What are the Three Roles in Scrum

Scrum is an innovative project administrative approach that is typically utilized in software development. When it derives to agile s/w development, Scrum is frequently viewed as an approach; nevertheless, rather than considering Scrum as a methodology, consider it as a framework for overseeing a workflow.

Through the Scrum framework, teams can self-organize and work towards a common objective using management. It outlines a series of gatherings, resources, and job descriptions for effective project delivery. Scrum techniques allow teams to self-manage, learn from experience, and adapt to change, much like a sports team rehearsing for a big game. Scrum is a methodology used by software teams to efficiently and sustainably address complex issues.

Also Read: Who is Facilitator?

What are the Three Roles in Scrum? 

Scrum includes duties that are very diverse from those associated with traditional s/w development methods. Individuals may do their tasks more successfully if their characteristics and duties are clearly defined. Scrum has three characteristics: 

- Product Owner (PO)

- Scrum Master (SM)

- Development Crew

These people comprise the Scrum Crew. To begin, you must carefully stick only to these obligations. This prevents misunderstandings, the expansion of barriers and silos, and promotes cooperation and communication among the Scrum team.

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Product Owner (PO)

A Product Owner (PO) is a key stakeholder in any Agile project. He is the one who provides the vision of what he wants to develop, and he is the one who shares his vision with customers and the scrum team. A PO must ensure that his vision is correctly interpreted and understood by all the stakeholders, as it is a MUST if the Product has to be implemented correctly and delivered successfully.

A product owner is a leader who is focused on maximizing the value of the products that are being developed by a Scrum Team. A PO is usually a lead user of the system and has a solid understanding of the existing Products, their users, and competitors that his / her organization already has. Apart from all this, a PO also analyses the future trend of the Product or system that is being developed and he/she is also aware of the real market value that the Product is going to bring to its customers.

Roles and Responsibilities of Product Owner

So here is the list of roles and responsibilities of a Product Owner:

1. Clearly defining Vision:

It’s the Product Owner's primary goal to clearly define the vision that he/she has envisioned for the product. But just having a clear picture of the goal of the product to achieve is not enough. PO will also need his / her vision to be properly communicated to the larger audiences like the customers, scrum team, decision makers etc. A slight misplacement of words in communicating product vision might result in the failure of an entire project delivery timeline.

Apart, from correct communication, PO will also have to ensure that his vision for the product is in line with the overall project objective and organizational goals.

2. Prioritizing and Managing Product Backlog:

After clearly defining the vision, the product owner will have to list down all the backlog items that he had earlier gathered while having a requirement-related discussion with customers. It’s the product owner who decides the priority of the backlog item. Priority is being decided based on the overall strategy and business objectives. This product backlog is the to-do list presented in sequence to the scrum development team by the product owner. Now setting the priority is one of the important responsibilities but managing the backlog items is also extremely and equally important.

3. Acting as a Mediator:

By now you would have realized that the product owner is the primary communicator and the main link between the customers, the scrum development team and all the other stakeholders. So, the primary skill that the product owner should have is excellent communication and also an excellent negotiator and domain expert. Customers would definitely want more and more from the product, they will go on increasing the requirements from their end and will expect these to be taken by the product owner and add them in his / her backlog items.

4. Evaluating and Monitoring Products Progress:

It’s the Product owner's responsibility to evaluate the product's progress right from the start. Also, he or she needs to keep an aerial view or monitor the product progress at every stage till the products get delivered. The product owner will also have to compare the products part by part delivery against the delivery of the expected products so that he/she is aware whether the development team is ahead of the delivery schedule and will meet the delivery target or if are they going to miss it.

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Scrum Master (SM)

Scrum Master is the facilitator of an agile scrum role development crew. In addition, Scrum masters are responsible for arranging information exchange among members of the crew. An agile project management technique, Scrum enables crews to communicate with each other, and self-organize so that they can adjust fast to change. They are also responsible for facilitating daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, sprint reviewing and many other roles similar to this, some of the key roles are mentioned below. 

Key roles of Scrum Master

1. Implementing Agile Ceremonies and Principles

• Support in evaluating the Scrum Maturity of the squad and prepare the squad to advanced stages of maturity, at a speed that is workable and easy for the team.
  
• Lead the team on how to accomplish Agile/Scrum practices.

2. Managing Agile Teams

• Building the team – To identify a group of individual brilliant people and create a team in which they can unify their talents, not only will a remarkable amount of energy and creativity, but their performance, loyalty and engagement will be significantly upgraded.
  
• Build a trusting and safe atmosphere where problems can be raised without the distress of blame, or being judged, with the importance of growing and problem-solving.
• Eradicate obstacles or guide the team to remove obstacles by finding the right personnel to remove the obstruction.
  
• Detect and resolve conflicts.

3. Collaboration

• Function as a communication link among the squad, Product Owner, and Stakeholders.

4. Maintaining Artifacts

• Ensure that recognized agile software progress matrices (burndown charts, velocity, and defect metrics) are in place and that the team and Product Owner are equipped to input data for said metrics. Responsible for organizing and preparing metric data on a regular basis using repeatable methods.
  
• Track team capacity and velocity metrics for planning purposes.

Development Crew

The Development Crew is a fundamental part of every Scrum crew. It is mainly composed of mavens who, at the end of each Sprint, produce a potentially useful addition to the "Done" product. A "Done" increase is required to participate in the Sprint Review. Traditionally, this increment is produced by the Development Crew. They must be very confident in working under pressure and working with a team.

The main role of the development crew is:

• They are independent groups. Nobody (not even the Scrum Master) instructs the Development Team on changing the Product Accumulation into progressively releasable performance.
• Development crews are multidisciplinary. It is encompassed by individuals with a diverse variety of abilities. These skill sets must be united to generate the product Increment.
• An organisation that has well-organized Development Crews that can successfully manage their own endeavour. This produces an unbeatable synergy that maximizes the effectiveness of the Development Crew as a whole.

Identifying the Most Qualified Members of Your Scrum Crew

A successful Scrum team needs the right balance of professionals. But while you're out there, what precisely do you look for in a good scrum team?

An effective Scrum team should :

• Undertake collective responsibility for the task.
• Should be independent and self-sufficient.
• Must have a sense of harmony and numerous areas of functionality.
• Everyone is co-located and works full-time together.
• Consider employing a product owner who is available for the project as another wise decision. All crew members must be totally dedicated for the mission to be successful.
• Consider using a visual workspace to highlight individuals who have the necessary skillsets and talents after determining the important competencies needed for a certain project. You may use conditional formatting, create an organizational chart using employee data, and categorize people using a variety of criteria with Lucidchart.

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Also Read: How Scrum Team Deal with Non-Functional Requirements?

Conclusion

The three scrum roles are quite clear when it comes to outlining the three main areas of accountability on any scrum team, but it might be challenging to match them up with your own job description. Now, you know what are the 3 main roles in scrum so now,  you can apply to the Scrum Alliance for Scrum Master Certification Online. This will certainly educate on all three roles. Irrespective of what you want to become, a course in scrum will provide you with a brief understanding of the framework.  

Also Read: Scrum Workflow 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different roles in scrum?

There are 3 main roles in scrum namely, Product Owner, Scrum Master and Development Crew. 

What is the most important role in scrum?

All the roles are very important in the scrum. But for considerations, the Product owner who serves as the primary source of contact between the team and the stakeholders, is considered the most important among the three roles in the scrum.

What are the 5 scrum ceremonies?

The 5 scrum ceremonies are Sprint Planning, Daily Stand Up, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective and Product Backlog.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a scrum team?

Building a product vision and strategy to ensure that it matches the client’s requirements is the primary responsibility of a scrum team.