Scrum Team & Scrum Events
Three accountabilities, five events — no hierarchy, no project manager. Here's how the pieces fit together.
The Scrum Team
A Scrum Team has three accountabilities. None is "above" the others — they're equally important, and the team is a single unit, not three separate groups.
Product Owner
Maximizes the value of the product
- •Owns and orders the Product Backlog by value
- •Manages stakeholders and represents their needs to the team
- •Defines the Product Goal and communicates milestones
- •Makes the backlog transparent and clear to everyone
Scrum Master
Servant leader, coach and change agent
- •Coaches the team in self-management and cross-functionality
- •Facilitates Scrum events and removes impediments
- •Helps the Product Owner with backlog management techniques
- •Promotes Scrum adoption across the wider organization
Developers
Build the Increment, every Sprint
- •Create a plan for the Sprint: the Sprint Backlog
- •Hold each other accountable to the Definition of Done
- •Instill quality by adhering to a quality standard
- •Adapt their plan daily toward the Sprint Goal
Common Team Antipatterns
- Roles left unfilled, or filled by people without the authority/skills they need
- One person combining Product Owner and Scrum Master roles
- People split across many teams, diluting focus
- Hierarchies layered on top of the team that undermine self-management
The Five Scrum Events
Every event is an opportunity to inspect and adapt — together they create the empirical rhythm Scrum runs on.
The Sprint
≤ 1 monthThe container for all other events. A fixed-length cycle in which a usable, potentially releasable Increment is created. Only the Sprint Goal, Backlog and team composition may be re-negotiated mid-Sprint — and only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint.
Sprint Planning
Up to 8h for a 1-month SprintAnswers three questions: Why is this Sprint valuable? What can be done this Sprint? How will the chosen work get done? The output is a Sprint Goal, the selected Product Backlog Items, and a plan for delivering them.
Daily Scrum
15 minutes, dailyDevelopers inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as needed. Often structured around three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
Sprint Review
Up to 4h for a 1-month SprintA working session — not a presentation. The team and stakeholders inspect the Increment, discuss what's changed, and collaboratively adjust the Product Backlog for what comes next.
Sprint Retrospective
Up to 3h for a 1-month SprintThe team reflects on the Sprint: people, relationships, process and tools, and the Definition of Done. Moderated by the Scrum Master, it closes the Sprint and identifies the most impactful improvements for next time.
About the author
Zeljko Kvesic · Scrum Master & agile practitioner
Zeljko is a Scrum Master and agile practitioner who has facilitated estimation and planning sessions for software teams. He built planning-poker.info to make those sessions faster and friction-free. More about this site.
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