What Activities Do Scrum Masters Spend Most of Their Time On?
Studies show (1)that Scrum Masters primarily coach teams(both 69%), with fewer engaging in adapting process (31%), shielding teams (27%), negotiating expectations (27%), or coordinating across teams (12%). This supports the view that the role skews toward facilitation and coaching.
Metaphor
A Scrum Master’s overfocus on facilitation is like watering only the front yard while the backyard, side beds, and vegetable patch go dry. The lawn may look lush from the street, but the whole garden withers without balanced care.
Likewise, Scrum Masters who fixate on process neglect important aspects of their accountability that leave customer value starved.
Works Consulted
1.
Verwijs C. Are Scrum Masters Sufficiently Focused On Valuable Outcomes? [Internet]. scrum.org; 2022 [cited 2025 Sep 7]. Available from: https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/are-scrum-masters-sufficiently-focused-valuable-outcomes