What is a Scrum Team in Agile

We all know how project management professionals always search for new technologies and methodologies that can help streamline their workflow. Scrum has become one of the most prominent new frameworks to be adopted by project management teams worldwide over the years. 66% of Agile businesses are already utilizing Scrum. It is also proved that teams employing this framework deliver 250% improvement in quality. 

That is why many companies have successfully implemented Scrum teams as part of their project management approach. You must note here that the Scrum structure and principles are suited for all types of teamwork, even though it is recurrently used in the context of software development teams. Hence, you can explore more career avenues across industries with a Scrum Master certification. 

Now, let us learn what is a Scrum Team in Agile, the benefits of using this particular approach, and the different roles within the same team. 

What is a Scrum Team?

A Scrum team refers to a group of collaborators, usually around five or nine individuals. These professionals work toward completing projects and delivering particular products. There is no specific rank or hierarchy within a Scrum team. It acts as a cohesive unit of goal-oriented individuals.

The fundamental scrum development team comprises the following:

• One Scrum Master
• One Product Owner
• A Group of Developers

You must understand how does a Scrum team works before moving forward to being a part of it. Here is a look at the respective team members and their respective responsibilities. 

• Scrum Master

The Scrum Master helps to keep the team accountable to their respective commitments to any business. The professional also helps remove any roadblocks that might impede the Scrum team’s productivity. They meet with the team regularly to review deliverables and work, most often in a weekly cadence. The role of a Scrum Master does not end here. The professional also needs to coach and motivate every team member without enforcing any rules on them. 

Also check:Role of a SAFe Scrum Master

The responsibilities of a Scrum Master include:

• Ensuring the project management process runs smoothly
• Removing obstacles that impact any productivity
• Organizing critical events and meetings

• Product Owner

The product owner is a significant part of the Scrum team who knows what the customer wants, including the relative business value. This person can translate the customer’s wants and values back into the respective Scrum team. 

A product owner also knows the business case for a particular product and the respective features that every customer wants. This professional must be available to consult with the team to make sure they are correctly implementing the product vision. 

Most importantly, the product owner must have the authority to make decisions necessary to complete the project. Hence, this professional is responsible for managing the entire product backlog, which includes:

• Expressing all product backlog items. 
• Ordering the things to achieve goals and missions.
• Optimizing the value of the whole team’s work. 
• Ensuring that the product backlog is transparent and clear to everyone.
• Showing what the Scrum team will work on further.
• Ensuring that the Scrum team understands items in the particular product backlog. 

• Development Team

Development teams are always structured and empowered to organize and manage their own work. The resulting synergy optimizes the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the entire team. Here is a look at the characteristics of a development team in detail:

• Development teams are cross-functional and possess all the necessary skills to create a product increment. 
• There are no specific titles for development team members under Scrum, regardless of the work being performed by the members.
• Scrum also does not recognize any sub-teams within the development team. It is regardless of the specific domains to be addressed, like operations, business analysis, testing, architecture, etc. 
• Individual members of a Scrum development team may have specialized skills and areas of focus. Yet, the accountability belongs to the entire development team as a whole.

Three Pillars of a Scrum Team

The Scrum team includes self-motivated individuals who work collaboratively towards successful product delivery across organizations. Here are the three pillars that make a Scrum development team even more vital.

• Transparency

Everyone in the Scrum team will have an easy and transparent flow of information. These members must be aligned toward a common goal. This includes knowing the roles and responsibilities of every team professional. 

• Inspection

All members of a Scrum Team remain entitled to do timely checks on particular progress towards some common goal since these teams do not have any hierarchy or sub-teams, it makes it easier for everyone to do such inspections.

• Adaptation 

An Agile Scrum Team always adapts to organizational changes as soon as possible. This transition helps them optimize the product value instantly.

Benefits of a Scrum Team

Using the Scrum Team approach has proved to be beneficial for many organizations. Scrum teams have highlighted success even outside of the software development industry. This is because the team helps simplify project management and product release. Here are some of the most striking benefits of using a particular Scrum Team to move any organization's project management forward:

• Ensuring Simultaneous Work

Scrum teams often work on different project components within a particular time slot. This process enables collaborators to make continual shifts during the particular project's development instead of at the end. Working simultaneously also promotes team collaboration. It allows teams to integrate multiple perspectives into their work regularly. This further benefits the quality of end products. Therefore, Scrum Teams can produce higher caliber work than ordinarily needed.

• Having Clear Workflow Processes

The workflow benchmarks within the Scrum framework help teams stay on task. It further helps the teams focus on their end goals. Scrum teams often move between phases of sprints, daily scrum, sprint review, project planning, release planning, sprint planning, and retrospectives. Each phase requires a different and unique collaborative process. Hence, the workflow is clearer for everyone because these phases are clear in their expectations.

• Increasing Return on Investment (ROI)

The Return on Investment (ROI) rises when different businesses use Scrum Teams. This is the time and effort specific groups spend using the Scrum methodology. Such processes are better than those teams using other methods than Agile. It also implies the Scrum Teams are less likely to make pricey mistakes. Moreover, they may require less human work in the long run. 

It is common for any company's return to increase after investing less money to complete any high-value project. Further, the risk associated with investing in project management may be reduced if any business employs a Scrum Team that improves ROI consistently.

• Improving Team Morale

The Scrum framework and Agile principles help maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of a particular team's collective efforts. Thus, Scrum Teams focus on in-person communication and teamwork, feedback loops, long-term sustainability, and self-forming alliances. Scrum also requires these teams to reflect on their work. It helps determine what is or is not working and adjust the entire process accordingly. Hence, the Scrum framework works for teams because it is more human-oriented and guides Agile principles inherently.

Why is Scrum a Success?

The Scrum framework facilitates the fast release of products that have an enhanced value. The work happens simultaneously but not sequentially within the Scrum Team. This process gives the entire team an exceptional ability to make changes during the lifetime of the particular project and not at its end. 

There are various reasons behind Scrum being a success:

• Increased ROI 
• Decrease time to market 
• Better team morale 
• Promote team collaboration 
• Decreased risk 

Conclusion

The Scrum framework is based on Agile values and principles that help optimize the value of deliverables. So, if you are interested in being a part of an organization’s Scrum Team, there are many compelling reasons to explore a professional certification course in this Agile framework. 

You can become a Certified Scrum Master (CSM)® Certification, which helps you acquire the skills and principles of Scrum. The certification also expands your Agile career opportunities. It acts as a recognition that you have mastered the required skills to manage any Scrum environment. Want to know more about professional Scrum certification courses? 
Visit Simpliaxis now and get registered for the course that best suits your career avenues.