Scrum Team (Accountabilities)

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Jan Neudecker
2 min. reading time

In Scrum, a framework designed to address complex adaptive problems while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value, there are three key accountabilities: the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Developers. Together referred to as the Scrum Team.

 Here's a brief overview of each accountability within the Scrum Team:

1. Scrum Master: The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring that Scrum is understood and enacted by everyone involved. This includes coaching the Scrum Team in its Scrum adoption, helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical approach for complex work, and ensuring a productive and healthy team environment. The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner, the Developers, and the organization, facilitating Scrum events as needed and helping to remove impediments.

2. Product Owner: The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This involves managing the Product Backlog, ensuring that it is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the Scrum Team will work on next. The Product Owner must ensure that the Development Team understands items in the Product Backlog to the level needed for their work.

3. Developers: Within a Scrum Team, Developers are the professionals who deliver the product. "Developer" is a broad term that encompasses all the people in the team who are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. The Developers are responsible for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog, instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done, adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal, and holding each other accountable as professionals.

Each of these roles has distinct responsibilities, but they all must work closely together and with stakeholders to ensure the product's success. Scrum is a team effort. 

If you are interested in learning more about these roles, have a look at our Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Product Owner classes and E-Learning Offers.

Definition of a team

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