4 Scrum Team
The fundamental unit of Scrum is a small team of people, a Scrum Team. The Scrum Team consists of:
- one Scrum Master,
- one Product Owner,
- and Developers.
Scrum team
Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal.
Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. They are also self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how. So, the word "Developers" does not mean Software Programmers, it means all kind of skills need to get to the Product goal: testers, architects, domain experts. All kind of skills needed depending on what kind of product is developed. If you are building a product with HR it might be totally different skillset needed.
Example of a Cross-functional team
The Scrum Team is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint, typically 10 or fewer people. In general, we have found that smaller teams communicate better and are more productive.
If Scrum Teams become too large, they should consider reorganizing into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams, each focused on the same product. Therefore, they should share the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner.
The Scrum Team is responsible for all product-related activities from stakeholder:
- collaboration,
- verification,
- maintenance,
- operation,
- experimentation,
- research and development,
- and anything else that might be required.
They are structured and empowered by the organization to manage their own work. Working in Sprints at a sustainable pace improves the Scrum Team’s focus and consistency.
The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint. Scrum defines three specific accountabilities within the Scrum Team:
- the Developers,
- the Product Owner,
- and the Scrum Master.
Let us have a look on each of them and their accountabilities
