Understanding Agile Methodology and Scrum Team Roles
To better understand what Agile methodology is based on, we’ll start with a definition that we hope will be understandable to everyone.
Agile methodology is a way of managing a project by breaking it down into multiple stages. It involves constant collaboration with stakeholders and continuous improvement at each stage. Once work begins, teams go through a process of planning, execution, and evaluation.
Agile development is an approach to product (software) development in which requirements and solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organizing teams and stakeholders.
Roles in Scrum Team
A. Product Owner, a Key Element
Often, the product owner represents the stakeholders of the respective product and the voice of the end-user.
A Scrum team should have a single product owner, who should not be confused with the Scrum master. The product owner focuses on the product’s development, closely liaising with stakeholders and the development team. They should not dictate how the team reaches a technical solution but seek consensus among team members.
This role is crucial and often requires a deep understanding of both business and developers in the Scrum team. Therefore, a good product owner needs to communicate what is needed, ask why it is needed, and convey the message to all stakeholders, including the delivery team, using necessary technical language.
Here are some communication tasks of the product owner to stakeholders:
- Organize additional meetings to present the solution to stakeholders who were not present at the sprint review;
- Define and announce releases;
- Share progress during meetings;
- Share RAID (risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies) with stakeholders;
- Negotiate priorities, goals, funding, and schedule.
B. Development Team
The development team is responsible for delivering a potentially shippable product at the end of each sprint. The sprint goal represents a brief description of what the team needs to deliver, and it is important for both the team itself and stakeholders.
A development team is self-organizing, and any interaction from outside the team is managed by the Scrum master (who protects and manages the team) or the product owner (who has regular interactions with all stakeholders).
C. Scrum Master
The Scrum Master is a facilitator and is responsible for removing impediments in the team’s way to achieve product goals. The Scrum Master is not a traditional team leader or project manager but acts as a buffer between the team and any negative influence that could distract them.
The Scrum Master ensures adherence to the Scrum framework and ensures that the team follows the agreed-upon processes within Scrum, often facilitating key sections and encouraging the team to improve.
Responsibilities of a Scrum Master include the following actions:
- Help the team determine the definition of the done product with the contribution of stakeholders;
- Train the team in Scrum principles to deliver high-quality features for the product;
- Promote self-organization within the team;
- Help the team remove obstacles to progress, whether they are internal or external;
- Educate stakeholders about Agile or Scrum.
