Responsibilities and Accountabilities in a Scrum Team

I believe that from the outside, an ideal Scrum team should look like a factory, where backlogs are the inputs and deliverables are the outputs. This process should appear seamless. However, from the inside, it should resemble a well-coordinated orchestra. Every team member plays their role, synchronized yet flexible, constantly communicating and adapting to create harmony. Each sprint is a rehearsal, each deliverable a performance, and together they refine and improve with continuous feedback, ensuring the final product is polished and meets customer needs.

A Scrum Team is made up of three key roles: the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Developers (sometimes called the Development Team). Each role has its own responsibilities and accountabilities, but the team works together to deliver a valuable product.

Let me go over each role and what they are responsible for within a Scrum Team.

1. The Product Owner: Managing the Vision and Value

The Product Owner (PO) is responsible for maximizing the value of the product the Scrum Team is building. PO’s main accountability is managing the Product Backlog—which is essentially a prioritized list of everything the team needs to work on.

The Product Owner:

• Decides what features or tasks are the most important to work on next.

• Represents the needs of the users and stakeholders (people who care about the product).

• Communicates clearly with the team to explain the purpose of each feature or task.

Example: Imagine you’re building an app for predicting weather. The Product Owner might decide that improving the accuracy of predictions in rural areas is the most valuable feature for the next development cycle. It’s their job to explain to the team why this is important and how it fits into the overall vision for the app.

The Product Owner doesn't manage the team; instead, they focus on making sure the team is building the right things.

2. The Developers: Building and Delivering the Product

The Developers are the people who actually build the product. The term is used loosely here. This group can include programmers, designers, testers, and anyone else who contributes directly to making the product work. The team is responsible for turning the items in the Product Backlog into a finished product by the end of each Sprint (a time-boxed period, typically two weeks).

The Developers:

• Decide how to accomplish the tasks chosen for the Sprint.

• Work together to design, code, test, and deliver features.

• Are responsible for ensuring the product is of high quality.

Example: Continuing with the weather app, let’s say the Product Owner has prioritized improving the algorithm for predicting rural weather. The Developers might discuss how to split this task into smaller steps. One team member might work on the back-end coding, another on the user interface (UI), and another on testing to make sure everything works correctly.

Developers don’t need a manager to tell them how to do their work. They self-organize, meaning they decide among themselves how to best achieve the Sprint Goal (the objective for the current Sprint).

3. The Scrum Master: Facilitating and Supporting the Team

The Scrum Master is responsible for making sure the Scrum framework is followed and helping the team improve its processes. They don’t manage the team or the project directly but instead act as a coach or guide to ensure the team is working effectively and using Scrum correctly.

The Scrum Master:

• Ensures that Scrum events (like daily meetings, Sprint planning, and reviews) are happening smoothly.

• Helps remove any obstacles that might be blocking the team from making progress.

• Supports the team in continuously improving how they work.

Example: If the Developers are struggling to get data from an external source that’s delaying the project, the Scrum Master might step in to help clear up the issue. They could communicate with external vendors or work with management to solve the problem. Their focus is on enabling the team to do their best work.

The Scrum Master also helps the Product Owner and Developers communicate well, making sure everyone is aligned on the goals.

How the Scrum Team Works Together

Scrum Teams work in Sprints, which are short cycles of development (usually lasting two to four weeks). I personally prefer 2-3 weeks as 4 weeks is too long in most cases. During a Sprint, the team plans what they’ll work on, completes the work, and then reviews what was built. At the end of each Sprint, they deliver a potentially releasable Increment, meaning the product should be functional and usable at that point.

Let’s look at the key events that happen during a Sprint:

Sprint Planning

At the start of each Sprint, the team holds a Sprint Planning meeting. Here, the Product Owner presents the Product Backlog and explains the most important items for this Sprint. The Developers then decide how many of these tasks they can realistically complete within the Sprint.

Daily Scrum (Daily Standup)

Every day, the team holds a short meeting (usually 15 minutes) called the Daily Scrum to check in. The team members discuss what they did the previous day, what they’ll do today, and if there are any blockers preventing them from making progress. This time should not be used to discuss and solve the blockers. It should be done separately after the daily scrum.

Sprint Review

At the end of the Sprint, the team presents what they’ve accomplished in a Sprint Review. The Product Owner, stakeholders, and sometimes customers can give feedback on the product. The team discusses what worked well and what can be improved. This can be considered as a demo session for the work done during the sprint.

Sprint Retrospective

After the Sprint Review, the team holds a Sprint Retrospective, where they reflect on their process and identify improvements for the next Sprint. This is where the team can focus on becoming more efficient and solving any issues in how they work together.

Who Is Accountable for What?

Product Owner:

• Accountable for the Product Backlog and ensuring the team is working on the highest-value tasks.

• Responsible for explaining the vision of the product and communicating with stakeholders.

Developers:

• Accountable for delivering a usable product by the end of each Sprint.

• Responsible for deciding how to achieve the Sprint Goal and making sure the product is high-quality.

Scrum Master:

• Accountable for ensuring the Scrum framework is followed and that the team is continuously improving.

• Responsible for removing obstacles and supporting communication between the Product Owner and Developers.

Conclusion

In Scrum, the team works as a self-organizing unit where everyone has clear responsibilities but shares accountability for delivering value to the customer. The Product Owner focuses on building the right product, the Developers focus on building the product right, and the Scrum Master focuses on helping the team do both efficiently.

By working together, the Scrum Team continuously delivers valuable products and adapts to changes along the way. This makes Scrum a powerful framework for tackling complex projects in a flexible and collaborative way.