A Scrum Team is a complex problem-solving unit comprised of three roles.
- Scrum Master
- Product Owner
- Development Team
A few people.
Ideally 5 to 7 people but it can be as high as 10 people on the upper limits.
They are brought together to solve complex problems and produce products and services that delight customers.
What makes the unit so unique is that oftentimes they won’t know the answer or solution upfront.
They work together to create the solution or solve the customer problem, with each member of the team bringing all their creativity, passion and expertise into a collaborative environment with the objective of creating something or solving something that has never been created or solved before.
Product Owner
The product owner acts as the CEO of the product and focuses their attention on making sure that the right thing is being built. They focus on whether the right problem is being solved and whether the right products and services are being built.
They are interested in what is being built, why it is being built, and when the product or service can be delivered to the customer.
Development Team
The developers are the people who build the product or service. They are focused on ensuring that the right thing is being built in the right way. These are the people who are building the solution and coming up with answers to the problems that are being addressed.
Outside of software engineering, this might be a team of graphic designers, writers or even a team of marketing specialists working on a specific problem or need.
These are the people with the specialist knowledge and skills necessary to create a new product or service, or simply to solve an existing problem. Because of their knowledge and skills, they decide how things are built or how the problem will best be solved.
Creative, resourceful, intelligent people who bring all their skills together and/or learn new skills as necessary in order to collaborate as a high-performing, Agile team.
Throughout the entire process, the development team is focused on quality. Focused on building or creating products and services that truly delight customers and stakeholders.
Scrum Master
The Scrum Master is the glue that binds the team together. The coach that works toward creating an environment where everybody within the Scrum Team can excel.
So, they are not focused exclusively on delivery. They are, instead, thinking about the constraints within a system.
They are thinking about how those constraints and impediments can be overcome and how they need to work within the organization to bring about the changes necessary for the team to succeed.
Sometimes that may be collaborating with people outside of the scrum team to bring about change that removes an impediment whilst at other times, it is working with the members of the scrum team to become a more cohesive, creative and collaborative unit.
Read ‘how does a Scrum Master differ from a Project Manager?’ for more insight into how Scrum Masters operate within Agile environments when compared to project managers in traditional waterfall-style project management environments.
These are the 3 primary roles that comprise a Scrum Team. They work in short, sharp cycles known as ‘sprints’ where each sprint leads to a valuable piece of work known as an ‘increment’. A working piece of software or a new feature or a new product evolution, depending on the environment.
Visit our Scrum Master section for more information on the Scrum Master role and visit our Product Owner section for more information on the Product Owner role.
Frequently Asked Scrum Master Questions
- What is Scrum?
- What is a Scrum Team?
- Do Scrum Masters work outside of Software environments?
- Do I need project management experience to become a Scrum Master?
- How does a Scrum Master differ from a Project Manager?
- Is the Scrum Master a member of the development team?
- What is the difference between a Scrum Master and a Product Owner?
- What is the Agile Manifesto?
- What are 3 traits of a good Scrum Master?
- Are there different levels of seniority amongst Scrum Masters?
- Can you create a Scrum environment in a company that isn’t Agile?
- Do I need to be a developer to be a Scrum Master for a software development team?
- How will I know if a Scrum Master role is a good fit for me?
- Must you be an expert in Scrum to become a Scrum Master?
- What are career opportunities for a Scrum Master?
- What do Scrum Masters do?
- What is a daily scrum and do Scrum Masters lead them?
Frequently asked Training and Certification questions
- Do you get course materials and textbooks on the CSM course?
- How well does a CSM course prepare you to be a Scrum Master?
- How well recognised and respected is the Certified Scrum Master course?
- What do I need to know before signing up on the CSM course?
- What is a Certified Scrum Master?
- What is a good certification path for a Scrum Master?
- What will you learn on a CSM course?
- Will I be able to lead a scrum team after doing a CSM course?
- Are there different Scrum Master certifications and how do they differ?
- Do companies invest in CSM courses or is it predominantly individuals?
- How long is the CSM course and how is it configured?
- Is the CSM course theoretical or practical?
- Is there an alumni group for CSM graduates?
- Is there an exam I need to pass to become a Certified Scrum Master?
- What can I do with a CSM credential?
- What is my earning potential as a Certified Scrum Master?