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The differences between scrum masters and project team leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a scrum master and a project team lead. Additionally, a project team lead has an average salary of $105,306, which is higher than the $86,329 average annual salary of a scrum master.
The top three skills for a scrum master include jira, software development and agile scrum. The most important skills for a project team lead are project management, R, and project scope.
| Scrum Master | Project Team Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $86,329 | $105,306 |
| Hourly rate | $41.50 | $50.63 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 44,670 | 125,539 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A scrum master is a job that's rooted in leadership. It is the scrum master's responsibility to ensure a scrum process over the development of a project. They are not directly involved in the decision-making but guide the team in completing the scrum process with their experience and expertise. Also, a scrum master must be adept at being agile in approaching a project and also be able to schedule meetings during the process. In addition, the scrum master acts as a coach as well, helping the scrum teamwork cross-functionally.
A project team lead sets up the expectations for the team members. Project team leads are in charge of setting the direction for the team members. They see to it that the members will not stray from the team's goals. They lead and engage in project works. It is their job to maintain the dynamics of the team. It is their aim not to fail in their management and leadership skills. They need to have conflict and resolution skills, communication skills, attention to detail, and patience.
Scrum masters and project team leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scrum Master | Project Team Lead | |
| Average salary | $86,329 | $105,306 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $114,000 | Between $80,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a scrum master and a project team lead in terms of educational background:
| Scrum Master | Project Team Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between scrum masters' and project team leads' demographics:
| Scrum Master | Project Team Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |