What It Means
A ScrumScrumA lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one. See more Team is the unit that does the work in Scrum. Under the 2020 Scrum Guide it has one Scrum MasterScrum masterThe person on a Scrum Team accountable for the team's effectiveness and for Scrum being understood and used as the Scrum Guide defines it. See more, one Product OwnerProduct ownerThe one person on a Scrum Team accountable for maximizing the value of the product and for managing the Product Backlog, including the order of its items. See more and a number of Developers, with no sub-teams and no hierarchy inside it. The guide puts its size at typically 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more or fewer people: small enough to stay nimble, large enough to finish meaningful work within one Sprint.
Try It: Check Your Scrum Team's Size
Enter how many Developers your team has. The Product Owner and Scrum Master are one person each.
Within the Scrum Guide's typical size of 10 or fewer people.
Above the typical 10 or fewer. The guide suggests reorganizing into several Scrum Teams that share one Product Goal, one Product Backlog and one Product Owner.
If one person holds two of these duties, count them once.
How People Say It
- "Who's on the scrum team for this?"
- "We're nine people, so we're right at the limit."
- "The whole team owns the sprint, not only the devs."
The Breakdown
Who is on a Scrum Team (2020 Scrum Guide)
| Accountability | How many | What they answer for |
|---|---|---|
| Product Owner | One | Getting the most value out of the product, and the Product BacklogProduct backlogIn Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team. See more |
| Scrum Master | One | The team's effectiveness and Scrum being understood and used |
| Developers | As many as the work needs, keeping the team typically 10 or fewer | Planning the Sprint's work and building each finished piece |
How to set one up
- Pick one Product Owner who decides the order of the work.
- Choose one Scrum Master to help the team use Scrum well.
- Add Developers with every skill the work needs, so the team can finish things without handing off to outsiders.
- Count heads. If you're past 10, split into smaller Scrum Teams on the same product.
- Agree one goal the whole team works toward, then plan the first Sprint.
Short version to try today. Write down everyone currently working on your project and which of the three accountabilities each one fits. Anyone who fits none is probably a stakeholder, someone the team keeps informed and asks for feedback.
Where It Comes From
The Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland defines the Scrum Team. Earlier editions described a Development Team inside the Scrum Team; the November 2020 edition removed that team-within-a-team, so there is now one Scrum Team with three sets of accountabilities, as Scrum.org explains.
Good to Know
Scrum.org points out that the 2020 guide chose the word accountabilities on purpose: Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developer describe what someone answers for, rather than a job title on an org chart. A person can be a Developer on a Scrum Team whatever their title says, including testers, designers and writers. The guide keeps the team small because, in its authors' experience, smaller teams communicate better and get more done.
FAQ
How many people are on a Scrum Team?
Typically 10 or fewer, counting the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the Developers. The 2020 Scrum Guide says smaller teams tend to communicate better and be more productive.
What are the three accountabilities on a Scrum Team?
Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers. Since the 2020 edition of the Scrum Guide these are called accountabilities instead of roles, and all of them sit inside one team.
What happens when a Scrum Team gets too big?
The Scrum Guide suggests reorganizing into several cohesive Scrum Teams working on the same product. They share one Product GoalProduct goalIn Scrum, the long-term objective for a product, a future state the team plans toward, kept in the Product Backlog as its commitment. See more, one Product Backlog and one Product Owner.
Do It in Buhata
Team Space and Tasks
Create a Team Space in Buhata for your Scrum Team, invite each member, and put the Sprint's work in Tasks so everyone sees who is working on what.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Scrum
A lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one.
- Scrum master
The person on a Scrum Team accountable for the team's effectiveness and for Scrum being understood and used as the Scrum Guide defines it.
- Product owner
The one person on a Scrum Team accountable for maximizing the value of the product and for managing the Product Backlog, including the order of its items.
- Definition of done
In Scrum, the formal description of the quality a piece of work must reach before it counts as part of the Increment.
- Psychological safety
A shared belief on a team that it's safe to speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes and disagree without being embarrassed or punished.
Sources
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, The 2020 Scrum Guide (scrumguides.org); Scrum.org, "What You Need to Know about the 2020 Scrum Guide"; Scrum.org, "Accountability, Responsibility and Roles"
- scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html
- scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2020/2020-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf
- www.scrum.org/resources/blog/what-you-need-know-about-2020-scrum-guide
- www.scrum.org/resources/accountability-responsibility-and-roles
Last updated .