AGILE · 7 chapters · CHAPTER 05

Scrum Roles, Events & Accountability

Understand who owns what without turning Scrum into ceremony

Chapter 05 of 7Read as a practical lesson

The three accountabilities

The Scrum Guide describes the Scrum Team as including a Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers. Each accountability exists to support value delivery in a different way.

QuestionPractical answer
Product OwnerMaximizes product value and manages the Product Backlog.
Scrum MasterHelps establish Scrum, supports effectiveness and removes impediments within the Scrum context.
DevelopersCreate the usable increment and own the technical work needed to meet the Definition of Done.

The events have different jobs

QuestionPractical answer
Sprint PlanningSet the goal and plan the work.
Daily ScrumInspect progress toward the sprint goal and adapt the plan.
Sprint ReviewInspect the increment with stakeholders and adapt the backlog.
RetrospectiveInspect how the team worked and identify improvements.

Where the PM fits

In organizations using Scrum, a project manager may still have valuable responsibilities around external dependencies, commercial commitments, governance, stakeholder coordination and organizational constraints. The exact role depends on the operating model.