Self-Organizing vs. Self-Management in Agile Teams: What’s the Difference? ??

Lately, I've been receiving questions on this topic, so I wanted to clear up some confusion and share key insights to help you understand these concepts better. ??

?? Self-Organizing Teams: These teams have the autonomy to decide how they approach their work. They organize tasks, solve problems, and collaborate effectively to achieve sprint goals. The focus is on how they get things done, allowing them the flexibility to manage their daily workflows.

Example: The Product Owner provides a list of user stories, and the team takes over from there—breaking them down into tasks, distributing the workload, and choosing the best path to meet sprint goals.

?? Self-Managed Teams: In contrast, Self-managed teams don't just decide how to work—they're involved in what they work on. They prioritize backlog items, make decisions based on business goals, negotiate with stakeholders, and even manage external dependencies.

Example: A self-managed team not only organizes their work but also takes ownership of prioritization, interacts with stakeholders, and has a say in long-term planning.

As Agile teams mature, many evolve from being self-organizing to self-managed, gaining more responsibility and ownership over time. This evolution plays a crucial role in creating high-performing, truly empowered teams. ??

How is your team navigating the journey from self-organizing to self-managed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!"

In The 2020 Scrum Guide?, the shift from "self-organizing" to "self-managing" is significant. A key responsibility of the Scrum Master is to 'coach the team members in self-management and cross-functionality.'

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