SN-Logo NewSN-Logo NewSN-Logo NewSN-Logo New
  • Scrum Courses
  • Agile Keynotes
  • Agile Books & Tools
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
0

CHF0.00

✕
Target Process announces a Free Community Version
24-06-2008
New Domain Name: Scrum-Breakfast.com
29-06-2008

What’s the difference between a Project Leader and a Scrum Master?

Published by Peter Stevens on 25-06-2008
Categories
  • difference
  • project management
  • rational
  • RUP
  • scrum
Tags

This is a serious question 😉

I just led a workshop for a medium size company which was considering (and is now planning) to start using Scrum as the organizing principle for their SW Development efforts. And exactly this question arose.

As it was, we had a classically trained project manager in the room, so he provided much insight into what is expected of a project manager:

  • Select Team Members
  • Select Tools
  • Plan Tasks
  • Monitor Progress and Sucess
  • Define and Impose Standards
  • Coordinate Work between Team Members
  • Budget
  • Scope
  • Set Priorities
  • Assign Tasks
  • Communicate with the Customer

Explicitly not part of the Project Manager’s job is removing impediments.

How is this work distributed among the players in Scrum?

S-M P-O Team
Select Team Members initial once established
Select Tools shared shared
Plan Tasks X
Ensure satisfactory implementations X
Define and Impose Standards X
Coordinate Work between Team Members X
Budget X
Scope X
Set Priorities X
Commit to Delivery Dates shared shared
Assign Tasks X
Communicate with the Customer (for realization) X
Remove Impediments X

So a Scrum master actually has very little in common with a classically trained project manager. The most important job of the scrum master is to remove impediments, something which is explicitly not part of the project manager’s job.

The Scrum master is a ‘servant leader’ — his primary job is to ensure that his team can work and that everyone is playing by the rules. He will also be an agent if not the agent of change in his organization: identify what prevents to organization from advancing and eliminating that impediment.

If you are looking for the difference between RUP and Scrum, waterfall and Scrum, or almost anything and Scrum, look first at the roles. Here is where the fundamental differences are to be found.

Share
0
Peter Stevens
Peter Stevens

Related posts

05-02-2019

Is your agile transition building a train but ignoring the track?


Read more
31-03-2018

Scrum is simple to understand but difficult to master(?)


Read more
09-01-2018

Lowest prices for Scrum Training


Read more

6 Comments

  1. Michael Dubakov says:
    25-06-2008 at 12:28

    Well, I tend to disagree that “remove impediments” is not a part of Project Manager’s job. I was a PM several years ago and this was my primary goal that times. Some good books on PM like explicitly mention that. Also here is one nice quote: “Rather than just removing obstacles when they appear, a better Project Manager prevents them from appearing” 🙂

  2. Peter says:
    25-06-2008 at 12:46

    I was actually surprised by this assertion too. The response was that the PM ensures that impediments are addressed, not that s/he actually addresses them him/herself.

    I’m curious what RUP has to say on this subject…

  3. Unknown says:
    27-06-2008 at 20:09

    It’s odd to me that people would expect the Scrum Master to be in contact with the client (since most impediments need to be resolved ultimately by the client, in my experience), I would think the Scrum Master would be in charge of whipping the BA or PM into action to remove impediments.

  4. Peter says:
    27-06-2008 at 20:18

    I’m not surprised by it at all.

    For example, at a former employer of mine, the project leader was the eyes, ears and mouth of the project; the techies were its arms and legs. So the PL was expected to talk to the customer (gather & spoon feed information to the techies, communicate news especially bad news, to the customer.

    So there is conflict potential between the Scrummaster’s role as a facilitator and the team’s expectation that a “project leader” be the interface to the customer.

  5. Peter says:
    27-06-2008 at 20:18

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  6. Peter says:
    28-06-2008 at 20:19

    Hi Michael,

    Just for fun, I went googling for Project Manager Job Descriptions.

    This one and that one were among the top links. Both largely confirmed the definition of the Project Manager.

    Apparently handling impediments (“issues”) is more the job of the program manager than the project manager.

Learn more about Agile

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner | Face-2-Face | English | 230413-CP2
    in Zürich
    April 13, 2023 -
    April 14, 2023
    Register Now
  •  

  • Certified Scrum Master | Face-2-Face | English | May 22-23, 2023
    in Zürich
    May 22, 2023 -
    May 23, 2023
    Register Now
  •  

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner | Face-2-Face | English | Jun 15-16, 2023
    in Zürich
    June 15, 2023 -
    June 16, 2023
    Register Now
  •  

  • Certified Scrum Master | Face-2-Face | English | Jul 06-07, 2023
    in Zürich
    July 06, 2023 -
    July 07, 2023
    Register Now
  •  

High Performing Teams

  • Get Stuff Done
  • Get Right Stuff Done
  • Create Alignment
  • Leadership

Free Resources

  • Personal Agility Institute
  • Impressum
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Upcoming courses

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner | Face-2-Face | English | 230413-CP2 in Zürich
    April 13, 2023 -
    April 14, 2023
    Register Now
  • Certified Scrum Master | Face-2-Face | English | May 22-23, 2023 in Zürich
    May 22, 2023 -
    May 23, 2023
    Register Now
© 2020 Saat Network GmbH. All Rights Reserved.
    0

    CHF0.00

      ✕

      Login

      Lost your password?

      We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
      Read more about our Privacy Policy
      Cookie SettingsAccept All
      Manage consent

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
      CookieDurationDescription
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
      viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
      Functional
      Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
      CookieDurationDescription
      mailchimp_landing_site1 monthThe cookie is set by MailChimp to record which page the user first visited.
      Performance
      Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
      Analytics
      Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
      CookieDurationDescription
      CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
      _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
      _gat_gtag_UA_42152348_11 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
      _gcl_au3 monthsProvided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services.
      _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
      Advertisement
      Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
      CookieDurationDescription
      NID6 monthsNID cookie, set by Google, is used for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to mute unwanted ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.
      test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
      VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
      YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
      yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
      yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
      Others
      Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
      CookieDurationDescription
      COMPASS1 hourNo description
      cookies.jssessionNo description available.
      S1 hourNo description available.
      SAVE & ACCEPT
      Powered by CookieYes Logo