Interviewing Scrum Masters: Critical Questions to Ask in 2024

For the past seven years, I have been creating content to help individuals prepare for Scrum Master interviews. The usual format involves participants bringing their questions, and together we explore potential answers. Recently, I’ve also received inquiries from clients who are interviewing Scrum Masters, asking what questions should be posed. In this article, I elaborate on some of the questions I prefer asking in a Scrum Master interview. If you are preparing for a Scrum Master interview, these questions might also help you reflect on potential answers since you may encounter interviewers who think similarly to me when exploring the Scrum Master role.

Introduction to Scrum Master Interview Questions

I am not focusing on theoretical questions about Agile or Scrum, although some theoretical knowledge might be necessary. Instead, I am sharing questions based on the context of the work. These questions are relevant as of 2024, but remember that the specifics may evolve over time. Starting with a generic conversation about the candidate's experience is a good idea, as it provides an interviewer with the right words for future conversation.

Questions to Ask in a Scrum Master Interview

1. Explain Your Role and Contributions

Question: Briefly explain your role in your current position. What are your key contributions to value delivery, and what do you do on a day-to-day basis?

Purpose: This question helps the interviewer understand what the candidate does under the title of Scrum Master, as the role often goes beyond typical Scrum responsibilities. Follow-up questions can clarify specific aspects of their experience.

2. Measuring Success

Question: What parameters should one use to measure the success of a Scrum Master? Where do you rank yourself on these parameters for your current work?

Purpose: This question assesses the candidate's understanding of the Scrum Master's role and their perspective on what constitutes success. It often leads to follow-up conversations about each parameter, which can be pivotal in selecting the right candidate.

3. Team Self-Organization

Question: Tell me about your team. How would you rank them on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of self-organization, and why?

Purpose: Instead of asking theoretical questions about self-organizing teams, this question seeks to understand how well the current team is organized and the challenges the Scrum Master faces. The answer also reflects the candidate’s leadership style.

4. Sprint Planning

Question: Explain your recent Sprint Planning event from start to finish.

Purpose: This question aims to understand the candidate's use of facilitation structures, the self-organizing nature of the team, the clarity of artifacts, and tool usage. The interviewer can compare the answer with the self-organization answer to ensure consistency.

5. Measuring Sprint Success

Question: How do you measure the success of the sprint? Provide an example of a recent successful sprint and an unsuccessful one.

Purpose: This question evaluates the candidate's clarity on what defines success in their current work, whether it's value-focused or velocity-focused, and how the team is organized.

6. Product Owner Interaction

Question: How does your current Product Owner contribute to value delivery? What changes or improvements would you like to see in their behavior and interaction to improve value delivery?

Purpose: This helps understand the overall implementation and how well the Scrum Master is coaching and mentoring the Product Owner.

7. Sprint Review

Question: Explain a recent Sprint Review event to me.

Purpose: This question provides insights into how the team, stakeholders, and Product Owner collaborate and how feedback is handled.

8. Definition of Done

Question: Share key points from your current team's Definition of Done. When was the last time you changed it, and why?

Purpose: This question assesses the quality focus of the team and the Scrum Master, reflecting how retrospectives are used.

9. Product Vision

Question: What is your product vision, and how does your team track progress towards it?

Purpose: Although it might seem like a Product Owner question, it helps understand the Scrum Master’s engagement and customer-centricity.

10. Retrospective and Improvement Backlog

Question: Share an experience of a retrospective, including improvement backlog items, the process of identifying these items, and how you measure their contribution to your Scrum team.

Purpose: This evaluates the continuous improvement process and how the Scrum Master drives team development.

11. Forecasting and Stakeholder Alignment

Question: How does your team forecast to align stakeholder expectations? Share details of a recent review conversation about these forecasts.

Purpose: This assesses how estimation and planning are handled within the team.

12. Managing Impediments

Question: Share the top three open impediments in your current work. What actions have been taken to resolve them, and when do you expect they will be resolved?

Purpose: This question gauges the Scrum Master's commitment to delivery and provides insight into the team’s stage of development.

13. Handling Team Conflicts

Question: Share some recent conflicts in the team and the approach you took to resolve them.

Purpose: This helps assess the quality of team development and links back to the self-organizing team assessment.

14. Coaching and Mentoring

Question: Can you describe a situation where you had to coach or mentor a team member or stakeholder? What approach did you take, and what was the outcome?

Purpose: This question explores the candidate's coaching and mentoring skills, which are crucial for fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

15. Agile Practices and Continuous Improvement

Question: How do you ensure that your team continuously improves its Agile practices? Provide an example of a significant improvement your team made recently.

Purpose: This question assesses the candidate's commitment to continuous improvement and their ability to implement Agile practices effectively. It also provides insight into their proactive approach to enhancing team performance.

Conclusion

These questions provide a comprehensive framework for assessing a Scrum Master candidate’s experience, understanding of the role, and ability to manage real-world challenges. By focusing on practical, context-based questions rather than purely theoretical ones, interviewers can gain deeper insights into a candidate's suitability for the Scrum Master role. If you are preparing for a Scrum Master interview, reflecting on these questions can help you articulate your experiences and showcase your skills effectively.