By: Marvin T. Rulesware Team Member
In the software development world, the Agile methodology, which is a way to manage a project by breaking it up into several phases, is an effective process geared at delivering solutions. It’s great at encouraging flexible responses to change.
However, working under the Agile umbrella and using Scrum (a framework that helps teams work together) may be confusing, especially when we think about the roles involved, so I would like to share a bit of what I’ve learned.
First, we need to understand that the purpose of a Scrum team is to deliver products iteratively and incrementally, so the opportunities for feedback are maximized.
Now, let’s review some key roles and terminology we need to be familiar with.
- Who is the Servant Leader?
The Scrum Master (also known as the Servant Leader), is the person who will focus on the needs of the team members and those they serve (the customer). The Scrum Master does not assign tasks, make commitments or overrule the team but rather holds the Scrum team accountable for the delivery of commitments, ensures that impediments are removed when the team is not able to do it on their own, and if unable to remove them, the Scrum Master ensures that it is escalated to those who can. The Scrum Master is the facilitator and the owner of the Scrum process.
- And the Storyteller?
The BA (Storyteller) ensures that there is effective communication and team unity.
It is not just the writing of a requirement but about making sure that the team understands it. It is about telling the story with a short and clear description, and a concise Acceptance Criteria to be implemented. By doing so, the BA (Storyteller) allows the team to size the User Story so it can be ready for the sprint with enough detail to satisfy the team’s needs to work on it.
Want to know more? You can check out these articles:
https://community.pega.com/knowledgebase/documents/scrum-basics-scrum-roles
https://winnipeg.iiba.org/sites/winnipeg/files/2017 Event Content/Storytelling.pdf
