Thanks to the evolution of modern business practices, Scrum project management is in the head of almost every manager. Scrum has migrated from the field of software development and is now widely used by companies from many industries. So, if you want to take advantage of this flexible project management system, you need to understand what a Scrum team is and how it works.
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What is a Scrum Team?
A Scrum team usually consists of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and a Development team who use agile project management tools and techniques to plan and execute projects. Scrum teams are usually involved in software development, product development, and project management.
Scrum teams are self-managed, which means that the members of the Scrum team should be as autonomous as possible without requiring micro-management. Instead, Scrum team members use Scrum boards, product backlogs, burnout charts, and other flexible tools to manage their work. Therefore, the skill sets of scrum team members need to be balanced so that they all work individually but together.
When implementing scrum, Scrum teams use project management tools to facilitate the agile process. ProjectManager is cloud-based project management software flexible enough for traditional, agile, and hybrid teams. Scrum teams use our kanban boards to manage their backlog and collaborate on sprints. The product owner sees his process and can reallocate resources as needed to avoid bottlenecks in the team’s work. This is a win-win situation for the entire Scrum team. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
What is the ideal size for a Scrum team?
Scrum teams are small, usually between five and nine people, ideally seven. One product owner, one scrum master, and five to seven development team members. There are no subcommands. The people who make up the Scrum team should work full time, ideally in the same office. If the work is to be done at different locations, then each of these sites should have its own scrum team.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Scrum Team
If you are interested in using the scrum framework, you need to understand the roles and responsibilities of scrum. As stated above, there are only three main roles in a Scrum team, and these roles are not necessarily the same as traditional project management methodologies. Let’s take a look at each role to better understand the structure of a scrum team.
1. Product owner
The Product Owner makes all product development decisions, such as defining product features and sprint planning goals. This person has a vision for the product and is responsible for defining work and prioritizing tasks for agile sprints. Product owners clearly understand the goals of the project and the needs of the customers. They report them to the Scrum team and accompany them on the project.
Let’s take a look at the main responsibilities of a product owner to learn more about this member of the Scrum team.
Product Owner Responsibilities
- Product backlog management
- Release Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Define product goals and product features to create a realistic backlog with the help of the Scrum team.
- Gather user feedback from sprint reviews to make product backlog decisions.
2. Scrum Master
Scrum Masters provide leadership to the Scrum Team. They make sure the development team stays focused without being distracted by excessive demands from the product owner, organization, or internal factors. The Scrum Master also holds daily scrum meetings to make sure everyone is working within the Scrum structure. Unlike a project manager who manages a project, the ScrumMaster collaborates with the product owners and guides the development team members who work autonomously.
Let’s take a look at the main responsibilities of the Scrum Master role to learn more about this member of the Scrum Team.
Responsibilities of the Scrum Master
- Host Scrum events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Scrum Retrospective.
- Help everyone on the Scrum team understand the product backlog and help build consensus between product managers and development teams.
- Promote the use of scrum in organizations.
- Teach the development team self-organization and cross-functional collaboration to facilitate team collaboration.
3. Development team
The development team is responsible for completing the scope of the project. They work together to figure out how to achieve their goals. Priorities are set by the Product Owner, and the Scrum Master oversees the work. Scrum development teams are self-managed and depend on strong connections, empowerment, and a positive work environment.
Let’s take a look at the main responsibilities of the development team role to learn more about these scrum team members.
Responsibilities of the development team
- Achieve the goals defined by the scrum team in the product backlog
- Attend Scrum events and follow the lead of the Product Owner and Scrum Master.
- Provide feedback to help Product Owners and Scrum Masters set realistic product goals.
Scrum team meetings
Scrum teams plan their work using four Scrum events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Scrum Retrospective. Here’s how they work.
Sprint planning
Scrum teams plan their work through sprint planning sessions. Sprint planning sessions are meetings where Scrum teams plan how they will do the work needed to develop a product or complete a project. Agile sprints are short action plans for two to four weeks of work. In these flexible sprints, each team member is assigned a set of tasks for which they will be responsible.
Daily Scrum meetings
Daily Scrum meetings allow Scrum team members to communicate. Daily Scrum meetings help Scrum team members share information about how their tasks are progressing and keep the rest of the team informed if they are on track or if they are running into difficulties that are slowing them down.
Sprint Review
During sprint reviews, scrum teams share their progress with project clients and stakeholders, who provide feedback that is used to make changes to the product or project and plan for future sprints.
Scrum Retrospective
Scrum teams evaluate their work in Scrum retrospective sessions. Sprint reviews are meetings where members of the Scrum team share their opinions on what went well and what went wrong during the last sprint so that the planning section of the next sprint can be more successful.
Benefits of a Scrum Team
Adopting the scrum methodology for completing projects and developing products is beneficial for organizations for several reasons. Here are some of them.
Scrum teams focus on customer satisfaction
As stated above, Scrum teams continually share their progress with the project sponsor and stakeholders in order to gain feedback that they can use to improve their Scrum process. This helps ensure that their requirements are met after the project or product is delivered.
Scrum Teams Get the Job Done Faster
Scrum teams are unique for several reasons. One is that Scrum team members work on multiple tasks at the same time without being dependent on other tasks to complete, which allows Scrum Teams to be more efficient and complete projects faster than other types of teams as work is done simultaneously.
Scrum promotes team collaboration
Scrum meetings provide constant communication for all members of the Scrum team, which helps them to clearly understand what is expected of them and what the goals of the project are.
How ProjectManager Helps Scrum Teams
ProjectManager is a robust project management software that offers several project planning, scheduling, and project tracking tools to help Scrum teams deliver projects successfully. Here are some of its key features for managing Scrum projects.
Track work with kanban boards
The Kanban board view in ProjectManager is ideal for Scrum teams. Kanban boards are a visual project management tool that allows Scrum teams to track tasks and share their progress.
Monitor costs, progress and deadlines with real-time dashboards
Real-time ProjectManager dashboards allow Product Owners and Scrum Masters to monitor the progress of the development team and keep track of costs, deadlines, and budgets.
Streamline teamwork with online collaboration tools
ProjectManager scheduling tools have built-in collaboration features such as messages and email notifications. In addition, ProjectManager offers unlimited file storage so Scrum teams can add any documents they need as they complete their projects.
If you are looking for a tool to keep your scrum team autonomy, then ProjectManager is for you. Our cloud-based project management software is designed to enhance collaboration and give Scrum teams the tools they need to take control of a project. Try it today with this free 30 day trial.
