The Scrum Team
The Scrum framework, in execution, has 3 parts: team members, artifacts, and events.
The Scrum team is Cross-Functional and Self-Managing.
Cross functional teams are teams where the members can release incremental value through the sprint.
It is imperative that although a team with titles can be built, that artifacts can be maintained, and that events can be executed as written, that Scrum will fail and ultimately be incomplete without the theories and values being adopted amongst folks both inside and outside the team.
Number Of Members
Scrum suggest 10 or less members to be on the Scrum Team. The small size of the team seems to be optimal for quick changes when necessary, and also get meaningful work done together.
In previous releases of the Scrum Guide, this had been more prescriptive and specific, giving a range from 3-9.
Roles
There are 3 defined roles in a Scrum team: the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Developers. Scrum does not define any other roles than those 3 roles.
Scrum Master
The scrum master is like a referee - they help ensure Scrum is adopted as according to the Scrum Guide.
Scrum Masters help the Scrum Team, the Product Owner, and the org at large embrace Scrum together.
Serving the Scrum Team
- Scrum masters coach developers and the Product Owner in Self-Management and Cross Functionality, two fundamental values underlining Scrum
- Scrum masters help maximize Scrum by focusing the team on creating the most value in the least amount of time while adhering to the team's Definition of Done
- Scrum masters are primary drivers for removing road blocks, or impediments, to the team
- Scrum masters make sure all scrum Events, roles, and artifacts are present, time-boxed, and productive
Serving the Product Owner
- Suggest & Find ways for Backlog management to stay effective
- Help ensure that the Product Goal is incremental and Value releasing
- Persist with Empiricism as the source of Knowledge when planning for the Product Backlog
- Help facilitate stakeholder collaboration
Serving the Organization
- Being the in-house coach, trainer, implementation spearhead and champion for Scrum adoption
- Drive empirical processes and approaches for tackling complex problems
- Identify, highlight, and remove roadblocks between the Scrum Team and stakeholders
Product Owner
- Accountable for getting maximum value out of the work of the Scrum Team
- Accountable for Managing the Product Backlog: The P.O does not need to do all the work to maintain the backlog, but is the sole accountable party for it within the team
- Develop && Communicate the Product Goal
- Order the Product Backlog Items
- Ensure Transparency, visibility and comprehension of the Product Backlog
- The decisions of the P.O are seen by the content in the Product Backlog and the ordering of items within it
Development Team
Developers are the content creators of the product at hand: developers take the output from the Product Owner and convert ideas into results. Devs...
- Make a list of work that is agreed upon as items to get done by the end of the Sprint, a Sprint Backlog
- Adhere to a formally described quality validation, a Definition of Done
- Together practice the pillars of Scrum (transparency, inspection, and adaptation) on a daily basis through a Daily Scrum ceremony where they discuss their progress toward completing a Sprint Goal