The Scrum Roles and Responsibilities: Explained

Building a Scrum Team is the first step toward implementing the Scrum framework within an organization. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand Scrum Roles and each of their responsibilities.

As Scrum roles differ from the usual project roles, we’ve prepared a guide to walk you through all the specifics. 

We’ve also included some interesting expert insights and several useful tips on how to build a successful Scrum Team.

So, let’s dive in!

• The 3 main roles within the Scrum Team are Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. 
• The Product Owner works on maximizing the product value and also manages the Product Backlog.
• The Scrum Master leads and guides the entire Scrum Team, as well as teaches and facilitates the implementation of Scrum.
• Developers are those who develop and create usable Product Increments each Sprint. 
• Scrum Master focuses on the team, while the project manager focuses on the project itself.
• Building a Scrum Team is a process that aims to foster a sense of unity and self-management within the team by devoting enough time to growth, investing in team-building, coming up with a team name, and embracing Sprint Retrospectives.

What are Scrum Roles? (+ their responsibilities)

The 3 main roles in a Scrum Team are Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers.  

Scrum roles exist to provide clarity of responsibilities within the Scrum Team. 

According to The Scrum Guide, the Scrum Team is a small team of typically 10 or fewer people, who all work together toward a common objective — the Product Goal. 

To improve focus and efficiency and ensure continuous improvement, the Scrum Team works in Sprints. With every Sprint, the Team is accountable for creating a valuable Increment (a concrete step toward the Product Goal). 

The Scrum Team is responsible for all product-related tasks, such as:

• Collaboration with project stakeholders,
• Maintenance,
• Operation,
• Experimentation,
• Research and Development, and much more.

Now, let’s describe each role’s specific responsibilities in more detail. 

Role #1: Product Owner — maximizing the product value

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the product value, as well as effective Product Backlog management.

Here are some of the usual responsibilities of a Product Owner:

• Sets and expresses the Product Goal,
• Creates and communicates the Product Backlog items to the team, 
• Orders the Product Backlog items, 
• Transfers the Product Backlog items to the Sprint Backlog, and
• Makes sure that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and understood.

Here’s how our contributor, Dr. Todd A. Jacobs, CISM CISSP MBA PhD, Chief Information Technology Officer at CodeGnome Consulting, describes the role of a Product Owner:

Role #2: Scrum Master — leading and coaching the team

A Scrum Master is a leader who guides the entire Scrum Team and facilitates the implementation of the Scrum framework.

Instead of focusing on the project or product itself, Scrum Master helps everyone within an organization understand Scrum theory and practice.

The Scrum Master plays a triple role, as they serve:

• The Scrum Team,
• The Product Owner, and
• The Organization.

The Scrum Master’s responsibilities include:

• Assisting the Product Owner during Sprint Planning and Sprint Reviews to ensure the direction is clearly set,
• Coaching team members in self-management,
• Teaching team members cross-functionality,
• Helping team members focus on the creation of valuable Increments,
• Assisting team members in meeting the Definition of Done (the agreed-on quality measures),
• Removing any obstacles that hinder the team’s progress, 
• Making sure that the team understands the need to define clear Product Backlog items, 
• Helping establish empirical product planning for a complex environment,
• Leading the organization in its Scrum adoption,
• Removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams, and much more.

Dr. Todd A. Jacobs adds that the best Scrum Masters have several traits in common:

Role #3: Developers — delivering releasable increments of work

Developers are the members of a Scrum Team who create usable Product Increments each Sprint. 

The term Developers refers to the individuals who develop and create the Increment, regardless of the domain of work.

Several typical responsibilities of the development team members include:

• Planning the Sprint,
• Creating the Sprint Backlog, 
• Adjusting the daily plan through Daily Scrum meetings to meet the Sprint Goal, 
• Ensuring quality by sticking to the Definition of Done, and 
• Holding other Developers accountable as professionals.

Here’s how Dr. Todd A. Jacobs explains the Developers’ role in a Scrum Team:

Scrum Master vs project manager

As the Scrum Master’s role often coincides with that of a project manager, we’ve turned to experts to help explain the difference.

Here’s how Abhay Talreja, a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, an Agile guru, and a Certified Scrum Master, describes the Scrum Master’s role:

On the other hand, as Abhay explains, a project manager has a more direct role in a team’s day-to-day work:

According to Christina Lukynyuk, a Certified Scrum Master and Project Manager at Softjourn, inc., there’s one thing in particular that differentiates a Scrum Master from a project manager:

How to build a Scrum Team

Building a Scrum Team involves much more than just putting people together and expecting them to be a team. 

On the contrary, this should be a carefully thought-out process that aims at fostering a sense of unity and self-management. 

To clarify what exactly this entails, we’ve prepared a few useful tips that should help you build a Scrum Team that actually works well together.

So, keep reading!

Tip #1: Give time for growth

As explained in the article by Christiaan Verwijs, How To Kickstart A Great Scrum Team (10 practical things to do), there are several phases all teams need to go through until they arrive at the phase when they constructively and independently work together to create value.

To reach the so-called performing phase, where the team feels safe and has no fear of making mistakes, a certain time needs to pass.

How much time it’ll take differs from team to team. So, don’t rush anywhere. It may take a few Sprints until the Scrum Team members become more flexible in their roles.

And it’s the Scrum Master’s responsibility to guide and advise the team until they’ve reached that point.

Tip #2: Invest in team-building activities

We’ve already mentioned that one of the Scrum Master’s responsibilities is to teach the Scrum Team self-management. 

This means that the team members should arrive at the point where they autonomously organize and control their work, as well as become capable of solving problems on their own. 

However, for this to happen, the key is to form a collaborative team environment first. 

And what’s a better way to do this than by investing time in team-building activities?

Team-building activities are a great way to break the ice, help team members get to know each other, and step out of their comfort zone. 

Tip #3: Come up with a team name

An excellent way to build a sense of community is to ask the team to come up with a team name. 

Having a unique team name is not only fun but also a powerful way to better connect the team members. 

As explained in the previously-mentioned article by Verwijs, people will more easily associate themselves with the group if you give them something small, such as a team name, to identify with.

Tip #4: Embrace Sprint Retrospectives

Sprint Retrospectives are the most important Scrum Events, as they are a perfect opportunity for Scrum Team members to grow. 

So, make sure not to skip them.

Also, be well-prepared for the Retrospectives and always experiment with different approaches, as this helps teams reflect on themselves and their processes from a different perspective each time.

The main goal is that the team members develop the ability to come up with solutions themselves, and the Scrum Master should be there only to assist them.

📖 Now that you know what Scrum roles and responsibilities are, dive further into the topic of project management — Check out our Project Management Glossary of Terms and get acquainted with project management terminology.

How Plaky helps the Scrum Team perform better in their roles

In conclusion, while each Scrum Role has its distinctive responsibilities, their effective collaboration significantly influences the overall performance of the Scrum Team. 

So, our advice is to analyze each Role independently but focus on making them all work as one.

Here’s a tip regarding the Scrum Team efficiency offered by Dr. Todd A. Jacobs:

Using the Plaky project management tool can help each of the Scrum Team members perform in their roles better. Product Owners can manage the Product Backlog in Plaky, while Developers may organize and plan Sprints. 

In addition, using Plaky will help the team learn to function as a cohesive unit while making the Scrum process transparent and organized properly.

To start managing your Scrum process with the Plaky project management tool — sign up for Plaky’s free account and try it today.

References

• Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. https://scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2020/2020-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf#zoom=100
• Verwijs, C. (2020, October 15). How to kickstart a great scrum team (10 practical things to do). Medium. https://medium.com/the-liberators/how-to-kickstart-a-great-scrum-team-10-practical-things-to-do-2143bdde1a8d