{"id":39440,"date":"2023-07-10T11:05:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T16:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?p=39440"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:49:01","slug":"scrum-roles-the-anatomy-of-a-scrum-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/scrum-roles-the-anatomy-of-a-scrum-team","title":{"rendered":"Scrum Team Roles: A Quick Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the evolution of modern business practices, nearly every project manager is familiar with scrum project management. Scrum has migrated from software development and now it\u2019s widely used by companies from many industries. If you want to take advantage of this agile project management framework, you\u2019ll need to understand what a scrum team is and how it works.<\/p>\n

What Is a Scrum Team?<\/h2>\n

A scrum team typically consists of a scrum master, a product owner and a development team who use agile project management tools and techniques to plan and execute projects. Scrum teams are usually involved with software development, product development and project management<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scrum teams are self-managed which means scrum team members must be as autonomous as possible without requiring micro-management. Instead, scrum team members use scrum boards, product backlogs, burndown charts and other agile tools to manage their work. The skill sets of the team members of a scrum team must be balanced, so they all work separately but together.<\/p>\n

When scrum is implemented, scrum teams use project management tools to facilitate the agile process. ProjectManager<\/a> is online project management software that\u2019s flexible enough for traditional, agile and hybrid teams. Scrum teams use our kanban boards to manage their backlog and collaborate on sprints. The product owner gets visibility into their process and can reallocate resources as necessary to avoid any bottlenecks in the team\u2019s work. It\u2019s a win-win situation for the entire scrum team. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.<\/p>\n

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ProjectManager has kanban boards to help scrum teams and product owners work more efficiently. Learn more<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Is the Ideal Size of a Scrum Team?<\/h2>\n

Scrum teams are small, usually with five to nine people, with seven being the ideal number. One product owner, one scrum master and then five to seven members of the development team. There are no sub-teams. The people who make up the scrum teamwork should work full-time, ideally in the same office. If the work must be conducted over various locations, then each of those sites should have its own scrum team.<\/p>\n

Scrum Team Roles and Responsibilities<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re interested in using the scrum framework, you need to understand the scrum roles and responsibilities. As stated, there are only three major roles on a scrum team, and these roles don\u2019t necessarily align with traditional project management methodologies<\/a>. Let\u2019s examine each role for a more complete understanding of the structure of a scrum team.<\/p>\n

1. Product Owner<\/h3>\n

The product owner makes all the product development decisions such as defining the product features and sprint planning<\/a> goals. This person has the product vision and is responsible for defining the work and prioritizing tasks for agile sprints. Product owners are clear on the project goals and customer needs. They communicate them to the scrum team and guide them through the project.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go over the main responsibilities of the product owner<\/a> role to learn more about this scrum team member.<\/p>\n

Product Owner Responsibilities<\/h4>\n