Developing People and Teams · Topic 1 of 2
Self-Managing Teams
Self-managing Scrum Teams for PSM I: deciding who does what, when and how, no sub-teams or hierarchies, and handling impediments and conflict.
- 3 min
- Self-managing: the team decides who does what, when and how.
- Cross-functional: all skills needed to create value each Sprint.
- No sub-teams and no hierarchies within a Scrum Team.
What it is
A Scrum Team is self-managing: the team internally decides who does what, when and how. It is also cross-functional, meaning its members have all the skills needed to create value each Sprint. Self-management supports empiricism: the Scrum Guide notes that adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing.
How it works
What self-management means
| The team decides | Not decided by |
|---|---|
| Who works on which item | A team lead, manager or Scrum Master |
| How to turn Product Backlog items into a Done Increment | Anyone outside the Developers |
| How much work to select for a Sprint | The Product Owner or stakeholders |
| How to run its Daily Scrum | The Scrum Master |
The Product Owner still decides the order of the Product Backlog, and the organization still sets the context, such as an organizational Definition of Done. Self-management is within the Scrum framework, not freedom from it.
No sub-teams or hierarchies
Within a Scrum Team there are no sub-teams (such as a separate testing team) and no hierarchies (such as a team lead assigning work). The Scrum Guide describes the team as a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time.
Signs of growing self-management
- Developers plan their own work at Sprint Planning and adapt it daily.
- Developers hold each other accountable as professionals.
- The team raises and resolves its own problems, asking the Scrum Master for help only when it cannot.
- Skills spread across the team so work does not wait for one person.
Impediments and conflict
- An impediment is anything that blocks the team's progress. The Scrum Guide makes the Scrum Master accountable for causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team's progress; in practice, a self-managing team first tries to resolve what is within its own control.
- When conflict arises between team members, the Scrum Master helps the team resolve it through coaching and facilitation, rather than deciding who is right.
If a question asks what a Scrum Master should do when Developers ask who should take a task, the answer is to let the Developers decide, helping them if they struggle.
How the exam asks about this
- "Who decides who works on which Sprint Backlog item?" The Developers.
- "A manager wants to appoint a team lead to assign work." This contradicts self-management; Scrum Teams have no hierarchies.
- "Developers face a problem they can solve themselves." Let them solve it; the Scrum Master coaches if needed.
What to remember for the exam
- Self-managing: the team decides who does what, when and how.
- Cross-functional: all skills needed to create value each Sprint.
- No sub-teams and no hierarchies within a Scrum Team.
- Self-management works within the Scrum framework.
- The Scrum Master causes the removal of impediments to the team's progress; a self-managing team resolves what it can itself.
Removing every impediment for the team can block self-management. A Scrum Master who solves problems the team could solve itself keeps the team dependent.
Common mistakes
Assigning tasks to Developers. Nobody outside the Developers does this.
Creating a separate testing sub-team. The Scrum Team has no sub-teams.
Letting the Scrum Master decide conflicts. The team resolves them, with help.
Check yourself
What does it mean that a Scrum Team is self-managing?
The team internally decides who does what, when and how.
Can a Scrum Team have a team lead who assigns work?
No. A Scrum Team has no sub-teams or hierarchies.
What should the Scrum Master do about an impediment the team can resolve itself?
Let the team resolve it, coaching if needed, rather than solving it for them.
Topic 1 of 2 in Developing People and Teams
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