The 3 Scrum Roles and Responsibilities Explained

Scrum, a type of project management methodology, has many fans. It’s the most commonly used Agile methodology with 81 percent of Agile adopters using Scrum or a Scrum-related hybrid, according to a Digital.ai survey [1]. According to data from Burning Glass, Scrum was also among the most in-demand tech skills—project management was the first [2]. So what exactly does it look like to work with Scrum? Here are the three roles you can expect to find on a Scrum team.

What are the three Scrum roles?

A Scrum team consists of three roles: the Scrum Master, the product owner, and the development team. While there is only one Scrum Master and one product owner, there are generally several development team members. 

Scrum teams are small. The Scrum Guide recommends 10 or fewer total members to ensure optimal communication and productivity [3]. Let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of each of these roles.

Read more: What Is a Scrum Master (and How Do I Become One)?

All salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of October 2022.

1. Scrum Master

A Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring a Scrum team is operating as effectively as possible with Scrum values. This means they keep the team on track, plan and lead meetings, and work out any obstacles the team might face. Scrum Masters might also work in a larger role within an organization to help it incorporate Scrum concepts into their work. Because they are both a leader and a behind-the-scenes supporter, they are often described as the “servant leader” of the Scrum team.

Scrum can look different from organization to organization and team to team, making the specific tasks of a Scrum Master varied. Broadly, however, a Scrum Master might have the following responsibilities:

• Facilitate daily Scrum meetings (also called “daily standups”). 

• Lead sprint planning meetings.

• Conduct “retrospective” reviews to see what went well and what can be improved for the following sprint.

• Keep a pulse on team members, through individual meetings or other means of communication.

• Manage obstacles that arise for the team by communicating with stakeholders outside of the team.

Average annual salary (US): $118,768

Read more: 7 In-Demand Scrum Master Certifications

2. Product owner

A product owner ensures the Scrum team aligns with overall product goals. They understand the business needs of the product, like customer expectations and market trends. Because they have to understand how the Scrum team fits into bigger picture goals, product owners usually stay in touch with product managers and other stakeholders outside the team. 

Product owners might find themselves with the following responsibilities:

• Manage the product backlog by ordering work by priority

• Set the product vision for the team

• Communicate with external stakeholders and translate their needs to the team

• Make sure the team is focused on hitting product needs through communication and evaluating progress

Average annual salary (US): $115,880

3. Development team

A development team is composed of professionals who do the hands-on work of completing the tasks in a Scrum sprint. This means development team members can be computer engineers, designers, writers, data analysts, or any other role needed to reach sprint goals. The development team doesn’t just wait for orders; they usually collaborate to map out goals and plans for achieving them.

Not all development team members will always have the same responsibilities. For example, if you’re updating a website, you might have a front-end engineer, UX designer, copywriter, and marketing professional all working on the same Scrum team. The responsibilities of a development team will also depend on the end goals of the Scrum team. Broadly speaking, however, you might find that a development team can be tasked with the following:

• Help in sprint planning and goal setting

• Lend expertise to program, design, or improve products

• Use data to find best practices for development

• Test products and prototypes, plus other forms of quality assurance

Getting started with Scrum

Whether you’re an aspiring Scrum Master or trying to incorporate Scrum principles into your team, learning more about the project management methodology is the first step to getting started. If you’re looking for a place to start, check out the Google Project Management: Professional Certificate. A course dedicated to Agile and Scrum concepts can provide a solid foundation to begin.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)