There are three roles defined in Scrum: Team, Product Owner and Scrum Master. There is no project manager, instead the project manager job is spread across the three roles.
For instance:
- The Scrum Master: Responsible for the process. Removes impediments.
- The Product Owner: Manages and prioritizes the list of work to be done to maximize ROI. Represents all interested parties (customers, stakeholders).
- The Team: Self manage its work by estimating and distributing it among themselves. Responsible for meeting their own commitments.
So in Scrum, there is no longer a single person responsible for project success. There is no command-and-control structure in place. That seems to baffle a lot of people, specifically those not used to agile methods, and of course, PM's.
I'm really interested in this and what your experiences are, as I think this is one of the things that can make or break a Scrum implementation.
Do you agree with Scrum that a project manager is not needed? Do you think such a role is still required? Why?
Best Answer
Maybe you should present things like this:
The Scrum Master: he manages the process and solve impediments. That was the responsibility of the project manager before.
The Product Owner: he manages the backlog. That was the responsibility of the project manager before when he predicted everything in Microsoft Project.
The Team: self manage its production. Who and how a given user story is converted into a potentially releasable product increment. That was the responsibility of the project manager when he assigned tasks.