Scrum is an Agile framework which is useful for completing complex projects. It is commonly used in software development projects. Scrum as a process is iterative and incremental in nature. This means that it fosters an environment of true continuous improvement. In Scrum, teams are cross-functional and there is no overall team leader. How a problem will be tackled, or who will do what is decided by the team as a whole.
Scrum features three main roles, Scrum Master (the team’s coach) and Product Owner (represents the product as a business, and guides the team towards the right product) and Scrum team (the team who develops the features).
What are the main responsibilities of Scrum Team?
Executing sprint planning together with scrum master and PO
Organize daily scrum or stand up meeting
Work on sprint backlog
Give accurate effort estimate of the work (User story, task issue) they are working on
Update the effort remaining so burndown chart can be drawn to shown the real team progress
Identify blocking /impediment item which causing the team to function effectively
Ask for more information if the user stories they are working on not clear enough
Every scrum team member should understand the goal of sprint to achieve
Scrum team should be larger than 8 team members if you have ideal to have 5-8 team members in scrum team
You can even divide the scrum team in smaller group as it’s easier to plan the sprint planning meeting and daily scrum meeting and demo meeting
Smaller scrum team is much easier to manage and they are much more effective
Various main roles in Scrum
Scrum Master
A Scrum Master is a team leader and facilitator who helps the team members to follow agile practices so that they can meet their commitments. The responsibilities of a scrum master are as follows −
To enable close co-operation between all roles and functions.
To remove any blocks.
To shield the team from any disturbances.
To work with the organization to track the progress and processes of the company.
To ensure that Agile Inspect & Adapt processes are leveraged properly which includes
Daily stand-ups,
Planned meetings,
Demo,
Review,
Retrospective Meetings, and
To facilitate team meetings and decision-making process.
Product Owner
A Product Owner is the one who drives the product from business perspective. The responsibilities or a Product Owner are as follows −
To define the requirements and prioritize their values.
To determine the release date and contents.
To take an active role in iteration planning and release planning meetings.
To ensure that team is working on the most valued requirement.
To represent the voice of the customer.
To accept the user stories that meet the definition of done and defined acceptance criteria.
Cross-functional Team
Developer’s, QA’s. Who develops the product. Scrum development team decides the effort estimation to complete a Product Backlog Item. Every agile team should be a self-sufficient team with 5 to 9 team members and an average experience ranging from of 6 to 10 years. Typically, an agile team comprises of 3 to 4 developers, 1 tester, 1 technical lead, 1 product owner and 1 scrum master.
Product Owner and Scrum master are considered to be a part of Team Interface, whereas other members are part of Technical Interface.