As advocated by the Scrum Guide, the role of management is to “support the Product Owner with insights and information into high value product and system capabilities. Support the Scrum Master to cause organizational change that fosters empiricism, selforganization, bottomup intelligence, and intelligent release of software.”
When organizations make the switch from traditional development methods such as Waterfall to Agile, managers oftentimes find themselves left behind while struggling to find their role in this new structure.
One of the main reasons is the switch from individual and centralized decision-making power to a team-based and decentralized approach. Fortunately for all of you managers out there, work does not suddenly stop.
This article covershow traditional managers can continue to take a productive part in the organizationalexecution of Scrum while showing pitfalls to avoid.
Managers in Scrum – The Do’s
While the Scrum methodology does not take business functions into account, their value should not be underestimated.
First and foremost, they themselves can take a supportive role in helping the organization transition to Agile by being a frequent advocate and exemplifying the Scrum principles.
On a tactical and operational level, executives can provide additional support as well.
Strategic advocate: Managers can act as outside influences supporting the Scrum team in its execution. They help the team understand the strategic direction of the company. Furthermore, they can support the Product Owner in refining the product strategy and vision, and give feedback on the content and prioritization of the Product Backlog.
Domain expertise: Well-seasoned executives have most likely spenta majority of their career within the organization’s industry. Therefore, theycan assist the development team in clarifying technical and user-relatedquestions. Furthermore, they can provide advice on career progressions and helpthe team with training and skills development. Lastly, they are up-to-date withcurrent industry news and can thus inform the team about relevant developments.
Operational support: Managers can support the Scrum team in hiringnew members. Additionally, they can anticipate future staffing requirements andthus manage the budgeting of the team. If asked, they can assist in performancereviews.
Managers in Scrum – The Don’ts
It is important to remember that Scrum is not a business modelling framework, but intended to allow for the maximization of product value. It therefore deliberately leaves out the role of managers.
Consequently, Scrum team members do not need to follow instructions from business executives. As such, it is crucial to make managers understand the shift in decision-making power. Prominent examples include:
- Ad-hoc requests during a Sprint: Management wants the team to stop working on current set of tasks
- A manager’s intuition: Executives get inspired by competitors (or other sources) and want team to work on developing similar products.
- Increase development speed: Business deems it necessary to launch a feature or product ASAP and pushes Scrum team to compromise on quality.
- Blowing out of proportion: Managers make unrealistic commitments to C-Level about how much the Scrum team is able to achieve.
- Team espionage: Executives track activities of the team and micromanage them.
Now whether or not you have experienced similar situations, it is important to make business executives understand its implications within the Scrum framework.
This responsibility lies on the shoulders of Scrum Masters and Product Owners respectively.
We can achieve this by fostering close relationships with business executives and leading in a positive manner.
Only if both sides strive towards helping each other, can we create a productive environment where Scrum teams and management peacefully co-exists.
FAQs
Explanation: Management has no active role in the actual product development through Scrum. However, management external to the Scrum team is relevant in setting the vision and strategy to guide the overall direction organization.
What is the role of management in Scrum? ›
In Scrum, managers define the products or projects teams will pursue. Managers provide a clear elevating goal. Managers set goals that give purpose and direction to Scrum teams. Managers form teams.
What is the role of management in Scrum quizlet? ›
Management supports the Product Owner with insights and information into high value product and system capabilities. Management supports the Scrum Master to cause organizational change that fosters empiricism, self-organization, bottom-up intelligence, and intelligent release of software.
What is the role of management in the daily scrum? ›
If others are present, the Scrum Master ensures that they do not disrupt the meeting. Only development team member is allowed to speak/present concern of other members, in the Daily Scrum. The Development Team self-manages and is the only management required at the Daily Scrum.
What is the role of management in agile? ›
Agile teams do not need managers directing their work. Instead, the manager's role is to set the team up for success and then support from the outside – from the boundary of the team itself. Teams need sponsors outside their boundaries who can champion and cheer them through their challenges.
Does Scrum have a role of project manager? ›
The Scrum framework defines three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developer. There is no formal role called "project manager" in Scrum. But, the core skills and responsibilities of a project manager still remain essential and need to be addressed.
What is the role of the Scrum Master or project manager? ›
Scrum masters do not manage a project like a project manager but guide the scrum process and values so that the scrum team can manage the project or product process collectively. The scrum master is an agilist who promotes the principles of agile within the team and throughout the organization.
What is part of the role of the Scrum Master answer? ›
Summary: The scrum master serves to facilitate scrum to the larger team by ensuring the scrum framework is followed. He or she is committed to the scrum methodology, agile principles, and best practices—but should also remain flexible and open to opportunities for the team to improve their workflow.
What is part of the role of the Scrum Master quizlet? ›
The Scrum Master role is a unique Agile team member who spends much of her time helping other team members communicate, coordinate, and cooperate; generally, this person assists the team in meeting their delivery goals.
Which describes the Scrum Master role in Scrum? ›
A scrum master is the master of the daily scrum. They need to do sprint planning, review, and retrospectives daily. Their key responsibility is to remove impediments and help the team become more organized and empowered to innovate and make decisions.
The Scrum Master intervenes in the Daily Standup at most in a moderating role (if absolutely necessary) and notes down the impediments mentioned by the Development Team. - He then ensures that these are eliminated (not necessarily by himself).
What is the role of Scrum Master in daily scrum meeting? ›
A Scrum Master can participate in daily scrums and use the opportunity to identify impediments to progress within the Scrum Team. It is a great place to get the initial insight and facilitate a separate meeting to understand and resolve any issues that may arise.
What is agile management in simple words? ›
Agile – a project management approach based on delivering requirements iteratively and incrementally throughout the life cycle. Agile development – an umbrella term specifically for iterative software development methodologies. Popular methods include Scrum, Lean, DSDM and eXtreme Programming (XP).
What is the role of a manager in a team? ›
They provide direction, instruction and advice to a group of people, also known as a team, in order to achieve a certain goal. An effective Team leader/manager will know the strengths, weaknesses and motivations of all of his/her team members.
What are three ways Scrum promotes self-management? ›
By specifying a lightweight framework: three roles, five events, and three artifacts. By removing titles for the Development Team members. Everyone is equal, and there is no hierarchy within the Development Team. By empowering the Development Team and determining the best way to accomplish its work.
Should managers be in a daily scrum? ›
One of the key activities managers can do when they do not attend their teams' daily scrum meetings is to stay in communication with their team members. It is important to make sure that team members feel heard and that their opinions and ideas are valued.
Who should manage the daily scrum meetings? ›
The Scrum Master ensures that the Development Team has the meeting, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum. The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15-minute time-box.
Does the project manager attend the daily scrum? ›
A: Yes, managers can attend daily scrum meetings, but their role is usually that of silent observers. They should not interrupt or direct the conversation during the meeting, as it is meant for team members to share updates and collaborate.
