Scrum Master vs. Product Owner

The war against traditional, archaic development techniques is well under way with the Agile Manifesto inspiring the agile revolution. Agile encapsulates common ideas from multiple frameworks, such as Scrum, to aid in the collapse of legacy project management techniques.

For Scrum to work successfully for organizations, each role has to have a purpose that’s clearly defined so everyone understands who is accountable and for what. So when we compare Scrum Master vs Product Owner, what are each of their roles responsible for on the Scrum team? Let’s dig in.

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what is a scrum master

Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value. Though simple in concept, Scrum is difficult to master without a dedicated individual focused on removing impediments and educating the team.

Enter: the Scrum Master. A Scrum Master helps guide the Scrum Team and organization as a whole to accomplish the overall goal and reveal any roadblocks that could delay the process. Without a doubt, they are essential to the Scrum team’s success, but what exactly are they all about?

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Many job openings for Agile coach and Scrum Master positions require entry-level certifications, but what do those certifications mean anyways? In this post I explain why I believe entry-level certifications are a poor tool to use when evaluating someone for a position or when assessing someone’s knowledge about Agile values, principles, and practices. I explain…

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For my career, I have had the privilege to witness companies undergo many different phases of agile transformations. I’ve met many amazing Scrum Masters along the way who have evolved to take on major responsibilities in their organizations. However, I have also seen many Scrum Masters who fall into common traps that impede the Scrum…

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As an agile coach and trainer, I have had the opportunity to reach thousands of students that are just beginning their journey into the Scrum and agile world. Throughout the years, I was repeatedly asked by students how they can get a job being a Scrum Master or agile coach. The question has caused me…

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I have had the opportunity of working with many Scrum Masters, both new and experienced, to help them improve in their role. While helping those Scrum Masters, I accumulated a list of books that I think every Scrum Master should read. These books can be read in any order depending on a Scrum Master’s level of interest and…

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Many Agile coaches and Scrum Masters believe they know best. They believe teams must follow a certain set of steps and do things a certain way, and if they do, those teams will be more productive, happy, and successful than ever. There’s a problem with thinking that way. That style of thinking is part of…

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Agile and Scrum training

Are you wondering if Professional Scrum Master training is the right fit for you? In this post, I will provide an overview of common reasons people attend our Scrum Master training, what they were hoping to get out of it, and what they actually got out of it. “The New Scrum Master” “The New Scrum Master”…

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The Agile Umbrella Since the birth of the Agile Manifesto in 2001, there has much buzz around being agile. Whether you’re a 100-year-old company or a newly formed startup, agility is a force to be reckoned with. Agile is a way of thinking that enables teams and organizations to innovate, quickly respond to changing demand, while mitigating…

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