Three Roles in Scrum

Scrum is one of the most commonly used Agile frameworks. A majority of the organizations that adopt Agile use Scrum or Scrum hybrid. It is a Project Management methodology on which the teams build their processes. Scrum provides the basic structure for assigning work, conducting regular meetings, and preparing artifacts. It is a popular Agile framework that helps teams deliver products through well-defined roles and events. Each Scrum Team is different from the others but they all have a common goal and that is to deliver the incremental value of high quality to the customer. Every member of the Scrum Team has unique skills and contributes in his own way to the project's overall success. In a framework like Scrum, complex adaptive problems are addressed, and products of high value are delivered efficiently and productively. 

However, Scrum does not provide a standard model within which every kind of team can work. Every team must have people with skills specific to the project's requirements. So, for every project, the team's structure would be different. The more complex the problem, the more the teams need better skills and more work. The teams must have the flexibility to adapt to change as they go along. Scrum provides a lightweight structure to work in this fast-paced, ever-changing, and highly competitive world. And this structure contains three roles. Assigning roles to the people who work as per the Agile framework is one of the important features of Scrum. The question is often asked: a Scrum Team consists of which 3 roles? The 3 Scrum roles are the Developers, the Scrum Master, and the Product Owner. In this article, we will look at these roles and their responsibilities.

Scrum Teams are usually self-organized and do not have any hierarchy. The successful implementation of the Scrum framework depends on the commitment of each individual towards it. Therefore, it becomes very important that everyone clearly understands the framework and boundaries of their roles and accepts the responsibilities attached to them. One thing to be understood clearly here is that the Scrum roles are not job titles. They are roles defined for specific functions. Having a skillful and efficient Scrum Team involves filling all three roles carefully. However, the team's success will depend on the collective qualities of the Scrum Team.

So, let us now understand the three roles in Scrum individually.

Three roles of a Scrum Team:

1. Developers

This is the first of three Scrum roles. Developers perform the actual hands-on work to complete and deliver the desired tasks in a Sprint. They develop the Product Increments in the scrum for which a commitment has been made. Developers usually consist of 3 to 9 members and is self-organized. All these members should have the skills to develop and deliver the requested product or service. As the perception may go, all the team members are not necessarily engineers. According to the Scrum guide, Developers may comprise architects, designers, programmers, writers, data analysts, Quality assurance experts, etc. as needed. The bottom line is that all of them are professionals. As we can see, the development team is cross-functional. 

They should work together and meet the Sprint Goals. Since the Developers are self-organized, they don't have to look anywhere for instructions. The members collaborate to set the team goals and plan to reach them. When the development team is assembled, it usually takes some time before they get familiar and comfortable with each other and start collaborating realistically. That is when they can fully utilize their combined skills and expertise. So, it is always better to have consistency in the development team because changing it frequently may affect its overall performance. The team members cooperate to make sure that the information flows through the team smoothly and issues are resolved quickly. 

Let us now look at the responsibilities of a Developer. These include:

• To help in Sprint Planning and setting the goals
• To build the product or service asked for
• To deliver ready-to-ship products or service
• To be self-organized and independent. It should be able to decide its own workload and the process to complete it.
• It has to be cross-functional, encompassing all the skills required to create and deliver the product or service. It must also include members with different skill sets.
• The development team has to have the autonomy that has to be complemented by accountability
• The team should be able to use data effectively so that the best practices for development can be identified
• The team members must work with full dedication on whichever product or service they are working on
• To decide on the number of items to be made in a particular sprint and the best way to achieve this
• It should be able to take decisions collectively, meet daily to discuss issues, and exchange ideas

2. Scrum Master 

The second of the 3 roles of Scrum is the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master is the glue that keeps everyone together and ensures that the Scrum works well. Scrum Master collaborates with the Product Owner to spell out the value and helps the development team deliver that value. He or she is a servant leader who is in a supportive role. The Scrum Master ensures that the Scrum Team works with maximum effect. This means they help keep the team aligned and on the right course, plan meetings, and resolve any issues the team might be facing or any hindrances they might be having. A Scrum Master manages the Scrum process but not the development team. 

The Scrum Master may assume a bigger role in help the organization in incorporating the Scrum concepts. Scrum Master does all he or she can to help the team and the Product Owner in achieving their goals. The Scrum Master educates and guides people in using the Scrum skillfully. He or she helps the Product Owner understand and communicate the value better, handling the backlog and breaking the work into smaller parts. We have seen that the development teams are self-organized but it is the Scrum Master who helps them self-organize and self-manage. Scrum Master also ensures that everyone follows Scrum practices. At the end of a development cycle, during the review, the Scrum Master guides the team in making changes and improvements for the next development cycle.

The main responsibilities of a Scrum Master are described below.

• To help the development team to focus on the results and reach the "done increment."
• Enable and organize daily Scrum meetings
• Lead the meetings held for planning sprints
• To ensure that the process runs smoothly
• To help in removing impediments to achieving higher productivity
• To act as a servant leader who helps and encourages the development team to self-organize
• A Scrum Master facilitates close cooperation among all the functions and works on any issues related to resources
• He or she keeps a close watch to see if the Scrum practices are being followed diligently
• Keeps close contact with individual team members either through one-to-one discussions or by way of other types of communication
• A Scrum Master tries to insulate the team members from distractions - both internal as well as external

In short, a Scrum Master is not a typical manager or leader but an influencer and a coach who does not command or control directly.

3. Product Owner

This is the last but certainly not the least of the 3 roles in Scrum. A Product Owner ensures the team is in tune with the overall product goal and delivers the maximum value. The product owner is the business representative and guides the development team regarding the important things to be delivered. A Product Owner knows the requirements the product or service is expected to fulfill. He or she understands the customer needs and market trends. Since the Product Owners understand what role the team has to play in achieving the broader goals, they maintain close contact with the product managers and other stakeholders. They are expected to identify features that will maximize the return on investment (ROI) and prioritize them.

They decide which features should be taken up first in the next sprint. They regularly change the priorities and refine the list based on the changed requirements. The Product Owner's domains provide the business vision and the product requirements. The Product Owner acts as a link between the business and the team. There can't be multiple Product Owners for one product or service. For every product or service, there is only one Product Owner who becomes the voice of the customer, representing his needs and expectations. Having technical knowledge is not essential for a Product Owner but he or she is supposed to have certain other competencies like the ability to manage deadlines and understand the best practices. The Product Owner should be able to understand the product or service requirements and explicitly explain them to the Scrum Master and the development team. The ability to organize and prioritize features is a necessary skill that a Product Owner is expected to possess.

Let us now see what the responsibilities of a Product Owner are.

• A Product Owner is the owner of the product backlog and is responsible for managing it. This means the Product Owner must know everything that is there in the product backlog and whoever puts anything in it must inform the Product Owner
• The Product Owner is responsible for managing releases. As there are frequent releases and deliveries can be made at any time, the Product Owner must know when the releases should be or can be made
• He or she is responsible for setting the priorities for the items in the product backlog
• If the Product Owner feels that a Sprint Goal is unnecessary, he can cancel the sprint
• The Product Owner is responsible for creating the product strategy and setting its direction along with setting the short and long-term goals
• To provide information about the product or service to the Scrum Master, development team, and other stakeholders
• To be aware of the needs of the customer and explain them to the development team
• To make decisions about the release schedule of the product features
• To regularly coordinate with the development team so that queries can be cleared and decisions can be made quickly
• Stakeholder management is another responsibility that a Product Owner has to shoulder. There would be multiple stakeholders in any product or service. The Product Owner must coordinate with all to ensure that the development team is delivering value to everyone's satisfaction

And lastly, the Product Owner is responsible for the budget and profitability of the product or service. In other words, he or she is accountable for the ROI.

So, we have described all the 3 roles in Scrum. These cover three significant realms of responsibility in any Scrum Team. These are very simple roles in the description. You can now see in which role you fit the best. Each of these roles requires unique skills and competencies and is critical for the success of every project in its own way. We are sure we have been able to bring out the requirements and responsibilities of each role. 

Conclusion

Scrum is a highly effective Agile framework that enables teams to deliver high-quality products through well-defined roles and processes. The three crucial roles in Scrum—Developers, Scrum Master, and Product Owner—each bring unique skills and responsibilities that contribute to the project's success. Developers focus on building and delivering the product, the Scrum Master ensures smooth processes and team cohesion, and the Product Owner aligns the product with business goals and customer needs. Understanding and fulfilling these roles are essential for any Scrum team to adapt, collaborate, and achieve their goals efficiently. Simpliaxis offers comprehensive training, including CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) certification, to help professionals excel in these vital Scrum roles.