Project Manager vs Scrum Team πŸ€”

Scrum Master In Black
25 Aug 202217:54

Summary

TLDRThe video script addresses the role of project managers in Scrum environments, challenging the necessity of their involvement. It emphasizes Scrum's foundation on trust and self-management, arguing that the Scrum team, including the Product Owner and Scrum Master, can handle project management activities more effectively. The speaker shares insights on distributing responsibilities like progress tracking, stakeholder engagement, and risk management within the team, advocating for transparency and lean practices to streamline product delivery and empower team members.

Takeaways

  • πŸŽ₯ The video aims to address the common confusion between the roles of a Project Manager and a Scrum Master, especially for project managers looking to transition into Scrum.
  • πŸ” The speaker emphasizes that the Scrum team does not need a project manager, as the roles and responsibilities are different and can lead to micromanagement if combined.
  • πŸ€” The video challenges the traditional belief that project management activities are too complex for a Scrum team to handle, advocating for trust and empowerment within the team.
  • πŸ’‘ Scrum is based on trust, and the speaker prefers to mentor the Scrum team to handle responsibilities such as budget management and product delivery effectively.
  • πŸ› οΈ Scrum is misused in some organizations as a micromanagement tool, which is contrary to its principles of inspiring and leveraging team members' intelligence and self-management.
  • πŸ“Š The speaker suggests automating the status of product delivery to make progress transparent for stakeholders and senior management, reducing the need for individual progress reports.
  • πŸ“ The video outlines an exercise to map project management activities to Scrum team roles, demonstrating that the Scrum team can perform all necessary activities without a project manager.
  • πŸ“‰ The speaker argues that if project management activities seem overwhelming, it might be worth questioning their value to the customer and considering if they are wasteful.
  • πŸ‘₯ The Scrum team, including the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and developers, shares accountability for various activities, from tracking progress to managing risks and continuous improvement.
  • πŸš€ The Scrum Master's role extends beyond the team, often working at an enterprise level to improve the company's agility and advising senior management on scaling Scrum.
  • πŸ”„ The video encourages unlearning traditional project management perspectives and adopting a product perspective to fully leverage the benefits of Scrum and team self-management.

Q & A

  • What was the initial motivation behind creating the video comparing project managers and Scrum Masters?

    -The creator was motivated to make the video to address frequent questions from project managers about the differences between their role and that of a Scrum Master, aiming to help project managers who want to transition into Scrum Master roles.

  • Why has the video been viewed more than 30,000 times according to the script?

    -The video's popularity likely stems from its relevance to a common confusion among project managers about the role of Scrum Masters and the demand for clarity on the differences between these roles.

  • What is the 'elephant in the room' the speaker refers to in the video?

    -The 'elephant in the room' refers to the controversial topic of whether project managers are still needed when a team is using Scrum, a question that the speaker aims to address.

  • What is the speaker's stance on the necessity of project managers in Scrum teams?

    -The speaker believes that Scrum teams do not need a project manager, as the roles and responsibilities traditionally held by project managers can be distributed among the Scrum team members.

  • How does the speaker describe the misuse of Scrum in some companies?

    -The speaker describes the misuse of Scrum as a micromanagement tool, which some people use to feel in control, but this approach is not in line with Scrum's principles and can be detrimental to the team's autonomy and motivation.

  • What is the speaker's view on managing smart people in a Scrum environment?

    -The speaker believes that smart people in a Scrum environment should not be managed but rather inspired with goals and visions, allowing them to self-manage and take ownership of their work.

  • According to the script, what is the role of the Scrum Master in handling impediments?

    -The Scrum Master's role is to cause the removal of impediments, meaning they facilitate the process but do not necessarily remove the impediments themselves; they empower the team to address and resolve these issues.

  • What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to assigning project managers to Scrum teams?

    -The speaker suggests removing any obstacles in the way, allowing the Scrum team to be nimble and enabling faster value delivery to the customer, rather than adding project managers to the team.

  • How does the speaker propose to make the status of product delivery transparent?

    -The speaker proposes the use of automation to make the status of product delivery transparent, allowing stakeholders and senior management to view progress reports on the fly without needing to ask an individual for updates.

  • What is the main purpose of mapping out project management activities to accountabilities in Scrum, as described in the script?

    -The main purpose is to demonstrate that all project management activities can be performed by the Scrum team members, highlighting that a Scrum team does not need a separate project manager.

  • What does the speaker suggest about the distribution of responsibilities in a Scrum team?

    -The speaker suggests that responsibilities should be distributed across the whole Scrum team, with trust as the key principle, allowing for self-management and collaborative work.

  • How does the speaker view the role of the Product Owner in Scrum?

    -The Product Owner is viewed as having significant responsibilities, including managing the budget for product development, tracking progress towards the product goal, and reporting to senior management and stakeholders.

  • What is the speaker's opinion on unlearning traditional project management perspectives when adopting Scrum?

    -The speaker encourages unlearning traditional project management perspectives to embrace Scrum's principles of transparency, self-management, and team accountability, which can lead to more effective value delivery.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ€” Scrum vs. Project Management: Addressing the Elephant in the Room

The speaker begins by sharing their motivation for creating a video comparing project managers and Scrum Masters, addressing a common query from project managers about the differences. The video has gained significant views, leading to a discussion about the necessity of project managers in Scrum. The speaker anticipates backlash for challenging the status quo but is determined to share the 'brutal truth' about the role of project managers in Scrum teams. They argue that Scrum is based on trust and empowerment, suggesting that traditional project management roles can undermine the self-management and accountability of Scrum teams. The speaker advocates for transparency through automation and the removal of unnecessary project management activities that do not add value for customers.

05:02

πŸ“Š Redefining Project Management Activities within a Scrum Framework

This paragraph delves into the specific activities traditionally performed by project managers and how they can be redistributed among Scrum team members. The speaker refutes the idea that Scrum teams cannot manage projects without a project manager, arguing that tasks such as tracking progress, reporting, engaging stakeholders, and breaking down work can be effectively handled by the Product Owner and developers. The paragraph emphasizes collaborative effort, with developers taking on technical responsibilities and the Product Owner managing the product vision and stakeholder expectations. The speaker also introduces the concept of mapping project management activities to Scrum roles, demonstrating that a Scrum team can self-manage without a project manager.

10:03

πŸ› οΈ Scrum's Emphasis on Team Empowerment and Trust

The speaker continues to outline various project management duties, such as estimating work items, identifying risks, assigning work, and managing expectations, and explains how these can be the responsibility of the Scrum team. They stress that in Scrum, developers are trusted with technical decisions, the Product Owner with business risks and value estimation, and the Scrum Master with facilitating and mediating. The paragraph highlights the importance of self-management and the Scrum team's collective responsibility for performance management, conflict resolution, and continuous improvement. The speaker also touches on the unique role of the Scrum Master in systemic changes and advising senior management on scaling Scrum.

15:05

πŸš€ Transitioning from Project to Product Perspective in Scrum

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the shift from a project management perspective to a product development perspective, which is central to Scrum. They argue that the Scrum Master's role extends beyond the project lifecycle and involves making systemic changes for company-wide agility. The speaker emphasizes that all activities in Scrum should be distributed across the team, with a focus on trust and self-management. They conclude by encouraging viewers to create action items for transparency, value delivery, and team improvement, and to embrace unlearning to gain more than they lose. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to deliver amazing products to customers.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Scrum Master

A Scrum Master is a leadership role within the Scrum framework responsible for ensuring that the Scrum team adheres to the Scrum principles. The Scrum Master facilitates meetings, resolves conflicts, and helps remove impediments that might hinder the team's progress. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the Scrum Master is not equivalent to a project manager, as their role extends beyond just managing the team; they work at an enterprise level to improve the company's agility.

πŸ’‘Project Manager

A Project Manager traditionally oversees the planning, execution, and closing of a project. They are responsible for managing timelines, budgets, and communication with stakeholders. In the video, the speaker contrasts the role of the Project Manager with that of the Scrum Master, arguing that in a Scrum framework, many of the Project Manager's tasks are distributed among the Scrum team, rendering the Project Manager's role unnecessary.

πŸ’‘Product Owner

The Product Owner in Scrum is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum team. They manage the product backlog, prioritize work items, and ensure that the team delivers value to the customer. The video highlights the Product Owner's accountability in tracking progress, managing the budget, and communicating with stakeholders, roles traditionally held by a Project Manager.

πŸ’‘Self-management

Self-management refers to the ability of the Scrum team to organize and manage their own work without relying on a higher authority. In Scrum, the team is trusted to assign tasks, track progress, and make decisions collaboratively. The video stresses that adding layers of management, such as a Project Manager, can undermine the team's ability to self-manage.

πŸ’‘Trust

Trust is a foundational principle in Scrum, where the team is trusted to manage their own work and make decisions that best serve the project's goals. The video discusses how trust in the Scrum team to handle responsibilities like budget management and risk assessment is essential for effective Scrum implementation. Without trust, organizations may misuse Scrum as a micromanagement tool.

πŸ’‘Lean Thinking

Lean Thinking is a concept that focuses on maximizing value while minimizing waste, often through simplifying processes. In the video, Scrum is described as being based on Lean Thinking, which means keeping the framework as simple as possible while still being sufficient to deliver value. The speaker argues that unnecessary project management activities should be removed if they do not add value to the customer.

πŸ’‘Product Goal

The Product Goal is a long-term objective for the Scrum team that provides direction and purpose. It is collaboratively created by the entire Scrum team to ensure shared understanding and ownership. The video contrasts this with traditional project management, where the project plan and roadmap are typically created by a Project Manager, and emphasizes the importance of collective ownership in Scrum.

πŸ’‘Sprint Goal

The Sprint Goal is a short-term objective that the Scrum team aims to achieve within a single Sprint. It guides the team's work and helps ensure that their efforts are aligned with the overall Product Goal. The video highlights that in Scrum, the Sprint Goal is collaboratively set by the team during Sprint Planning, unlike in traditional project management where goals might be dictated by a Project Manager.

πŸ’‘Micromanagement

Micromanagement refers to the excessive control or attention to detail by a manager. The video criticizes the misuse of Scrum as a micromanagement tool, where managers try to maintain control over the team's work, which can lead to frustration among developers. Instead, Scrum promotes empowering the team and trusting them to manage their work.

πŸ’‘Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement is the ongoing effort to enhance products, services, or processes. In Scrum, this is a collective responsibility of the entire team, rather than being managed by a single individual. The video discusses how continuous improvement should be a collaborative effort, with input from the Product Owner, developers, and Scrum Master to ensure the team constantly improves their value delivery.

Highlights

The video aims to address the common questions about the differences between project managers and Scrum Masters, particularly for project managers interested in becoming Scrum Masters.

The video has been viewed over 30,000 times, exceeding the creator's expectations.

The speaker challenges the necessity of project managers in Scrum, suggesting that Scrum teams can be self-managing and trust-based.

Scrum is described as a framework that empowers teams rather than using it as a micromanagement tool.

Developers dislike Scrum being used for micromanagement, which stifles their creativity and autonomy.

The video emphasizes the importance of trust in Scrum, allowing teams to handle responsibilities such as budget management.

The speaker prefers mentoring Scrum teams for competence in product delivery from start to end, rather than traditional project management.

Scrum is based on lean thinking, keeping the framework simple and focused on delivering value to customers.

The video suggests automating status reports to make product delivery transparent to stakeholders and senior management.

The mapping exercise is introduced to distribute project management activities among Scrum team roles, showing they can manage without a project manager.

Tracking progress is divided between the Product Owner for product goal progress and developers for Sprint goal progress.

Reporting progress is the responsibility of the Product Owner, with an emphasis on transparency through Sprint reviews.

Engaging stakeholders is a shared responsibility among the Scrum team, including developers for direct clarification.

Work breakdown and defining technical dependencies are collaborative efforts in Scrum, involving the Product Owner and developers.

Estimation of work items in Scrum is a collaborative process between the Product Owner for value and developers for effort.

Risk identification in Scrum is distributed, with developers responsible for technical risks and the Product Owner for business risks.

Assigning work in Scrum is self-managed by developers, contrasting with project management where a project manager assigns tasks.

Managing stakeholder expectations is a role of the Product Owner in Scrum, not the project manager.

Team composition in Scrum is a collaborative decision involving the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and developers.

Developing team members is the Scrum Master's role, focusing on training, coaching, and mentoring.

Performance management in Scrum is a collective responsibility, involving the Product Owner, developers, and Scrum Master.

Resolving conflicts in Scrum is expected to be handled by the team members themselves, with the Scrum Master facilitating if needed.

Creating project plans and roadmaps in Scrum is a shared responsibility of the entire Scrum team, not just a project manager.

Managing the budget in Scrum is the Product Owner's responsibility, aligning with their role in product development.

Managing contracts and partnerships in Scrum is typically handled by the Product Owner, reflecting their entrepreneurial role.

Impediments in Scrum are to be removed with the facilitation of the Scrum Master, emphasizing the team's self-management.

Continuous improvement in Scrum is a collaborative effort across the whole team, not just the responsibility of one individual.

The video concludes that all project management activities can be distributed among Scrum team members, promoting self-management and trust.

The speaker encourages moving from a project perspective to a product perspective to fully leverage Scrum's benefits.

Unlearning traditional project management methods can lead to gains in agility and value delivery in Scrum environments.

Transcripts

play00:00

One day right after New Year 2020, I was

play00:02

so motivated to make a video that

play00:04

compares the project manager with the

play00:06

Scrum Master. I kept on getting

play00:07

questions from project managers about

play00:09

the differences between project manager

play00:11

and Scrum Master. So I made that video

play00:13

mainly to help project managers who want

play00:15

to be a Scrum Master. But surprisingly,

play00:17

until today that video has been viewed

play00:20

more than 30000 times. That is just

play00:22

beyond my expectation. In today's video

play00:25

folks

play00:26

let's talk about the elephant in the

play00:28

room. This is not going to be fun for me.

play00:30

I know the whole universe is going to

play00:32

frown upon me for telling the brutal

play00:34

truth in this video.

play00:36

But I have to say it. Do we still need

play00:38

project managers when using Scrum.

play00:41

If you've been following my channel for

play00:42

a while, I think the answer is quite

play00:44

obvious right?

play00:46

But if you're ready to open up your mind

play00:47

and unlearn. Stick around folks for my

play00:49

explanation right after this one.

play00:59

So whenever I was in a meeting room and

play01:01

said that the Scrum team does not need a

play01:02

project manager, there's always someone

play01:04

in the room who will be defensive and

play01:07

find a justification why the Scrum team

play01:09

still needs a project manager. Managing

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the project will be overwhelming for the

play01:13

team they're just executors,

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just let them write codes, that's what

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they're paid for. Why would we want them to

play01:20

manage your project. Well we can't trust

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the Scrum team to manage the budget, it's

play01:24

too much accountability for them. How can

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we ensure that we don't go over budget

play01:28

if we put the accountability to manage

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the budget to the Scrum team? Do you

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know how much effort it is to manage a

play01:34

project? Don't underestimate this. The

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amount of details that you need to pay

play01:39

attention to in a project, do you know

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how much effort that I need to go

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through to pass that certification in

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project management? And now you want the

play01:46

team, the Scrum team,

play01:48

the lowest entity in the company to

play01:50

manage a project? Are you kidding me?

play01:53

And of course there are many more

play01:54

justifications that people will say. Now

play01:56

check this out... this is what's

play01:58

interesting about Scrum. Scrum is based

play02:00

on trust rather than coming up with

play02:02

justifications that undermine the Scrum

play02:04

team. I prefer leveraging the Scrum team

play02:06

to be more trustworthy with handling the

play02:08

budget. I also prefer mentoring the Scrum

play02:10

team to be more competent with managing

play02:12

the whole product delivery from the

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start to the end. With trust and

play02:15

empowerment I know the Scrum team is

play02:17

able to do it because I've seen it

play02:19

happen. A lot of companies out there in

play02:21

another universe misuse Scrum as a

play02:24

micromanagement tool.

play02:25

Some people like using Scrum as a

play02:27

micromanagement tool. It makes them

play02:30

feel like they're in control.

play02:32

But on the flip side developers hate it

play02:35

when Scrum is used as a micromanagement

play02:37

tool. Scrum believes that you do not need

play02:38

to manage smart people. You inspire them

play02:41

with goals and visions. Rather than

play02:43

managing the Scrum team, you should

play02:45

tickle their imagination and their

play02:47

intelligence. Adding more layers who

play02:49

manage the Scrum team will weaken

play02:51

self-management itself. And it does not

play02:53

encourage the Scrum team to have

play02:55

ownership with the product they're

play02:56

developing. So rather than adding project

play02:58

managers to the Scrum team I personally

play03:00

prefer removing any obstacles in the way

play03:02

so the Scrum team can be nimble and the

play03:04

value delivery to the customer can be

play03:06

faster. As we have read from Scrum guide,

play03:08

Scrum is also based on lean thinking.

play03:10

Scrum strives to keep the framework as

play03:12

simple as possible but yet sufficient

play03:14

enough for delivering value to the

play03:16

customers. If the project management

play03:18

activities are seen as overwhelming for

play03:20

the Scrum team, perhaps we should ask

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ourselves whether those project

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management activities actually add value

play03:25

for the customer

play03:27

or it's actually just a waste. Rather

play03:29

than adding more project management

play03:30

activities, I prefer making the whole

play03:32

status of the product delivery

play03:34

transparent through automation. And yes

play03:36

these days it's doable. The stakeholders

play03:39

and the senior management should be able

play03:41

to look at all of the progress reports

play03:43

on the fly without having to ask it from

play03:45

a certain individual. In today's video, I

play03:47

will also answer iapan's question that

play03:49

he left on my youtube channel about how

play03:51

the project management activities are

play03:53

distributed in the whole Scrum team. Now

play03:55

rather than telling people, I personally

play03:58

like facilitating this exercise that

play03:59

maps out the project management

play04:01

activities to accountabilities in Scrum.

play04:03

Because that way people in the company

play04:05

know that the Scrum team can do all the

play04:07

activities that project managers do and

play04:09

people know that the Scrum team does not

play04:11

need a project manager. So when doing

play04:13

this exercise in a company, I start with

play04:15

asking people in the room to come up

play04:16

with lists of activities that the

play04:18

project managers do on several sticky

play04:19

notes. I will then ask them: "who in the

play04:21

Scrum team are able to do those

play04:23

activities.?" All right folks let's go to

play04:25

our virtual board here, we will map out

play04:27

all of the activities that project

play04:29

managers do and let's see who in a Scrum

play04:31

team can and should do these activities.

play04:33

Okay let's start with the first activity.

play04:36

Tracking progress .. So in project

play04:38

management, it's the project manager's

play04:39

job to track the progress of the project.

play04:42

In Scrum this is split into two. The

play04:44

progress towards the product goal is

play04:45

tracked by the Product Owner while the

play04:47

progress within the Sprint towards the

play04:49

Sprint goal is tracked by the developers.

play04:51

Now folks, there are quite a few videos

play04:53

on youtube that say tracking the Sprint

play04:55

progress is the Scrum Master's

play04:56

responsibility. And I can tell you that

play04:58

is totally wrong .. anything that happens

play05:01

in the Sprint is the developer's

play05:03

responsibility. Now in relation to

play05:05

tracking progress, let's move on to the

play05:07

next activity in project management that

play05:09

is reporting the progress to the senior

play05:11

management and other stakeholders. In

play05:13

project management, it is the project

play05:15

manager's responsibility to report the

play05:17

whole progress of the project to the

play05:18

stakeholders and the senior management.

play05:20

Now as the Product Owner is the one

play05:22

responsible to track progress towards

play05:24

the product goal in Scrum, it is the

play05:26

Product Owner's responsibility to report

play05:28

the whole progress towards the product

play05:30

goal to the senior management and also

play05:32

to the stakeholders. As the company's

play05:34

understanding about Scrum improves the

play05:36

company should move away from getting

play05:38

progress reports from an individual

play05:40

towards getting the progress report by

play05:43

attending the Sprint review. Attending

play05:45

the Sprint review would cut down

play05:46

excessive activities done by the Product

play05:48

Owner. All right folks, now let's move on

play05:50

to the next activity that the project

play05:52

managers do that is engaging the

play05:54

stakeholders

play05:55

in Scrum.

play05:57

Everyone in the Scrum team can engage

play05:59

the stakeholders. The Product Owner, the

play06:02

Scrum Master and even the developers can

play06:04

communicate directly to the stakeholders.

play06:06

In fact, the developers are empowered to

play06:09

get clarification for unclear product

play06:11

backlog items directly to the end user

play06:14

without going through the Scrum Master

play06:16

or the Product Owner. Now let's move on

play06:18

to the next activity ... breaking down the

play06:20

work into small pieces. In project

play06:23

management, the project manager is the

play06:25

one responsible to break down the work

play06:27

items and also create the work breakdown

play06:29

structure or known as the WBS.

play06:32

The project manager is also the one

play06:34

responsible to define the technical

play06:36

dependencies within the project. In Scrum,

play06:39

breaking and refining the product

play06:41

backlog items is a collaborative effort

play06:43

between the Product Owner, the Scrum

play06:45

Master and also the developers. Now I

play06:48

have already made a video about product

play06:50

backlog refinement on this channel, go

play06:52

find and watch that video if you haven't

play06:54

already watched it.

play06:55

Now when it comes to defining the

play06:57

technical dependencies in the product,

play06:59

this is the developer's responsibility

play07:01

because the developers are the one who

play07:03

has the technical expertise. The next

play07:06

activity that project managers do is

play07:07

estimating the work items both in effort

play07:10

and also in value. So in Scrum estimation

play07:13

is done collaboratively by the Product

play07:15

Owner and also the developers the

play07:18

Product Owner would estimate the value

play07:19

of each Product Backlog items while the

play07:22

developers would estimate the effort to

play07:24

develop those Product Backlog items and

play07:27

turn it into a usable releasable

play07:29

increment.

play07:30

Now let's talk about risks. There are two

play07:33

types of risks, business opportunity risk

play07:35

and also technical risk. Now in project

play07:38

management, the project manager would be

play07:39

the one who identifies both the

play07:41

technical risks and also business

play07:43

opportunity risks. In Scrum, we trust the

play07:45

developers as professionals who have the

play07:47

competencies to define the technical

play07:49

risk and also the technical dependencies

play07:51

for the product. We also trust the

play07:53

developers have the capability to define

play07:55

the technical solution for the product.

play07:57

Now in Scrum, business risk

play07:59

identification is done by the Product

play08:02

Owner. In practice, as a Scrum Master I

play08:04

like to pair up with the Product Owner

play08:06

just to challenge their thought process

play08:08

when defining the business risk because

play08:10

oftentimes when it comes to identifying

play08:12

business risk it's also related with

play08:14

experimentation for seeing future

play08:16

possibilities looking at the current

play08:18

market trends. So as a Scrum Master I'm

play08:20

there to brainstorm and to challenge the

play08:22

Product Owner's thought process. Now

play08:24

let's move on to the next project

play08:26

management activity ... assigning the work

play08:28

to the developers. In project management,

play08:31

in many cases, it is the project manager

play08:33

who assigns the work to the developers. As

play08:35

Scrum is based on self-management, it is

play08:37

the developers themselves who assign the

play08:40

work to themselves. In project management,

play08:42

the project managers are expected to

play08:44

manage the stakeholders expectations. Now

play08:47

in Scrum it is the Product Owner who

play08:49

manage the stakeholders expectation

play08:51

because it is the Product Owner who

play08:53

knows the progress towards the Product Goal

play08:55

and also the ones managing the budget

play08:57

for the product development. Now let's

play08:59

talk about team composition. In project

play09:01

management, oftentimes the team

play09:02

composition is defined by the project

play09:04

manager. In some companies the team

play09:06

members are given by the line managers

play09:08

or the upper managers. Now in Scrum the

play09:11

Scrum team composition is defined

play09:12

together by the Product Owner, the Scrum

play09:14

Master and also the developers. The

play09:16

Product Owner is the one who manage the

play09:18

budget for the product development, is

play09:20

the one who comes up with the criteria

play09:22

from the business perspective and also

play09:24

the salary threshold for each team

play09:26

member. The developers is the one who

play09:28

comes up with technical skill sets and

play09:30

also the traits that they need for the

play09:31

team. Now the Scrum Master do not define

play09:34

the team composition. They are there to

play09:36

facilitate the conversation between the

play09:37

Product Owner and also the developers.

play09:40

The next project management activity,

play09:41

even though I don't see many project

play09:43

managers do this, is to develop the

play09:45

people in the team either through

play09:47

training, coaching and mentoring. In Scrum

play09:49

this is clear this is the job of the

play09:52

Scrum Master. All right, now let's talk

play09:54

about the next activity that the project

play09:56

manager is expected to do, that is

play09:58

performance management. Now based on my

play10:00

personal opinion, performance management

play10:03

is somewhat a blanket term that has

play10:05

different meanings in different

play10:06

companies. Now from Scrum perspective,

play10:08

performance management means leveraging

play10:11

people to be more awesome at what they

play10:13

do. Now from that perspective, performance

play10:15

management is the whole Scrum team's

play10:17

responsibility. The Product Owner is

play10:19

involved in performance management

play10:21

because the Product Owner is the one who

play10:22

knows which team members delivers more

play10:24

value to the customer. The developers

play10:26

also do performance management usually

play10:29

they do this through pair programming,

play10:31

collaborative, code review

play10:33

or even during the retrospectives. While

play10:36

the Scrum Master has an overview about

play10:38

who is self-managed, the process,

play10:41

improvement done by the Scrum team and

play10:42

also the collaboration within the Scrum

play10:45

team. Now because of this reason, in Scrum

play10:47

performance appraisal should be a 360

play10:51

degree review. Sometimes in teams there's

play10:53

going to be conflicts. In project

play10:55

management, it is the project manager who

play10:58

is responsible to resolve conflict. In

play11:00

Scrum, whenever there are conflicts we

play11:02

expect the Scrum team members to resolve

play11:04

it themselves.

play11:06

If they have hit the ceiling, the Scrum

play11:08

Master can mediate and facilitate the

play11:10

conflict because as we have learned from

play11:13

the 8 Scrum Master hats video that I

play11:14

have already made, one of the hats the

play11:16

Scrum Master wears is the facilitator

play11:19

hat. Alright folks, for the next two

play11:21

activities I have slightly enhanced it

play11:23

to be more Scrum oriented as Product

play11:25

goal and Sprint goal does not exist in

play11:27

project management. So in project

play11:29

management, the project manager is the

play11:31

one who is responsible for creating the

play11:32

whole project plan and also the project

play11:35

roadmap. And they usually do this using

play11:37

Gantt chart. In Scrum it is the whole

play11:39

Scrum team's responsibility to create

play11:42

the Product goal and also the roadmap

play11:44

towards achieving that product goal. This

play11:46

is done so that the whole Scrum team

play11:48

will have a shared understanding and

play11:51

also shared ownership for the process

play11:53

and also for the product. Besides Product

play11:56

goal the Scrum team also collaborates to

play11:58

create the Sprint goal during the Sprint

play12:01

planning first. Now let's talk about

play12:02

managing the budget. In project

play12:04

management, as we all know it is the

play12:06

project manager who manage the budget

play12:08

for the project. Now in Scrum, until this

play12:10

point it should be obvious that it is

play12:12

the Product Owner who manage the budget

play12:14

for the product development. Now let's

play12:16

talk about managing contracts and also

play12:18

partnerships. In project management it is

play12:20

the project manager who manage

play12:21

contracts and partnerships, either with

play12:23

third-party suppliers or prospective

play12:25

partners. Now in Scrum it is quite

play12:27

obvious, as the Product Owner who is

play12:29

entrepreneurial in the Scrum team,

play12:31

they're the ones who manage contracts

play12:33

and also partnerships with third-party

play12:35

suppliers and also prospective partners.

play12:37

Now let's talk about impediments. In

play12:39

project management, the project manager

play12:41

are expected to remove impediments. Scrum

play12:44

guide mentioned that the Scrum Master

play12:45

caused the removal of the impediments,

play12:47

which means the Scrum Master does not

play12:49

need to remove it but can have someone

play12:51

else to remove that impediment. We have

play12:54

to remember that the Scrum Master is a

play12:56

leadership position. This is not an

play12:59

administrative or a secretarial position.

play13:02

The Scrum Master is the one who removes

play13:04

organisational or enterprise scale

play13:06

impediments, while the developers are

play13:08

empowered to remove any technical

play13:10

impediments because they are the ones

play13:12

who have the technical expertise. And the

play13:14

last activity on my list here is

play13:16

managing continuous improvement. In many

play13:19

cases the project managers are expected

play13:22

to manage continuous improvement in the

play13:24

project. Now in Scrum this is done

play13:26

collaboratively by the whole Scrum team.

play13:28

In Scrum, continuous improvement is not

play13:31

just one person's responsibility. As the

play13:33

one with the budget, the Product Owner

play13:34

needs to manage which improvements needs

play13:36

to be implemented first. The developers

play13:38

may also come with improvements from

play13:40

technical perspective. And the Scrum

play13:42

Master can also bring in their

play13:43

perspective from a whole corporate

play13:45

structure and also process perspective.

play13:48

So i think in general those are all of

play13:50

the project management activities mapped

play13:51

out to the accountabilities in Scrum. Yes

play13:54

of course there would be more project

play13:55

management activities that we can put on

play13:57

this list.

play13:58

Some companies have more project

play14:00

management activities on their list

play14:02

while some do not do the activities on

play14:04

the list that I have here. The purpose of

play14:05

this exercise is to show people in the

play14:07

company how all of the project

play14:09

management activities can actually be

play14:11

done by the whole Scrum team rather than

play14:13

just by one person like the project

play14:15

manager or the program manager or the

play14:17

portfolio manager. I personally believe

play14:19

there aren't any project management

play14:20

activities that can't be done by any of

play14:22

the Scrum team members. The Product Owner

play14:25

can do it. The Scrum Master can do it.

play14:27

Even the developers can do it. Some

play14:29

activities are done collaboratively. Some

play14:31

activities are done only by the

play14:33

developer and the Product Owner. Some

play14:34

activities are done by the Scrum

play14:36

<aster and the Product Owner. The spirit

play14:38

in Scrum is, the whole Scrum team will

play14:40

collaborate and will self-manage to do

play14:42

all of the activities for delivering

play14:44

value to the customer. Now as you have

play14:46

just seen, most of the project management

play14:48

activities are done by the Product Owner.

play14:50

And here's what's interesting

play14:52

some companies from another universe

play14:54

ended up having product proxies rather

play14:56

than Product Owners because all of the

play14:58

things that should be managed by the

play14:59

Product Owner are managed by the project

play15:02

manager. It sounds like a paradox isn't

play15:04

it? A Product Owner who does not have

play15:06

ownership with the product. Scrum Master

play15:08

as you can see on this mapping is also

play15:10

interesting. In the scope of the whole

play15:12

product development process the Scrum

play15:14

Master may seem not having much

play15:16

contribution compared to the developers

play15:18

and the Product Owner. And even when

play15:19

they're involved they will actually

play15:21

brainstorm facilitate the discussion

play15:23

between the Product Owner and the

play15:24

developers and also challenge the Scrum

play15:27

team's thought process. Unlike popular

play15:29

misbelief, the Scrum Master cannot

play15:31

actually be mapped to project manager

play15:34

because the Scrum Master is the

play15:35

leadership position that has a scope

play15:38

beyond just the Scrum team. As you have

play15:39

watched on my previous video much of the

play15:41

work the Scrum Master does is about

play15:43

making systemic changes that will

play15:45

improve the whole company's level of

play15:46

agility. And also as you have read on

play15:48

Scrum guide one of those works outside

play15:50

of the Scrum team is advising the senior

play15:52

management how to scale out Scrum

play15:55

throughout the company with minimum

play15:56

level of resistance. Some of the best

play15:58

Scrum Masters I have worked with

play16:00

actually work at the enterprise level

play16:02

and report to the senior management. And

play16:04

because Scrum is about product

play16:06

development rather than project

play16:07

management, the Scrum Master's

play16:09

accountabilities extend beyond just the

play16:11

project lifecycle. Because product

play16:13

lifecycle is much longer than project

play16:15

lifecycle. To get the most out of Scrum,

play16:18

start moving away from project

play16:19

perspectives into product perspectives.

play16:22

Go find my video on this channel that

play16:24

explains the differences between project

play16:25

perspective and product perspective, if

play16:27

you haven't watched it already. Because

play16:29

Scrum is based on whole team

play16:30

accountability, all of these activities

play16:32

are distributed across the whole Scrum

play16:34

team. And hear me out ... the whole Scrum

play16:37

team can do all of these activities. The

play16:39

key is trust. Paradox is expecting the

play16:42

Scrum team to self-manage but yet still

play16:44

having a project manager to manage them.

play16:47

Well this has been a long video and it

play16:49

sounds more like a podcast now. I will

play16:51

just end it here and I hope I get my

play16:53

point across through this video. Thank

play16:55

you for still keeping an open mind until

play16:56

the end of today's video folks. If you

play16:58

don't like hearing what's been mentioned

play16:59

in this video I can totally understand

play17:01

that. But let me tell you this ... everything

play17:03

that i have just mentioned on this video

play17:05

is based on my personal experience

play17:07

working with several awesome clients. So

play17:09

it can be done if people in the company

play17:11

are open to unlearning. You may feel that

play17:13

when you're unlearning you will lose

play17:15

everything that you already know but by

play17:17

unlearning you will actually gain more

play17:19

than you lose. Now for those of you who

play17:20

found insights in this video hopefully

play17:23

after watching today's video you will

play17:24

create a list of action items to make

play17:26

information in your company more

play17:28

transparent through automation, to remove

play17:30

activities that do not add value for

play17:32

your customers and most importantly

play17:34

action items to make your Scrum team

play17:36

more awesome in continuous value

play17:38

delivery. If you liked today's video

play17:40

folks, you can click that like button

play17:42

down below and don't forget to subscribe

play17:44

to this channel folks. I will see you in

play17:46

my next video ... Enjoy the rest of your day.

play17:49

Now deliver something amazing to your

play17:51

customers.

play17:52

Bye now.

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Related Tags
Project ManagementScrum MasterAgile DevelopmentTeam DynamicsProduct OwnerSelf-ManagementLean ThinkingContinuous ImprovementStakeholder EngagementProduct Perspective