The Role of a Project Manager in Scrum: Where Do You Fit?

Is there a place for a Project Manager in Scrum? If so, are they a Product Owner? A Scrum Master? Or both?

Traditionally, these two roles have been considered distinct and even oppositional—the Product Owner drives the "what" and "why", while the Scrum Master ensures the process runs smoothly. However, Scrum has evolved. The latest Scrum Guide even allows a developer to take on these responsibilities.

So, where does that leave a Project Manager?

The answer, as always: It depends.

But don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging with that. Let’s dig into what it really takes to be a Project Manager in a Scrum environment—what role you should take and how to excel in it.

Mastering Both Roles: The Reality of Project Management in Scrum

If you want to thrive as a Project Manager in today’s real-world Scrum projects, you’ll need both skill sets—Product Owner and Scrum Master.

Does that mean you’ll always perform both roles in every project? No. But you can—and many do. I’ve played both roles simultaneously for years, and I know many who do it successfully. I loved every moment of it, and I’ll share why in this article.

Understanding the Product Owner Role: Beyond the Development Team

If you ask a developer about the Product Owner, they’ll often describe them as:

? The person who prioritizes the backlog

? The one who writes user stories

? The link between stakeholders and the team

And they’d be right—but that’s only part of the story.

The Product Owner is more than just a backlog manager. They define what will be built and, more importantly, why it should be built. This means their work extends far beyond the development team—they must actively gather insights from users, customers, and the market.

How Do You Know What to Build?

To define the right product, a Product Owner relies on three key inputs:

1?? User & Customer Feedback – Conducting interviews, gathering direct insights, and understanding pain points.

2?? Data Analytics – Observing how the product is used in real time, identifying trends, and making data-driven decisions.

3?? Competitive Analysis – Evaluating industry trends, competitor strategies, and market shifts.

Without direct engagement with users and stakeholders, you’re just guessing—and guessing doesn’t work in product management.

Translating Insights into Actionable Work

Once you’ve identified what to build, the next step is making it tangible:

• Creating user stories that clearly define the problem
• Collaborating with UX designers (when available) to ensure usability
• Ensuring engineers have the right context to build the right solution

A Product Owner’s job isn’t just writing stories—it’s shaping the solution. In many cases, you won’t have a full team of UX designers or direct access to all stakeholders. That means you need to drive the early design process yourself, ensuring the solution truly meets user needs.

Navigating Real-World Constraints in Scrum

In an ideal world, the Product Owner makes all product decisions independently. But in reality? That’s rarely the case.

• You need approvals. Even if Scrum says the PO owns the product, decision-making often involves leadership, legal, finance, or marketing teams.
• You have dependencies. Modern software isn’t built in isolation. Your product likely integrates with others, requiring coordination across teams.
• You have budget constraints. Engineering estimates often force trade-offs—Scrum promotes agility, but investment decisions still matter.

Scrum theory suggests simplicity, but real-world projects are complex, messy, and interdependent. A successful Product Owner doesn’t just manage a backlog—they navigate these challenges strategically.

The Role of a Scrum Master: Driving Delivery, Not Just Facilitating

Once the scope is defined and led by the Product Owner, the focus shifts to execution—and this is where the Scrum Master steps in.

Officially, Scrum states that the development team owns the delivery while the Scrum Master serves as a servant leader. But in reality? The Scrum Master plays a crucial role in ensuring successful execution and delivery.

Scrum Master: A Delivery Leader, Not Just a Facilitator

Many people misunderstand the Scrum Master role, seeing them as a soft, administrative figure who just schedules meetings and coaches the team. But let’s be clear:

?? A Scrum Master is NOT just a team secretary.

? A Scrum Master IS responsible for ensuring delivery and optimizing the team’s effectiveness.

Their job is to:

• Maintain the delivery process, ensuring it enables efficiency.
• Remove blockers and dependencies to keep the team moving.
• Work with the Product Owner to align priorities and shield the team from distractions.
• Keep the team focused on the right work and optimize their flow.

How Does a Scrum Master Ensure Delivery?

A great Scrum Master does not sit back and wait for the team to figure things out. Instead, they:

1?? Set Up an Effective Process – Scrum Masters design and refine the process for delivery, ensuring the team has a clear path to execute work.

2?? Monitor & Optimize Execution – They track progress and intervene when necessary, ensuring that goals set during sprint planning are followed through.

3?? Unblock the Team – When challenges arise—cross-team dependencies, missing information, stakeholder interruptions—the Scrum Master actively resolves them.

4?? Adapt & Improve – No two teams work exactly the same way. A great Scrum Master observes, identifies weaknesses, and implements improvements.

5?? Stakeholder Management – They act as a shield, preventing last-minute demands or disruptions from leadership and external teams that could derail the sprint.

Beyond Meetings: The Reality of Scrum Mastery

Let’s debunk another misconception: Scrum Masters don’t just run meetings.

A strong Scrum Master:

• Ensures alignment with the Product Owner so that requirements are clear and prioritized.
• Shields engineers from unnecessary distractions so they can focus on delivering value.
• Has a deep understanding of the project—they don’t just manage "ceremonies," they help make in-flight decisions.

This is why I view the Scrum Master as a Delivery Manager rather than just a process coach. It’s a role that external stakeholders can clearly recognize and understand.

Where Does a Project Manager Fit?

Now, back to the big question: Where does a Project Manager fit into all of this?

Well, it depends on the organization. Some companies:

1?? Have dedicated full-time Scrum Masters and Product Owners—but in many cases, this is overkill.

2?? Expect developers to play the Scrum Master role, which often results in inefficiencies.

This is why, in many cases, the Project Manager naturally takes on the Scrum Master role—and in some cases, both the Scrum Master and Product Owner roles.

And that’s exactly what we’ll explore next.

Possible Role Structures for a Project Manager in Scrum

By now, it’s clear that a project manager in Scrum isn’t a single defined role—it depends on the organization, the team structure, and available resources. Let’s break down the three most common role structures and how you, as a project manager, can fit into each.

1?? The Ideal Scenario: A Dedicated Product Owner and Scrum Master

In an ideal Scrum setup, both roles exist independently, with a clear division of responsibilities:

? The Product Owner defines the scope, gathers requirements, and works with business stakeholders.

? The Scrum Master ensures smooth execution, facilitates Scrum processes, and helps the team deliver efficiently.

As a Project Manager, you could step into either role, depending on your skills and interests:

• If you’re technically inclined and thrive in process management, you’ll likely lean toward the Scrum Master role.
• If you’re business-focused, enjoy strategic decision-making, and excel at stakeholder management, the Product Owner role may be a better fit.

Often, the decision isn’t entirely yours—your organization may assign you based on needs. But in any case, mastering both skill sets gives you flexibility and a stronger foundation for growth.

This structure is most common in product companies, but it also appears in software agencies, where the Product Owner bridges client requirements with the development team.

2?? The Hybrid Mode: A Business-Side Product Owner & You as a Scrum Master (with PO Responsibilities)

Now, let’s step into a more common real-world scenario:

?? Smaller teams or budget constraints may prevent having both a full-time Product Owner and Scrum Master.

?? Instead, a business-side person (CEO, product manager, or another stakeholder) acts as the Product Owner.

This person:

?? Has business acumen and understands customer needs.

?? Knows what needs to be built but lacks technical depth or Scrum expertise.

Your Role in This Scenario:

• You primarily act as a Scrum Master, but
• You also support and facilitate the Product Owner’s role.

?? They may struggle with writing proper user stories—you help translate their vision into actionable requirements.

?? They may be unfamiliar with Scrum workflows—you guide them on how to work with the team efficiently.

?? They may not always be available—you step in as a proxy Product Owner when needed.

?? This model works well if:

? The Product Owner is engaged enough to participate in discussions and prioritization.

? They trust you to handle the execution and help bridge the gap between business and development.

It’s a Scrum Master-heavy role with some PO responsibilities, requiring strong facilitation and communication skills.

3?? The Dual Role: Acting as BOTH the Product Owner & Scrum Master

Finally, we get to the most challenging but sometimes necessary setup—you own both roles.

This happens when:

?? There’s no formal Product Owner, only a client or business-side stakeholder who wants a finished product but doesn’t engage in daily Scrum processes.

?? There’s no internal PO managing requirements—only users, sponsors, or scattered inputs that need consolidation.

Your Responsibilities in This Scenario:

?? As the Product Owner: You work with stakeholders, define scope, gather requirements, and prioritize work.

?? As the Scrum Master: You manage execution, oversee sprint planning, resolve blockers, and drive delivery.

Can you manage this much work?

? Yes—but only up to a certain number of projects.

?? From experience, handling one product end-to-end is sustainable.

?? Managing two projects is optimal, while three is possible but risky—beyond that, you risk burnout.

?? How to Make It Work:

?? Leverage Scrum to its fullest—schedule dedicated meetings to structure your time effectively.

?? Timebox activities—set fixed slots for requirements gathering, backlog refinement, and sprint planning.

?? Use Agile tools—maintain a well-structured backlog and keep a visible Agile board to monitor progress.

?? Encourage team autonomy—ensure engineers know you wear both hats, so they proactively escalate issues.

?? Consider appointing a local team lead—for technical oversight if needed, so you’re not bogged down in details.

This dual-role setup is demanding, but it can work if well-structured.

Can You (or Should You) Work as Both a Product Owner and Scrum Master?

So, should these roles be combined? Can one person handle both?

As with most things in Agile, it depends—on the organization, team size, capacity, budget, and overall company structure.

The Reality: These Roles Are Often Blended

While the Scrum Guide defines them as separate roles, in real-world projects, it’s common to see some level of overlap.

From my experience, it’s rare to have a completely pure separation—especially in smaller teams or budget-constrained environments.

As a Project Manager, you should be equipped to handle both roles—even if you don’t always perform them simultaneously.

Should You Specialize or Be a Generalist?

?? Focus on one, but understand both.

If you want to thrive as a Project Manager in a Scrum-driven organization:

? Choose a specialization: Either scope definition (Product Owner) or delivery/process management (Scrum Master).

? Know the fundamentals of both: Even if you lean toward one, you must understand the other to step in when needed.

? Expand beyond Scrum: Learn Kanban, product management, and team leadership—these will help future-proof your career.

Don’t Limit Yourself to a Single Role

?? If you only see yourself as a Scrum Master, you may get left behind when roles evolve.

?? If you only focus on being a Product Owner, you might miss opportunities in process improvement and delivery leadership.

The best project managers adapt—they develop a broad skill set that allows them to navigate different organizations, industries, and team dynamics.

Final Takeaway

?? Rules and frameworks are guidelines, not limitations.

?? Your career isn’t defined by a role title—it’s defined by your ability to add value.

?? The more skills you develop, the more adaptable, resilient, and in-demand you’ll be.

So, don’t get stuck in one predefined role just because a rulebook says so—become the project manager that every team wants on board. ??