From the course: Agile Foundations

Common roles on the team

From the course: Agile Foundations

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Common roles on the team

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- It might seem strange that we're talking about Agile team roles so late in the course. A lot of courses would immediately start talking about scrum masters, product owners and the development team, but that actually causes a lot of confusion. That's because it's difficult to understand the roles on a team without first understanding the Agile mindset. In fact, most people when they look at Agile roles start to make connections between roles they already know. So you might think of a scrum master as an Agile project manager, or you might think of a product owner as an Agile business analyst. This way of thinking can lead to a lot of problems. For one, it can move people into these roles when they may not be the best fit. And two, it plays into a stereotype that organizational changes are always step by step. So you might move a project manager into a scrum master role, but remember that Agile roles are usually radically different from roles you already have. I've seen many Agile teams that put the wrong people in these roles because of this challenge. Remember that an Agile mindset is a big change from how most organizations operate. That means that you'll have trouble embracing an Agile mindset if you're unwilling to make these changes. You can't expect big improvements when you have the same people in the same roles, working the same way. So when you're starting with Agile, you might want to take special care. When you're figuring out the best person for each role. You might want to be careful putting project managers into the scrum master role. A project manager is used to being the point person for the project. People in the organization will come to them for status updates, and they're responsible for hiring and firing people on their team. A scrum master is a completely different role. Here, you'll act as a coach. Instead of having authority over the team, you'll be encouraging them to take on greater responsibilities. Remember that Agile teams are cross-functional and self-organized. So instead of being a manager, you'd want to encourage the team to self-manage. If you like having control over your team, then you'll probably have a difficult time being a scrum master. You might run into similar challenges with the product owner. A lot of organizations just see the product owner as an Agile business analyst. But again, it's an entirely different role. A business analyst will typically create project requirements for the team. Then it's up to the team to deliver those requirements. So there's a handoff here. The business analyst will finish their work and then hand it off to the team. A product owner is a very different role. Here, the product owner works with the team to deliver the product. They even sit with the team. They don't just hand off requirements. Instead, they own the product. There's a shared responsibility between the product owner and the development team. You'll certainly want to look for people already in your organization when you start your Agile team. Just make sure that everyone knows their role and isn't just trying to do the same thing with a new Agile job title.

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