What does a Scrum Master actually look at?

[Akankshya_M _Amoeboids_]

This is the 1st question which I wanted to ask the Scrum Masters:

What do you actually look at on your Jira dashboard every day?

I’m trying to understand how Scrum Masters actually use Jira during a sprint, beyond the standard reports and charts.

If you’re a Scrum Master, what are the 3–5 things you check first when you open your Jira dashboard?

For example:

• Sprint progress or burndown

• Blocked/flagged issues

• Work in progress

• Team workload

• Velocity

• Scope changes

• Bugs

• Something else entirely

And is there any metric or gadget that you find particularly useful for spotting a problem before it becomes a bigger issue?

I’m more interested in what you actually use in your day-to-day work rather than what Jira documentation recommends.

I’d love to hear how different teams approach this.

[Martin Runge]

Hi @Akankshya_M _Amoeboids_

I would open the board first, not a dashboard.
The Scrum board tells you more in ten seconds than any gadget.

My daily order was after that:

• Anything in the rightmost column before Done, since that is where handovers stall
  and also flagged work items.
• Sprint burndown or burnup, mainly to spot a flat line or scope added mid-sprint
• The Control Chart in Reports shows cycle time spread, and a widening spread is an early warning long before the burndown looks bad.

Cheers Martin

[Akankshya_M _Amoeboids_]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for sharing this information! This information is really helpful, especially the point about checking the Scrum board before jumping into the dashboard.

I particularly liked your approach of looking at handover bottlenecks and flagged work and then using burndown/burnup and the Control Chart to spot early warning signs. The point about cycle time widening before the burndown starts looking particularly concerning is something I hadn’t considered from a Scrum Master’s perspective.

I’m currently exploring how Scrum Masters use Jira dashboards in their day-to-day work, so insights like these are really useful for understanding what actually matters beyond just having a dashboard full of metrics.

Thanks again for sharing your experience! 🙂