have experience with other agile processes, share your thoughts on them. If you don’t have experience with other processes, share what you think about them.

Example: “I have experience with several other agile development processes. I find that each process has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, I find that scrum is great for small projects that need to be completed quickly. However, I find that it’s not as effective for large projects that need to be completed over a longer period of time.

I find that agile development processes like Kanban and Scrumban are more effective for large projects. They allow for more flexibility and allow teams to work on different parts of the project at different times. However, I do think that the best development process is one that is customized to the needs of each project.”

How can you ensure that the entire team works together toward the same goal?

This question helps the interviewer assess your ability to manage a team and achieve project goals. Use examples from your experience to highlight your ability to collaborate with others and achieve results.

Example: “I believe that the most important aspect of being a scrum master is ensuring that the entire team is working together toward the same goal. I make sure that everyone on the team knows their roles, understands their responsibilities and feels comfortable asking questions. I also encourage my team members to share ideas and feedback with one another, which helps us discover new ways to collaborate and work together more effectively. By encouraging collaboration and communication, I can help my team members work together toward the same goal.”

Describe how you might handle a situation where a developer refuses to try a new approach you suggest.

As a scrum master, you may need to make suggestions to the team about how to improve their work. However, the team members may not always agree with your suggestions. The hiring manager wants to know that you can handle conflict and ensure that the team can still work together effectively. In your answer, explain how you would approach the situation and try to find a compromise that works for everyone.

Example: “If a developer refused to try a new approach I suggested, I would first ask them why they didn’t want to try it. I would explain why I think it would help the team and how it could benefit them. If they still refused, I would ask them if they would be willing to try it if we did it in a slightly different way. If they agreed, I would discuss it with the team and see if anyone else had any ideas. I would then try to implement the new approach while still respecting the developer’s wishes.”

Tell me about a time when you had to deliver bad news to a member of your team.

This question can allow you to show your leadership skills and how you can be honest and transparent with your team. When answering this question, it can be beneficial to describe a time when you had to deliver bad news and how you helped your team to overcome the challenge.

Example: “When I was working as a project manager, I had to let one of my team members know that their project wasn’t going to be completed on time. The team member was disappointed, but I helped them understand the situation and offered ways they could complete the project by the deadline. The team member accepted the challenge and was able to complete the project by the deadline.”

Can you give me an example of a successful scrum team you’ve led?

This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you’re qualified for the position. Use examples from your experience where you helped a team succeed.

Example: “I recently worked with a team of five developers who were tasked with creating a new app. We started the project with a sprint planning meeting, where we discussed our goals for the sprint. We then broke into groups to discuss our tasks for the day. After that, we had a daily scrum meeting where we discussed our progress and any challenges we faced. We then worked on our tasks for the day and had another scrum meeting at the end of the day to discuss our progress.

We continued this process for two weeks, and by the end of the sprint, we had a fully functional app that met all of our client’s needs.”

Have you ever worked on a product launch that didn’t go as planned?

This question can help interviewers learn more about your problem-solving skills and how you use them to help your team succeed. A good answer will include a specific example from your past, the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Example: “In my last role, I was working with a team of developers to create a new website for a client. We were working on a tight deadline and had a lot of features to implement. Unfortunately, we encountered several technical issues that slowed down our progress. I met with the team to discuss our options and decided to delegate the work to different teams that could focus on specific features. This helped us complete the project on time.”

What experience do you have working with software developers?

The scrum master needs to work with the entire team, including the software developers. The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your experience working with a technical team. Use your answer to share a story about how you worked with a software development team to complete a project. Try to highlight your communication and leadership skills in the story.

Example: “I have worked with several software development teams over the course of my career. In my last role, I worked with a team of software developers who were creating a new website for a client. I worked with the team to create a sprint plan that included all of the tasks the developers needed to complete. I also met with the team daily to check in and see how they were progressing.

In the end, the team was able to create a website for the client within the time frame we had set. The client was very happy with the final product, and I was able to use my communication and leadership skills to help the team complete the project.”

Have you ever given a presentation to a group outside of the company?

This question can allow you to demonstrate your communication skills and how you interact with people outside of your team. When answering this question, it can be beneficial to mention a specific experience and how it helped you develop your presentation skills.

Example: “In my previous role as a software developer, I was tasked with giving a presentation to the company’s board of directors about the progress of our team. I was nervous about presenting to such a large group, but I knew it was important to share our progress and I needed to do it. I practiced my presentation multiple times with my team and even practiced it in front of my mirror. The presentation went well, and I was able to answer all of the board’s questions.”

What current trends in the industry concern you the most?

This question allows you to show your knowledge of the industry and your ability to adapt to changes. The interviewer will want to see that you are willing to adapt your processes to meet the needs of the company. You should mention a few trends that you are aware of and explain how you would implement them into your role as a scrum master.

Example: “I am concerned about the growing number of companies that are moving away from agile development. I understand that it can be challenging to implement, but I believe that agile development is the best method for creating successful products. I would like to work for a company that is committed to agile development, so I would work to educate my team on the benefits of agile development and how we can implement it into our processes.”

What strategies do you use to help people accept change?

When working in a team environment, it’s important to be able to accept change. Employers ask this question to see if you can help your team accept change and implement it into their work. In your answer, explain how you help your team accept change and how you help them implement it into their work.

Example: “I find that the best way to help people accept change is by providing them with as much information as possible. Whenever I’m implementing a new change, I always make sure to provide the team with the reasoning behind the change and how it will benefit them. This helps them understand why the change is happening and helps them feel more comfortable with the change.”

What is a user story and what is its purpose?

User stories are a common element of scrum. They are a brief description of a feature that a user would want to use. They are usually written in the form of a sentence or two, and the interviewer may ask you this question to see if you know how to write one. In your answer, explain what a user story is and how you would write one.

Example: “User stories are a brief description of a feature that a user would want to use. They are usually written in the form of a sentence or two, and I have found that they are useful for breaking down large projects into smaller tasks. For example, if I was working on a website redesign, I might have a user story that says, ‘As a user, I want to be able to search for products by color.’ This allows me to break down the project into smaller tasks like adding a search bar and creating filters for colors.”

Describe what a backlog is and what it’s used for.

This question is a basic overview of scrum terminology. It’s a good idea to review the definitions of scrum-related terms before your interview. You can also use this opportunity to show the interviewer that you’re familiar with the basics of scrum.

Example: “A backlog is a list of all the work that needs to be done. It’s usually ordered by priority and split into smaller tasks that can be completed within a sprint. The backlog is created at the beginning of each sprint and reviewed at the sprint review meeting. The team decides which items will be worked on during the next sprint.”

What is the purpose of a scrum board?

Scrum boards are a tool used in scrum to organize and display information. The interviewer may ask you this question to see if you understand the purpose of a scrum board and how you would use it. To answer this question, you can describe what a scrum board is and explain how you would use it.

Example: “The purpose of a scrum board is to organize and display information. I use a scrum board to keep track of the current sprint, or project, I’m working on. I also use it to track the tasks I need to complete during each meeting, or scrum, and the tasks I need to complete for the entire project. I also use the scrum board to track the progress of each task.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a scrum master?

This question helps the interviewer understand your problem-solving skills, which are an important part of being a scrum master. Use examples from your past experience to explain how you overcame the challenge and what you learned from it.

Example: “The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a scrum master is getting the team members to understand their roles and responsibilities. I’ve had to explain the same information multiple times to different team members, which can be time-consuming. I’ve learned that I need to be more thorough in my training and documentation to help team members understand their roles and responsibilities more quickly.”

What are the main principles of Agile development?

This question is a great opportunity to display your knowledge of Agile development. Your answer should include the main principles and how they apply to your previous work experience.

Example: “The main principles of Agile development are communication, collaboration, customer satisfaction and team satisfaction. Communication is the most important principle because it’s the foundation of Agile development. I use communication to share information with the team and stakeholders about the project’s progress. Collaboration is also an important principle because it allows me to work with the team to solve problems and overcome challenges. Customer satisfaction and team satisfaction are important because they ensure the project is successful. I make sure to meet the needs of the customer and my team members to ensure everyone is happy with the project.”

What is the purpose of doing a sprint demo?

The interviewer may ask you a question like this to assess your understanding of the purpose of a specific scrum process. In your answer, you can describe what you believe the purpose of the sprint demo is and how you would use it to help your team meet its goals.

Example: “The sprint demo is a meeting where the scrum master and the project team members can evaluate the progress of the project. I believe that the sprint demo is an important part of the sprint process because it allows me to communicate with my team about what we’ve accomplished and how we can improve our processes to meet our goals. During a sprint demo, I also use the time to answer any questions my team members may have about their work.”

Do you have any questions for me?

This is your chance to show the interviewer that you are interested in the position and want to learn more about the company. It’s a good idea to have a few questions prepared in case the interviewer doesn’t offer much information about the role. Try to ask questions that show you are interested in the company’s goals, values and culture.

Example: “I noticed that your company has a goal of reducing customer service wait times by 20%. I’m very interested in learning more about how you plan to reach this goal. I also noticed that you have a goal of improving the quality of your software by 10%. I’m curious how you plan to measure quality and how you will improve it.”