How do you manage your time and resources as a scrum team member in agile?

1 What is a scrum team?

A scrum team is a cross-functional group of people who work together to deliver a potentially shippable product increment at the end of each sprint. A scrum team typically consists of three roles: the product owner, the scrum master, and the development team. Each role has a different set of responsibilities and skills, but they all share a common vision and goal.

2 Product owner

The product owner is the person who represents the voice of the customer and the business stakeholders. They are responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog, which is a list of features and requirements that the team needs to work on. The product owner also collaborates with the scrum master and the development team to clarify the scope and value of each backlog item, and to provide feedback and acceptance criteria.

3 Scrum master

The scrum master is the person who facilitates the scrum process and ensures that the team follows the agile principles and values. They are responsible for coaching and mentoring the team, removing any impediments or blockers, and promoting continuous improvement and learning. The scrum master also acts as a servant leader, who supports and empowers the team, rather than directing or controlling them.

4 Development team

The development team is the group of people who design, build, test, and deliver the product increment. They are responsible for self-organizing and collaborating to complete the backlog items within the time and quality constraints of the sprint. The development team also communicates regularly with the product owner and the scrum master, and participates in the scrum events, such as the sprint planning, the daily scrum, the sprint review, and the sprint retrospective.

5 How to manage your time and resources as a scrum team member

As a scrum team member, you need to balance your individual and collective responsibilities, and optimize your time and resources to deliver value to the customer. To do this, you should align your work with the sprint goal and the product vision, plan your tasks and estimate your effort, track your progress and update your status, collaborate and communicate with your team, and reflect and improve. Make sure you understand the purpose and the expected outcome of each backlog item, and how it contributes to the overall product value. Break down the backlog items into smaller and manageable tasks, and assign them to yourself or your teammates. Use a tool or a technique, such as planning poker, to estimate how much time and effort each task will take. Use a visual tool, such as a scrum board or a kanban board, to monitor the status of your tasks and the sprint. Update your status daily, and report any issues or risks to the scrum master or the product owner. Share your ideas, feedback, and knowledge with your team members, and seek their input and support. Use a communication tool, such as a chat app or a video call, to stay in touch and coordinate your work. At the end of each sprint, review your work and your process, and identify what went well and what can be improved. Use the sprint retrospective to share your insights and suggestions, and to agree on the action items for the next sprint.