Factual Scrum Friday

Happy Factual Scrum Friday!

Public Service Announcement: post based on Scrum as described in the official Scrum Guide: https://scrumguides.org/ 

Fact: there is nothing in Scrum called roles. Take a minute and search the guide for the word role. Zero hits!

What does this mean? Giving titles, what type of title, whether to associate that title with experience and pay – or not – are all completely company decisions. Scrum is a framework. Contextual decisions that are specific to any one company will be different from company to company. Scrum does not prescribe titles. It describes 3 minimal Accountabilities. What the heck does that mean? That means as long as the company identifies the person to fulfill the accountability as described, they can refer to them with whatever title makes sense for that organization.

Remember the conversation I recently had with a U.S. client’s DEI rep mentioned in previous Factual Scrum Fridays?

DEI: “As part of our commitment to adopting non-inclusive, offensive language we have challenges with the titles of Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developer. Owner suggests hierarchy and Master suggests people are submissive to that person. Developer is about software only.”

Me: “There are assumptions there I’d like to correct once again referring to the official Scrum Guide. Those are accountabilities, not prescribed titles. For example, if you have a Product Manager who is identified to execute the Product Ownership responsibilities described in the guide, no need to call them anything other than Product Manager. There’s also no hierarchy on a Scrum Team.”

DEI: “But you have to admit Scrum Master is offensive and can dehumanize.”

Me: “When you understand that it means mastery of Scrum, the master of the framework, it does not offend me personally. If you want to call it something else, call it Scrum Coach. Can I ask if you refer to people as resources?”

DEI: “We have been trying to get people to stop calling humans resources but that one has been a challenge in our company. I thought earlier you said Scrum isn’t about software but there are Developers on the Scrum Team.”

Me: “Developer is agnostic to the activity being performed. It’s about Product Development. Someone on the team could run a test. That’s a Developer Accountability. Someone could write a note. That’s a Developer Accountability. The term developer isn’t about the activity of programming or software development. It refers to the cross-functional team of people performing product development. Again, if you don’t like that word, it’s an accountability not a title. Feel free to use what works for your organization.”

Hope you have enjoyed this Factual Scrum Friday tip. In short – if what you’re doing is working and there’s no issues – keep up the good work! If what you’re doing is hurting…stop it!