Using the Scrum Framework? Stay in your Lane

Last month I wrote about bad Scrum and other abuse of the Scrum Framework. One of the common abuses that I see in organizations using Scrum is that they don't properly use the 3 Scrum roles. To be effective, these three Scrum roles need to be implemented properly and protected. Like bowlers in a bowling alley, we need each of the roles to stay in their lane.

Just 3 Roles In the Scrum Framework

It’s pretty simple actually, especially if you have been around long enough to understand why the roles are set up as they are. In Scrum, there are three official roles. There is the Product Owner, the Dev Team, and the Scrum Master. Each of them has a distinct role and set of responsibilities. And when each of them doesn’t stay in their lanes, we get subpar results and bad Scrum.

Let’s start with the Product Owner. In Scrum, the PO has the vision and business acumen. They make decisions, say no, and prioritize the backlog. The Product Owners is focused on identifying the “what” and making sure they are getting a return on investment. 

The Dev Team doesn’t focus on the what- they focus on the How. They work together to figure out how to turn the prioritized backlog items into done increments of the solution. The Dev Team is self-organizing and no one outside the team should tell them how to do their job.

The third official role in the Scrum Framework is the Scrum Master, arguably the most confused, abused and maligned role of the 3. The Scrum Master helps the team self-organize and use Scrum effectively. They are not a PM and they don’t do PM type stuff. The Dev Team or the PO handle most of those project management type tasks.

Everyone else is in a role outside the Scrum Framework. And they should stay in their own role. Like bowlers in the bowling alley, it would make no sense for them to play outside their lane. Could you have someone tossing a bowling ball down the wrong lane? Well no, you should not.

Frequent Abuses of The Scrum Roles

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