How a Scrum Team Works (Part 3/3)
A Scrum Team is designed to be cross-functional and self-managing, capable of covering all the skills necessary to design, develop, and deliver working software at the end of each Sprint. The Scrum framework revolves around three main roles: the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Developers.
The Developers represent the operational core of the Scrum Team. They are responsible for creating the product and achieving the Sprint Goals. In this third episode, we analyze their role, responsibilities, and possible antipatterns.
Developers include all team members who collaborate to create a working product increment by the end of the Sprint. Their work is not limited to programming but also involves analysis, design, testing, planning, and any other activities required to achieve the objectives.
Main responsibilities
- Create a working increment
Developers are responsible for delivering a product increment that meets the Definition of Done (DoD). Every increment must be usable and, ideally, ready for release.
- Collaborate on the Sprint Plan
During Sprint Planning, Developers work with the Product Owner to understand priorities and with the Scrum Master to define realistic goals and a detailed plan (Grooming). This helps avoid issues like over-commitment, which can negatively impact both team morale and the achievement of objectives.
- Work in a self-organized manner
Developers are responsible for deciding how to carry out the work. The Scrum Master and Product Owner provide support and guidance, but the Developers manage the tasks operationally and choose methodologies such as pair programming or code reviews to improve code quality.
- Ensure technical quality
Developers must adhere to high technical standards, contributing to a sustainable and maintainable codebase by adopting practices such as Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) and writing automated tests.
- Collaborate and communicate
Frequent collaboration and communication are essential to quickly resolve issues and maintain a smooth workflow, avoiding bottlenecks.
In previous episodes, we also examined the roles of the Product Owner and the Scrum Master. If you’d like to explore other aspects of Scrum or share your experience, feel free to contact us in the Agilistic Sircle!