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Exercise "Roles in Scrum"

Summary

Here you will find the definitions of the most important terms from this chapter.

Product Owner

The Product Owner is the customer or their representative. They develop, communicate, and share the Product Goal, ensure everyone understands the Product Backlog, and are responsible for the transparency and visibility of the Product Backlog.

Scrum Master

The Scrum Master is the person who fosters an agile environment within the team and serves as a point of contact for the developers. They take care of coaching the team, helping to remove obstacles, and ensuring that Scrum events are conducted effectively.

Developers

Developers are members of a Scrum Team responsible for product development. They plan the Sprint, ensure quality, and align their work daily with the Sprint Goal.

Definition of Done

The Definition of Done, abbreviated as DoD, is a checklist of criteria that must be met for a User Story to be considered complete.

Increment

An Increment is a usable and tested partial product created after each Sprint in Scrum. It corresponds to the Definition of Done and serves the achievement of the overarching Product Goal.

Meetings in Scrum (= Scrum Events)

Scrum Events are meetings in Scrum that take place in a defined sequence. They are also time-boxed to increase effectiveness. Meetings include Backlog Refinement Meeting, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.

Test yourself

Try to answer the following questions on your own. Take your time and think carefully before checking the solutions.

What are the three roles in Scrum?
  • Product Owner
  • Scrum Master
  • Developers
What are the tasks of the Product Owner?

The Product Owner is the manager of the Product Backlog and is responsible for ensuring that the customer's ideas are incorporated into the project. Additional tasks are:

  • Being responsible for the (potentially deliverable) return on investment, the ROI, and for the economic success of the product.
  • Developing and communicating the Product Goal.
  • Creating the entries of the Product Backlog, if necessary in the form of User Stories.
  • Prioritising and communicating the Product Backlog entries.
  • Representing and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Developing the Sprint Goal together with the Developers.
  • Answering any questions from the Developers during the Sprint.
  • Accepting of the Increments.
  • Deciding whether to continue or end the Sprint.
What are the tasks of the Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master supports the organisation in introducing and implementing Scrum. They are responsible for promoting and practising Scrum as a framework. They make sure that everyone involved understands and can follow the theory, procedures, rules and values of Scrum. The Scrum Master is responsible for the effectiveness of the Scrum Team by keeping organisational impediments and external disruptions of the workflow away from the Scrum Team. The Scrum Master ensures that everyone within the Scrum Team understands the Product Owner's expectations.

Tasks of the Scrum Master related to the Product Owner:

  • Assisting the Product Owner in the formulation of the Product Goal, the definition of Product Backlog entries and, if applicable, the User Stories.
  • Supporting at all Scrum Meetings.
  • Assisting with the prioritisation of entries in the Product Backlog.
  • Support and, if necessary, coaching on how agility and empirical approaches can be practised.
  • Establishing of techniques for effective management of the Product Backlog.
  • If desired: promoting collaboration with stakeholders.

Tasks of the Scrum Master related to the Developers:

  • Promoting the Developers in all issues.
  • Developing the Developers into a successful team.
  • Main task: Identifying of disturbances, so-called impediments, as well as ensuring their elimination, so that the Developers can achieve their overall goals.

Other tasks in the Scrum project:

  • Coaching the team to become a "Performing Team".
  • Supporting the Developers' self-management so that they can make and implement decisions independently.
  • Encouraging (interdisciplinary) collaboration.
  • Ensuring that all Scrum events run in an organised manner.
  • Ensuring that all Scrum rules are adhered to.
  • If necessary: Mediating between the Developers and the Product Owner.

Tasks within the company:

  • Communicating the approach, the goals, the content and the mindset related to the agile approach.
  • Acting as an organisational developer and implementing Scrum in the company, so that the framework conditions are established or, if necessary, improved.
  • Information and coaching of employees, line managers, responsible persons.
  • Assisting all employees and stakeholders in understanding agility as well as the empirical approach.
  • Reducing barriers between stakeholders and the Scrum Team.
What are the tasks of the Developers?
  • Creating the Sprint Backlog (planning basis for each Sprint) and negotiation of the scope of tasks with the Product Owner.
  • Jointly being accountable for the Sprint Goal, i.e. the deliverables of each Sprint.
  • Delivering value and quality by adhering to a Definition of Done (DoD).
  • Creating utilisable Increments in each Sprint.
Who is the manager of the Scrum Team?

There is no general management in a Scrum project.

How many people are involved in a Scrum Team?

A Scrum Team usually consists of ten or fewer members: a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and eight or fewer Developers.

Is the Product Owner also a Developer?

In practice, the Product Owner may also be a Developer, but this is neither intended nor recommended. If the Product Owner is also a Developer, then they are counted as part of the team of Developers (i.e. as one of the eight or fewer members).

Why should a Product Owner have the ability to think entrepreneurially?

The Product Owner is responsible for the economic success of the product, so entrepreneurial thinking is an advantage.

Who acts as a servant leader, and why are they called that?

The Scrum Master acts as a servant leader. They support an organisation in introducing and implementing Scrum. They are responsible for promoting and practising Scrum as a framework. They make sure that everyone involved understands and can follow the theory, procedures, rules and values of Scrum. The Scrum Master's task is to act as a "facilitator". This means that their focus is on moderating, empowering and coaching others so that they can act successfully according to Scrum.

What does the success of the Scrum Master depend on?

The success of the Scrum Master depends on the success of the Scrum Team.

What does it depend on how Scrum is accepted in the organisation?

It depends on the degree to which Scrum as a framework with its requirements and processes is already established in the company. In addition, it depends on the following factors:

  • How hierarchically is the company organised?
  • To what extent can responsibility be delegated effectively?
  • Is there already an understanding of this and is it thus also possible to enable agile, empirical and incremental procedures?
Why is the Scrum Master a change agent?

The Scrum Master is responsible for driving the change in the company towards the agile mindset and the Scrum Framework. That is why they are called a change agent.

What is behind the term 'Scrum of Scrums'?

Larger Scrum projects in which several teams of Developers work in parallel are called a Scrum of Scrums.

In which Scrum Events must the Developers be present?
  • Sprint Planning
  • Daily Scrum
  • Sprint Review
  • Sprint Retrospective
  • Backlog Refinement
In which Scrum Events must the Product Owner be present?
  • Sprint Planning
  • Sprint Review
  • Backlog Refinement
In which Scrum Events must the Scrum Master be present?
  • Sprint Planning
  • Daily Scrum (optional)
  • Sprint Review
  • Sprint Retrospective
  • Backlog Refinement (optional)