Top 5 Books for New Scrum Masters
Recommended reading list for aspiring Scrum Masters in 2022
As a new or aspiring Scrum Master, it can be difficult to know what to read first as there are hundreds of books about Scrum. Additionally, there are countless more books that you can read about software development, product management, and Agile, and most of them are not written with beginners or non-technical audiences in mind. The following list contains my five essential books for anyone who is new to performing the Scrum Master role or is considering it as a career transition, and should hopefully help you get started on your Scrum Master journey!
When I started as a Scrum Master I felt that one of the hardest challenges (other than learning about Scrum), was gaining a wider contextual understanding of software development and product management. There are two books on this list to help you learn about these areas. The other three books are about Scrum as a framework, the Scrum Master role (accountability), and facilitating the Sprint Retrospective (a Scrum Event). Collectively I believe these five books provide a great foundation for anyone looking to start as a Scrum Master working with software teams.
Essential pre-reading
I am starting with the assumption that you have read The Scrum Guide but if not you can find it here. The Scrum Guide is written (present tense, as it is usually updated every few years) by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland (the originators of Scrum) and contains the definition of Scrum and the elements and rules of the framework. I would recommend regularly reading the Scrum Guide (as often as several times a week!) when you are first getting started.
You should also read the Agile Manifesto (you can find it here). It is a list of 4 values and 12 principles that was written in 2001 by 17 software practitioners (including Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland). As you continue to learn more about Scrum and Agile, you will frequently hear references to the Agile Manifesto’s values and principles, understanding them can help you develop a deeper understanding of Agile.
1. Scrum: A Pocket Guide — 3rd edition — by Gunther Verheyen
Read this to learn about: Scrum and common Agile practices
Gunther Verheyan’s hugely popular Scrum book (currently in its third edition) is a concise guide at 121 pages, yet it offers significant elaboration on the Scrum Guide’s intentionally brief 14 pages. It makes a clear distinction between explaining the rules of Scrum (what is defined in the Scrum Guide) and describing additional tactics (common practices that are used by many Scrum teams but are not part of the Scrum Guide). For this reason (and due to its overall high quality) it is particularly popular with people studying for the PSM I exam (Scrum.org’s Scrum Master certification). It also provides some historical context around software development and the origins of Agile and Scrum.
2. Scrum Mastery: From Good To Great Servant Leadership — 2nd Edition — by Geoff Watts
Read this to learn: How to become a great Scrum Master
This book is focused on Scrum from the perspective of the Scrum Master. Geoff writes in the introduction that the patterns and practices he presents in the book illustrate the difference between “good and great — not bad and good”.
The bulk of the book is structured around nine chapters, which are each dedicated to a characteristic of a great Scrum Master. Each chapter contains three fictional stories which illustrate how a great Scrum Master might work with their team in a particular scenario. I really like this book as it provides solid examples of how Scrum Masters can better serve their team in common real-life scenarios.
Tip: As the chapters are self-contained, this book is a really great choice if you are running a Scrum Master book club.
3. Working with Coders: A Guide to Software Development for the Perplexed Non-Techie — by Patrick Gleeson
Read this to learn about: Basic software development and what developers do
Working with Coders is a book I always recommend to aspiring Scrum Masters who are not from a developer or technical background. While Scrum is starting to be more widely adopted beyond the context of software development, this is still where the vast majority of roles exist. Scrum Masters do not necessarily have to be ‘technical’, but they must understand enough of what the team does to be helpful. This book offers the perfect introduction to software development for the non-technical audience, and will really help you to understand what it is Developers do and how to work best with them.
4. Strategize: Product Strategy and Product Roadmap Practices for the Digital Age — by Roman Pichler
Read this to learn about: Product Management (Product Owner)
There are three accountabilities (roles) in a Scrum Team: Scrum Master, Developers, and Product Owner. The previous book (Working with Coders) will help you to understand Developers and their world. Likewise, Strategize by Roman Pichler, will help you understand what your Product Owner does, and how to work with and support them.
It’s worth noting that this book is about product management rather than the Scrum-specific role of the Product Owner, and covers common product management practices and artifacts that exist outside of Scrum, such as Product Roadmaps, Product Lifecycles, Personas, Minimum Viable Product, etc. However, I like to recommend this book because it is important for Scrum Masters to understand what Product Owners do beyond the context of Scrum.
5. Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great — by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen
Read this to learn: How to facilitate Sprint Retrospectives
Of the five Scrum Events described in the Scrum Guide, the Sprint Retrospective is usually the event that new Scrum Masters find the most challenging to facilitate. Esther Derby and Diana Larsen’s book provides a five-step structure for Retrospectives and activities to help you design your own. This is essential reading for any Scrum Master who is working with a team that is struggling to have effective Sprint Retrospectives or engage in continuous improvement.
Other notable mentions
Picking just five books was a real challenge, so below are four more books that you might like to add to or substitute for the above.
- Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process — by Kenneth S. Rubin
If you want to purchase a single, in-depth book on Scrum (496 pages), this is a great option. All of the books in the Addison-Wesley Signature Series that I have read are high-quality, but this is perhaps the best starting point in that series for new Scrum Masters. - The Elements of Scrum — by Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson
For several years this was my number one book recommendation for anyone new to Scrum. It offers a great overview of Scrum and supporting practices. I still think it is one of the best introductions to Scrum available, but it could benefit from a revision to bring it up-to-date with the latest version of the Scrum Guide. - Agile Product Management with Scrum — by Roman Pilcher
Another book on product management by Roman Pilcher, but this time with a focus on the Product Owner role in the context of Scrum. Like Strategize it does reference product management practices and artifacts that are not part of Scrum, but it also offers in-depth guidance around the Product Owner's role and responsibilities. - Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time — by Jeff Sutherland
This book outlines the history and development of Scrum from the perspective of Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum, and offers an interesting insight into the reasoning behind Scrum concepts.
Thanks for reading my article😀 I hope you have found this reading list useful. If you have any alternative, essential reading recommendations for new Scrum Masters please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear them!
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