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9 Best-in-Class AI Tools Scrum Masters Will Need in 2024
There are all kinds of ways Scrum Masters can profit from using AI.
And when we choose the very best tools for our situation, it can mean a lasting competitive advantage.
I’ve picked out 9 of the very best AI tools for Scrum Masters which help us do more, better work faster. These tools span a range of disciplines, from generalist project management software to budget management, from Agile reporting to productivity and writing tools.
Let’s have a look at some of these great tools we can take advantage of as we head into 2024.
1. Stepsize AI
Stepsize AI is the AI tool for automatic, tailored Agile reporting.
If you’re like most Scrum Masters, you probably spend too long chasing updates and working out what’s really happened during each week, sprint or other Agile period.
Stepsize AI delivers automated, context-rich weekly sprint reports based on data from your issue tracker.
Right now it works with Jira and Linear, with more tools to be supported soon.
By analyzing activities on Jira boards or Linear teams, it connects tasks and projects, offering insights without the need for manual data trawling.
For Scrum Masters, it means accurate progress summaries loaded with data, and maintaining focus on goals, significantly reducing the time spent on chasing people or spending meetings catching up rather than getting strategic.
Best features
- Context-aware AI – it grasps the nuanced context of projects, sub-projects and goals
- Concise, readable updates – data overload is a common occurrence. Stepsize AI curates the insights that matter and conveys them concisely.
- Goal-centric reporting – it innately links your project and sprint progress to objectives
And it’s a security-first tool, so your data is safe and is never used to train an AI model.
How I'd use it - Connect Stepsize AI to your Jira or Linear instance. This is straightforward and takes a couple of minutes. Then you’ll receive context-rich, actionable yet concise weekly reports every week, which you can use to run Agile meetings like the sprint review.
Pricing: Your first update is free. Stepsize AI costs $29/month per regular update.
Check out Stepsize AI here – you can get your first update for free in a few minutes.
2. Motion
Motion’s an AI-driven platform for project and time management.
Motion uses AI to organize, prioritize, and schedule tasks. It automates these often tedious aspects of project management. Scrum Masters can leverage Motion to optimize team workflows, automatically adjust schedules, and incorporate productivity strategies like time blocking. The AI’s proactive approach to task management is a big time-saver.
Key features
- AI for task prioritization and schedule creation
- Automatic schedule adjustments
- Custom meeting booking pages
How I'd use it - Motion is particularly useful for Scrum Masters managing dynamic projects with shifting priorities. Its AI-driven scheduling and task prioritization are excellent for teams that need to adapt quickly to changes while maintaining productivity.
Pricing – $34 monthly for individual users, or $20/user/month for teams at the time of writing. Reduced prices for annual billing.
3. Otter
Otter AI takes away meeting pain.
Otter serves as an AI-powered assistant for transcribing and summarizing meetings. Scrum Masters are often burdened with documenting meetings. By automating the transcription and summary of meetings, Otter allows Scrum Masters to spend less time doing this frankly boring and unproductive busy-work and more time doing the strategic stuff that makes an impact.
Key features
- AI-powered meeting summarization
- Live transcription during meetings
- Automated capture of important slides
How I'd use it - Otter’s an all-round winner for any Scrum Master, and – in fact – an excellent general tool for every team member. It’s particularly useful for distributed teams, where maintaining accurate, accessible meeting records is crucial for alignment and collaboration.
Pricing – Free to try, or unlock more features at the $10 or $20 per month tiers at the time of writing.
4. Forecast
AI-driven platform for optimizing resource and project management.
Forecast is an enterprise-ready AI-driven tool that integrates work, resources, and finances to provide a holistic management solution. It uses AI to offer smart recommendations, risk warnings, and project and financial management insights. Scrum Masters can use Forecast to make project execution more predictable and efficient, with a focus on improving financial performance.
Key features
- Proactive risk management with AI-powered insights
- Real-time recommendations for team efficiency
- Predictive analytics for task and budget forecasting
How I'd use it - Ideal for medium to large businesses, Forecast helps Scrum Masters manage multiple projects by maximizing resource utilization and financial returns.
Pricing – They don’t share their pricing online.
5. Hive
An all-in-one project management tool integrating project layouts, collaboration, and analytics.
Our first project management tool in this list is here because it’s AI-rich, and comes with powerful AI capabilities that some of the bigger, more generalist names in this space lack.
It's designed to manage projects, tasks, deadlines, and team collaboration efficiently. For Scrum Masters, Hive offers an opportunity to streamline complex project management tasks, from initial planning to final reporting. Its AI component, HiveMind, uses AI technology to assist in project initiation and task management, making project setup and execution faster and more intuitive.
Key features
- Comprehensive project management with flexible hierarchies
- AI-driven assistant, HiveMind, for project and task management
- Advanced reporting and analytics for project oversight
How I'd use it – The AI component, HiveMind, adds an extra layer of efficiency that earns it a place on this list. Scrum Masters can use it to optimise workflow and reduce manual effort.
Pricing – Single users can try it free. Teams will pay $12/month/user at the time of writing.
6. Monday
A great all-rounder in project management software with a great user experience.
There are a few big names in mainstream project management software, but only two are on this list. I’ve a soft spot for both, and I have different reasons to like each.
The first of these is Monday, and the second is ClickUp, which is next on this list. Others to consider include Notion (a slick all-in-one solution similar to ClickUp), Asana (great for having an almost endless list of integrations), Jira (if you need a seasoned enterprise-ready choice) or Trello (if something lightweight will do).
Known for its customizability and user-friendly interface, Monday supports various project views and provides templates for easy setup. The AI assistant enhances the overall experience by aiding in routine tasks.
Monday’s has an AI Assistant which Scrum Masters in task generation, email composition, and project breakdown.
Key features
- AI assistant for routine tasks
- Supports multiple project views like Gantt charts and Kanban
- Extensive template library for quick setup
How I'd use it – In truth, Monday is my favourite project tracking software. It’s extremely easy to customise, the UI is neat and tidy and it has fab automation features that anyone can use. Its AI features, while not groundbreaking, add a layer of convenience.
Pricing – Two users can try Monday free with limited features. Get all features for £14/user/mo billed annually at the time of writing – there are two more tiers with various service levels at £7 and £9 respectively.
7. ClickUp
ClickUp is an all-in-one project management software with AI capabilities.
ClickUp integrates various project management features, including dashboards, in-team chat, whiteboards and docs. Its AI component assists in creating project timelines, briefs, and relevant tasks. For Scrum Masters, ClickUp offers a unified solution for managing all aspects of a project, supported by AI-driven insights and automation.
Key features
- Unified platform for all project management needs
- AI assistant for task creation and summarization
- Extensive collaboration and communication tools
How I'd use it - ClickUp is excellent for smaller teams seeking an all-in-one solution. While it may not satisfy every specific need of larger teams, its generalist approach and AI capabilities make it a strong contender in project management software.
Pricing – Single users can try Clickup free with limited features. Get unlimited usage from $7/user/mo and advanced features from $12/user/mo at the time of writing.
8. AudioPen
Now for something different. AudioPen lets you ramble on any topic, and it’ll turn it into something coherent.
Basically, it’s a voice-to-text AI conversion tool. It restructures waffle or incoherent ideas into clear, concise text. Scrum Masters can use AudioPen to quickly document thoughts that arise.
Key features
- Accurate and fast voice-to-text transcription
- Intelligent summarization of ideas, no matter how incoherent
How I'd use it - Keep AudioPen open in a tab. When you have an idea you’re struggling to articulate, pop it open and let AudioPen work out what you’re trying to say. I love it!
Pricing – AudioPen is free. You can unlock premium features with a “Prime” plan costing $75 per year, or $120 for two years.
9. Quillbot
Quillbot’s a simple AI-powered tool for writing better words.
Quillbot is designed to streamline the writing process by offering advanced paraphrasing capabilities. It's an excellent tool for Scrum Masters who need to refine project documentation, emails, or reports. With features like a synonym slider and AI-powered thesaurus, Quillbot ensures that your written content is not only clear but also engaging.
Key features
- Synonym slider for vocabulary customization
- AI-powered thesaurus for language enrichment
- Integration with browsers and software like Chrome and Microsoft Word
How I'd use it - Spend significant time drafting and editing written communications? You need Quillbot. Great for non-native English speakers or anyone who wants to write with impact.
Pricing – Free. Or upgrade for premium features for $19.95/month at the time of writing, with decent discounts for less regular billing.
That’s it…
These AI tools, each with their unique capabilities, can significantly enhance the productivity and effectiveness for Scrum Masters. Investing the right Agile AI tools can make all the difference in the delivery of your projects.
With 2023 ending, it’s the perfect time to try out AI tools ahead of 2024 and see what makes the most significant impact for you and your team.
Investing in the right software development productivity tools can make all the difference in team productivity and the quality of your projects. These tools each offer unique features to solve common challenges in engineering and development environments. Try them out and see which ones make the most significant impact on your team's efficiency and effectiveness.
We built Stepsize AI to help product engineering teams know what’s happening without lifting a finger.
I’d love to know what you think of the tool.
Check out Stepsize AI here – your first update is on the house.
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