What does it mean to say a Scrum team is 'self-organizing'? What does management look like in the context of the Scrum framework? Do we still need managers?
How does this help your team?
We designed this exercise to create transparency around how the roles of the Scrum framework are fulfilled in your organization. And more importantly, what happens when the roles are fulfilled differently than intended by the Scrum framework? What happens when your Product Owner doesn't have a mandate over the product budget? What happens when your team has no say in its own composition?
Based on the impediments you uncover as a team with this exercise, you can then identify improvements to overcome them. When you do it again a few months down the road, things will certainly have improved!
We've also found this exercise to be an excellent learning aid for Scrum Masters, trainers, and Agile coaches. You can also use it for job interviews with Scrum Masters (see below).
We created this exercise for the Professional Scrum Master II Class by Scrum.org and offer it here with their permission. The class is a great way to learn more about the roles and their responsibilities. If you haven't attended this class, make sure to do so!
What do you receive?
- 5 cards with roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team, Project Manager, and Line Manager)
- 1 optional replacement card to account for key changes in the Scrum Guide 2020
- 29 cards with activities that need to be managed or taken care of by one of the roles
- Not included are the right answers. The conversation really is more important than the actual answer. If you're really unsure, our ongoing series of Scrum Mythbusters and the Scrum Guide help you in the right direction.
- All cards are 21x15 cm.
Also for virtual teams!
You can also use this with your virtual team. In addition to the physical deck, you also receive a free digital download with detailed instructions (12 pages) for how to run this exercise virtually. This also includes all the cards as separate images (Jpg), ready for upload in your collaboration tool of choice.
More inspiration
- Use Management in Scrum for job interviews with Scrum Masters.
- Check out our ongoing series of posts for Scrum Mythbusters.
- Read our whitepaper where we explain the Scrum framework, and its principles and values, in our own words.