As a Scrum Master, you are a critical player in your team’s Agile software development. If you use Jira Software to manage Scrum projects, always strive to use the tool more effectively, since it is it at the center of what you do.
You will be more successful as a Scrum Master — and your team will be infinitely more productive and happy.
If you already know Jira Software at a fairly advanced level, then read on. Here are five quick but essential tips and tricks that have proven effective across organizations and industries.
1. Focus on the sprint goal
This is the most important tip for any Scrum Master. Avoid, at any cost, getting bogged down in the details. Always stay focused on the goal of the sprint.
For example, if the goal is to develop a new feature, as the Scrum Master you need to prioritize tasks that directly contribute to that goal, such as coding or design tasks. You can always add the sprint goal in the sprint backlog on the scrum board.
2. Use automation
In Jira Software, you have a range of tools to automate and streamline processes. Automation features such as triggers, rules, and webhooks can help you manage sprints, track progress, and generate reports. You can also use these automation features to automate testing and deployment tasks.
On the Atlassian Marketplace, you will find many add-ons that will facilitate automation for you if you have specific automation needs.
3. Embrace change
The scrum process constantly evolves, and it is crucial that you as a Scrum Masters embrace this change.
For example, the team may decide to switch to a different methodology, programming language, or development practice. Be open to this change and help the team adjust to it.
4. Use visualization tools
Visualization tools can be extremely helpful for Scrum Masters.
Jira Software comes with a range of built-in tools, such as burn-down charts and dashboards, which can help you quickly identify blockers and impediments. You can also track progress and milestones against the sprint goal (remember tip 1 above).
If you are a Jira Software premium user, you also have access to Advanced Roadmaps, where you can aggregate information such as progress in different projects to a higher level. You maintain an overview of where other projects are around you: you may have to synchronize your development efforts with other scrum teams. Resource optimization is a key factor when you want to work smarter at the higher levels of delivery.
5. Stay organized
Last but not least, it is essential to you as a Scrum Master to stay organized — keeping track of tasks and issues, and prioritizing them in order of importance.
Having a clear workflow and communication plan in place can help you ensure that the team stays on track and that the sprint goal (once again, see tip 1 above) is achieved. Use swimlanes sorted on epics in your scrum board, so you can stay focused on the feature sets you are working on.
Over to you
Jira Software is a powerful tool for managing scrum projects, and these five tips and tricks can help you as a Scrum Master get the most out of it. By focusing on the sprint goal, using automation, embracing change, using visualization tools, and staying organized, your scrum projects are far more likely to be successful.
Published: Mar 14, 2023
