Role Of Project Manager In Agile Scrum – No matter what project you’re running, a project manager or PM is the power player you want on your team. Another name that will come up when deciding on your project’s methodology and management roles is Scrum Master, or SM.

This article will discuss the differences between a Scrum Master and a project manager and help you decide which one you need on your way to a successful software or application development journey.

Role Of Project Manager In Agile Scrum

Previously in Agile in Details: Scrum and Kanban, we went into detail about the Scrum and Kanban methodologies. Let’s summarize the principles of Scrum:

Key Differences Between A Project Manager And Scrum Master

Primarily, the SM is responsible for managing and implementing the Scrum framework. The Scrum Master is responsible for helping team members interact and collaborate and maximize the value delivered.

With the help of a Scrum Master, the Scrum team works more effortlessly and efficiently. Also, SM provides coaching where necessary to adhere to Scrum principles and framework.

Generally, in a Scrum team, the Scrum Master is not responsible for managing the development team. The Scrum development team is self-organizing. And the SM is responsible for developing the development team’s ability to solve obstacles independently. The development team in the Scrum methodology must learn from their mistakes and make their own decisions.

As we mentioned above, the Scrum Master is mainly responsible for increasing the value of the product and implanting the principles of Scrum.

Scrum Master And Project Manager: Who Do You Need?

Both the Scrum Master and the project manager must have unique characteristics and skills. We list some of the best skills in the table below:

. Team coaching: SMs must change the mindset and behavior of the team and stakeholders through their training.

. Negotiating skills: To keep the project on track and resolve obstacles, the Prime Minister must have good skills as a negotiator.

. Advisor and consultant: The SM provides advice and counsel to the team and supports agile management and agile contracts.

How To Become A Scrum Master With No Experience In 6 Steps

. Being a servant-leader: SM leads by example. For changes to occur, SM leads the way by showing the necessary examples.

. Leadership: The ability to lead a team to the successful completion of a project requires motivation and meditation within the group.

Both connect product owners and development teams. However, the path may vary depending on the scale, requirements and resources of the project. Therefore, you can choose SM or PM depending on the way you estimate your project and your preference.

But if you decide on a Scrum framework, set a SM to maximize production. In this case, it’s likely that software development has a lot of moving parts, and with a good SM, make sure deadlines are met with cultural accountability.

Agile Software Development With Scrum

In a project setting, you need a project manager to play the role of planner, organizer, and problem solver.

Helps you create a roadmap for successful development and even assigns a dedicated project manager for your project if you need it. There are many differences between a traditional project manager and a scrum master in terms of their work methods, skills, techniques, responsibilities and leadership. The duality of project manager and scrum master is sometimes confused as being interchangeable, but they are two distinct roles. Both are important and have a clear purpose in an organization where needs and goals are aligned.

Traditional project management uses a predictive (waterfall) method. This means that project managers apply a defined process within the project life cycle (PLC) to manage the project from start to finish. The main focus for a project manager is to ensure that the project runs smoothly through the process teams, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control.

A Certified Project Management Professional has expertise in knowledge areas including integration, scope, time, cost, quality, people, communication, risk and procurement as defined in the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) Guide.

The Difference Between A Product Owner, A Product Manager, A Business Analyst And A Project Manager

Scrum is an adaptive (agile) framework, an iterative, iterative process that allows flexibility and the ability to respond to change. Scrum masters do not manage a project like a project manager, but guide the scrum process and values ​​so that the scrum team can collectively manage the project or product process.

A scrum master is agile, promoting agile principles within the team and throughout the organization. They often facilitate scrum events, including sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, as described in the Scrum Guide™. However, their responsibilities go far beyond facilitating meetings. Core competencies of Scrum Masters should include teaching, mentoring and coaching.

Project managers and scrum masters have similar qualities, but their skill sets and techniques may differ. For example, both use facilitation practices for teams and meetings; they are both organized; effective with communication; have interpersonal skills; and are leaders who know how to manage conflict. Some examples of skills and techniques specific to the project manager and scrum master role include:

Project managers have a range of responsibilities from project initiation to completion in order to meet project objectives and deliverables. Their main objective is to ensure that the project is successful in terms of scope, schedule, budget and quality while managing change.

Agile Scrum Board Best Practices For Every Project

Scrum Masters coach and mentor; they are responsible for ensuring that a practice is understood and followed by the scrum team while promoting the principles of transparency, revision and alignment. Their primary goal is to support the scrum team to effectively deliver high-value product growth through continuous improvement. A scrum master fosters an agile mindset and serves as a change agent for the organization.

The tactical differences in responsibilities between project managers and scrum masters are broken down into three main areas below: people, process and tool interactions. Here are examples of their responsibilities.

While both project managers and scrum masters must possess soft skills to be effective, the approach varies between the two roles when it comes to their leadership style.

Scrum masters are servant leaders (also known as “servant leadership” in the pre-2020 Scrum Guide).

What Are Scrum Roles?

“Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organization.” – 2020 Scrum Guide™

Project managers are traditional leaders who drive project outcomes from start to finish. They initiate, plan, and execute projects using a team style to control scope, schedule, and budget so that projects can be successful. Project managers perform wrap-up activities at the end of the project, including a lessons-learned meeting.

Scrum masters are agile leaders who serve as change agents for the scrum team and the organization. They train scrum teams to be effective using the scrum framework so they can continuously deliver value. Scrum masters not only facilitate meetings, but also enable the scrum team to collaborate and self-manage while practicing scrum principles and values. They help drive continuous improvement in every sprint.

Accountability for project management, including (but not limited to) scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, and communications rests with the project manager. They must ensure the delivery of information and the execution of the overall project. However, activities within each of these areas are the responsibility of team members and stakeholders.

Guide To Becoming A Scrum Master

In Scrum, there is shared responsibility. The product owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product, the scrum master is responsible for making sure the organization effectively adopts scrum in practice, and the developers are responsible for delivering incremental product backlog items. Scrum masters encourage the team to hold each other accountable.

Project managers are successful when they result in the delivery of projects on time, on budget, for the agreed scope. The project manager tries to prevent project failure by heavy planning and documentation at the beginning of the project. They closely monitor progress in the monitoring and control phase, mitigating risks to ensure success.

Scrum master success is measured by how effectively the team delivers value, how well they work together, and how well they accomplish the product goal. Agile principles such as fail fast, learning by discovery, and continuous improvement enable a return to agility. A Scrum team succeeds through the quality of delivered product growth and customer satisfaction.

Your organization may have project managers, scrum masters, or both. In the real world, agility tends to look different in every organization or business. But as you can see, your focus and responsibilities will vary depending on your role. As a Certified ScrumMaster, your focus will be on people as you provide mentoring and coaching as they use scrum to work cross-functionally and deliver product enhancements.

Agile Project Manager Resume Template 2023

If you’re thinking about becoming a scrum master or product owner but aren’t sure which path to take, please ask, isn’t this the most talked about word when it comes to technology and project management? There is a constant juggling act between the role of Scrum Master and the role of Project Manager, who must communicate. Many of you may struggle to understand what difference both job roles make to an organization. It’s not just a job role, but a strategic choice of how each one will be

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