Scrum Master

Scrum Master (Java)Location: Chicago, ILRate: $100,000Type: FTE Project Manager + Client Resourcing / Technical Manager / Agile CoachQualificationScience / Engineering GraduateResponsibilityProduct Roadmap:Understand the overall product roadmap as articulated by agile coach/product owner and translate roadmap into team specific release planning and sprint planning.Break down the requirements into independent programs; identify dependencies between each program; prioritize the programs based on the dependencies, business value and criticality enable smooth and phased delivery.Coaching & Facilitating:Identify the training programs for the team members; coach and mentor team members to develop agile capabilities, self-organization etc.; explain benefits and scrum principles to the product owner and team.Process Improvements:Identify the need to bring in scrum tools or practices to improve productivity and build collaboration; review process to ensure all scrum practices are being followed; facilitate retrospection at the end of each sprint; filter the learning for the next sprint; identify best practices and ensure that they are implemented; document the learning / outcome of retrospection notes.Client Stakeholder Management:Jointly with PM, review the project progress with customers; identify and communicate impediments and work out a way around.Requirements Gathering:Facilitate all interactions that the team has with the Product Owner to gather and prioritize the requirements; review documented requirements as shared by the Product Owner; review documentation to understand the product, as required; review the product backlog and release plan to verify priorities and effectiveness; check the product backlog to ensure all requirements are captured and weekly reviews on the product backlog are conducted; conduct trainings for the Product Owner on format and need to write user stories, maintaining the product backlog etc.; understand the environment and dependencies which can impede the team; facilitate the conversations between the product owner and the team to clarify user stories, priorities and ensure that the team is able to determine the duration and design without any interference; conduct trainings for the team on the estimate tools, techniques and process to be followed; understand the plan to check for feasibility based on the number and priority of features, during sprint planning; facilitate meetings to ensure efficiency; protect the team from external influences; identify impediments and aid/guide team in overcoming same.Design & Coding:Guide the teams towards improving the scrum way of working including ensuring cross term coordination; facilitate daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, retrospective and sprint demos; support the Product Owner at client and Cognizant to keep the backlog, communicate updates, communicate impediments and maintain release plan(s); support the team by removing impediments; liaise between the team (inclusive of developers, testers) and other practices to ensure focus on each release; identify dependencies and ensure no delays in accomplishing sprint goals; track metrics and leverage scrum artefacts (e.g. backlogs, burn down charts etc.) to communicate progress to customer sponsors; remove interferences to ensure team is working efficiently (for specific accounts / projects); act as a bridge for distributed scrum; track the velocity; work with the product owner to ensure that the release plan is revised post every sprint; review estimates and task board to ensure the same is updated.Testing:Identify and suggest testing processes and tools to the team.Defect Management:At the end of each sprint, track metrics (e.g. velocity, code quality, defect density across all phases, code review metrics, testing metrics) for each sprint, report the same to the management; review and share observations on bug status, closure; review the defect management plan and review the corrective steps as taken by the team; facilitate the conversation so that the team identifies and takes corrective actions.