HKSM
Scrum Team
A cross-functional, self-organizing group that builds and delivers a Done increment each sprint. In SBOK, it is formed early and then acts as a core input to planning, estimation, development, review, and improvement processes across the project.
Key Points
- Formed during Initiate as an output of the Form Scrum Team process.
- Acts as an input to multiple SBOK processes such as Create User Stories, Estimate User Stories, Commit User Stories, Create Tasks, Conduct Daily Standup, Demonstrate and Validate Sprint, and Retrospect Sprint.
- Cross-functional skills to turn prioritized backlog items into a Done increment every sprint.
- Self-organizing team members decide how to accomplish the work; no external task assignment.
- Typically 6-10 people, stable membership, and dedicated availability.
- Shared accountability for sprint goals, quality, and adherence to the Definition of Done.
Purpose
The Scrum Team exists to deliver value in small, frequent increments while learning from stakeholder feedback. It concentrates the skills, ownership, and decision-making needed to convert product backlog items into usable product slices.
By organizing work into sprints and inspecting outcomes regularly, the team reduces risk, surfaces impediments, and adapts plans quickly.
Key Terms & Clauses
- Cross-functional: The team includes all skills needed to design, build, test, and integrate the increment.
- Self-organizing: Team members choose how to do the work; the Scrum Master facilitates but does not direct tasks.
- Dedicated and stable: Members are primarily assigned to one team and remain consistent across sprints.
- Optimal size: Small enough to stay nimble, large enough to have the needed skills, commonly 6-10 people.
- Definition of Done (DoD): A shared quality bar that determines when work is complete.
- Shared accountability: The team collectively owns the sprint goal, estimates, and outcomes.
How to Develop/Evaluate
During Initiate, identify the product scope at a high level and select members who cover architecture, development, testing, UX, integration, and operations as required. Aim for full-time availability and T-shaped skills to reduce handoffs.
- Form the team: Confirm skills coverage, availability, and access to tools and environments.
- Set working agreements: Define core hours, communication norms, DoD, and collaboration practices.
- Evaluate readiness: Check that the team can estimate user stories, deliver within a sprint, and demo increments.
- Close gaps: Add training, pair programming, or temporary coaching if key skills are missing.
How to Use
As an input, the Scrum Team collaborates with the Product Owner in backlog refinement, estimation, and sprint planning. The team selects items, crafts the sprint goal, and creates tasks to meet that goal.
Within the sprint, the team executes work, updates the task board and burndown, and raises impediments in Daily Standups. At sprint end, the team demonstrates the increment for validation and runs a retrospective to improve the next sprint.
Example Snippet
A newly formed Scrum Team of 8 members begins a project with a payments epic.
- They refine top user stories with the Product Owner and estimate using story points.
- In sprint planning, they select the highest-value stories, agree on a sprint goal, and create tasks.
- Daily, they inspect progress, adjust the plan, and remove blockers with the Scrum Master.
- They demo the increment to stakeholders and gather feedback to update the product backlog.
Risks & Tips
- Risk: Part-time or frequently rotated members reduce focus and velocity stability. Tip: Keep membership stable and dedicated.
- Risk: Component-only teams create dependencies and delays. Tip: Build cross-functional capability to deliver end-to-end slices.
- Risk: External task assignment undermines self-organization. Tip: Let the team decide how to meet the sprint goal.
- Risk: Oversized teams increase coordination overhead. Tip: Split into multiple teams with one product backlog and clear integration.
- Risk: Vague quality criteria lead to rework. Tip: Maintain a clear, enforced Definition of Done.
- Risk: Limited Product Owner access slows decisions. Tip: Ensure timely PO collaboration for refinement and acceptance.
PMP/SCRUM Example Question
As a Scrum Master starting a new project in the Initiate phase, which action best ensures the Scrum Team is ready to plan the first sprint?
- Ask functional managers to preassign detailed tasks to each developer.
- Form a cross-functional, dedicated Scrum Team and establish working agreements and a Definition of Done.
- Independently estimate all epics for the release and hand the numbers to the Product Owner.
- Select a vendor to prioritize the product backlog on behalf of the Product Owner.
Correct Answer: B — Form a cross-functional, dedicated Scrum Team and establish working agreements and a Definition of Done.
Explanation: SBOK treats forming the Scrum Team as an Initiate output and a key input to planning and estimation. The other options bypass self-organization or Product Owner responsibility.
