The Scrum Team
One team, three accountabilities
A Scrum Team is cross-functional (all skills needed to create value each Sprint) and self-managing (decides who does what, when, and how). It has no sub-teams or hierarchies and is typically 10 or fewer people. Three accountabilities:
- Product Owner - maximizes product value; owns Product Backlog management and ordering; one person, not a committee.
- Scrum Master - true leader who serves; accountable for the team's effectiveness and for Scrum being understood and enacted.
- Developers - create the usable Increment each Sprint; own the Sprint Backlog and quality.
Self-management vs. self-organization
Current guidance uses self-managing; older material said self-organizing. Questions may test the distinction: self-managing includes deciding who, how, and what to work on, not just how to organize internally.
Traps
- Thinking the Product Owner must be a customer or that a committee can own the backlog.
- Assigning the Scrum Master as project manager, task-assigner, or the one who estimates.
- Assuming Developers can be swapped mid-Sprint without consequence, or that the team needs a tech lead.
- Confusing "cross-functional" (skills) with "multi-team" (many teams).
- Believing the Scrum Master must attend every Developer conversation.
Rule of thumb
The Product Owner focuses on what and why (value); Developers focus on how and how much; the Scrum Master focuses on effectiveness and the framework. If an answer shifts decision rights across those lines, suspect it.
Worked example
A manager asks the Scrum Master to assign daily tasks. Correct reasoning: Developers self-manage their work; the Scrum Master coaches and removes impediments rather than directing tasks.