# Scrum Roles

The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. There are no sub-teams or hierarchies. The team is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time: the Product Goal.

Typically 10 or fewer people. Smaller teams communicate better and are more productive. If Scrum Teams become too large, consider reorganizing into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams sharing the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner.

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## Scrum Master

The Scrum Master owns the effectiveness of the Scrum Team. They ensure everyone understands Scrum theory and practice, both within the team and across the organization. A good Scrum Master is a servant-leader: coaching, facilitating, and removing obstacles rather than directing work.

### Serving the Team

- Coach self-management: help the team make decisions independently rather than waiting for direction
- Guard quality: keep the team focused on Increments that meet the Definition of Done
- Clear the path: identify and remove impediments before they slow the team down
- Run effective events: ensure every Scrum event happens on time, stays productive, and finishes within the timebox

### Serving the Product Owner

- Help the PO sharpen Product Goal definition and backlog ordering techniques
- Bridge communication gaps between PO and Developers on backlog item clarity
- Introduce empirical planning approaches that work in uncertain environments
- Facilitate stakeholder collaboration when the PO needs support

### Serving the Organization

- Champion Scrum adoption through training, coaching, and leading by example
- Advise on organizational changes that support agile delivery
- Help stakeholders understand empirical approaches to complex work
- Break down silos and barriers between teams and departments

### Facilitation Techniques

#### Active Listening

The foundation of effective facilitation. Fully engage with team members, understand their concerns, and provide thoughtful responses.

**Practice:**
- Make eye contact and give full attention
- Paraphrase what you heard before responding
- Ask clarifying questions rather than assuming
- Listen for what is not being said - silence, body language, reluctance

#### Adaptive Communication

Tailor communication style to the situation and the individuals involved. Switch between assertive and empathetic as needed.

**When to be assertive:**
- Enforcing timeboxes
- Redirecting off-topic discussions
- Calling out violations of working agreements

**When to be empathetic:**
- Retrospectives with emotional content
- One-on-one coaching conversations
- Conflict between team members

#### Visual Facilitation

Use visual aids to create shared understanding and make work visible.

| Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Kanban board | Track Sprint Backlog items through workflow stages |
| Burndown chart | Show remaining work versus time in the Sprint |
| Burnup chart | Show completed work versus scope, revealing scope changes |
| Affinity mapping | Group related retrospective items during discussion |
| Dot voting | Prioritize discussion topics or improvement actions |

#### Conflict Resolution

A skilled Scrum Master mediates conflicts constructively. Conflict is not inherently bad - disagreement often surfaces important information.

**Approach:**
1. Acknowledge the conflict openly - do not ignore or suppress it
2. Ensure both sides feel heard (active listening)
3. Reframe the conflict around the shared goal (Sprint Goal, Product Goal)
4. Focus on interests, not positions - "what do you need?" not "what do you want?"
5. If resolution is not immediate, agree on next steps and follow up

**Escalation:** If conflict persists or is interpersonal rather than professional, involve HR or management. The Scrum Master is a facilitator, not a therapist.

#### Time Management

Finish meetings on time. Running over sends a message that participants' time is not valued.

**Techniques:**
- Set a visible timer for each phase of the event
- Announce "5 minutes remaining" before transitions
- Park off-topic items in a "parking lot" for follow-up
- If a discussion is valuable but exceeding the timebox, explicitly ask: "Should we extend by 5 minutes, or take this offline?"
- Never compensate for poor planning by extending events

### Scrum Master Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **Secretary** | Takes notes, schedules meetings, but does not coach or challenge | Focus on enabling the team's effectiveness, not administrative tasks |
| **Police officer** | Enforces Scrum mechanically without understanding the purpose | Coach the "why" behind practices, not just the "what" |
| **Hero** | Solves every problem personally instead of enabling the team | Teach the team to solve problems themselves; ask coaching questions |
| **Absent** | Only shows up for ceremonies | Be present daily; impediment removal and coaching are continuous |
| **Conflict avoider** | Ignores dysfunction to keep the peace | Surface problems early; healthy teams can have difficult conversations |
| **Reporting to management** | Shares team performance data with management as a control mechanism | Protect the team's psychological safety; metrics are for the team's self-improvement |

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## Product Owner

The Product Owner owns product value maximization. They are the single point of accountability for what gets built and in what order. The specifics vary by organization, but the core responsibility is always the same: ensure the team builds the most valuable thing next.

### Key Responsibilities

- **Product Backlog management:**
  - Develop and explicitly communicate the Product Goal
  - Create and clearly communicate Product Backlog items
  - Order Product Backlog items by value, risk, dependencies, and learning
  - Ensure the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood

- **Stakeholder engagement:**
  - Represent the voice of the customer and stakeholders
  - Make trade-off decisions when scope exceeds capacity
  - Communicate Sprint outcomes and product direction

- **Value decisions:**
  - The PO is one person, not a committee (they may represent a committee's desires, but one person makes the call)
  - The entire organization must respect the PO's decisions, which are visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog
  - No one else can tell the Developers to work on a different set of requirements

### Product Owner Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **Absent PO** | Not available for questions during the Sprint | PO must be accessible daily; co-locate or set dedicated office hours |
| **Proxy PO** | Someone without decision authority plays the role | The PO must have the authority to make product decisions |
| **Backlog neglect** | Items are vague, unordered, or stale | Refine the backlog continuously; keep the top items Sprint-ready |
| **Scope creep mid-Sprint** | Adding items after Sprint Planning without negotiation | Changes require negotiation with Developers; the Sprint Goal must not be endangered |
| **Micro-managing implementation** | Telling Developers how to build, not just what to build | Define acceptance criteria; let Developers decide implementation |

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## Developers

The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team who are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. "Developers" includes anyone doing the work, not just programmers - designers, testers, analysts, and other specialists.

### Key Accountabilities

- Create a plan for the Sprint (the Sprint Backlog)
- Instill quality by adhering to a Definition of Done
- Adapt their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal
- Hold each other accountable as professionals

### Characteristics

- **Self-managing:** The team decides who does what, when, and how
- **Cross-functional:** The team has all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint
- **No titles:** Everyone is a Developer regardless of their specialization
- **Collectively accountable:** The entire team owns the Sprint outcome, not individual contributors

### Developer Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **Siloed work** | Each person works on their own item with no collaboration | Encourage pair/mob programming; limit WIP to force collaboration |
| **Gold plating** | Adding unrequested features or over-engineering | Build only what meets the Definition of Done and acceptance criteria |
| **Waiting for assignments** | Team members wait to be told what to do | Self-manage: pull work from the Sprint Backlog, do not wait for delegation |
| **Ignoring quality** | Cutting corners to meet the Sprint deadline | The Definition of Done is non-negotiable; reduce scope, not quality |
| **Not raising impediments** | Struggling silently instead of asking for help | Create psychological safety; the Daily Scrum is the place to surface blockers |
