Is a Scrum Master a Project Manager?

Possibly. It is inconclusive. Both scrum master and project manager contribute to a project. There is a misconception that project manager in an agile environment is called scrum master. No, it is not so.

It is to be noted that project managers do not always become scrum masters, or you don’t become a scrum master being a project manager. The project manager and Scrum Master roles might have some overlapping but they are distinct and different. The responsibilities of a project manager are not the same as scrum master nor does the skills match.

Who is a Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master is a facilitator who ensures the scrum principles are adhered without any allowance in agile projects. The scrum master promotes and supports Scrum. The Scrum Master conduct as  servant-leader for Team. Scrum Masters helps everyone in the team to understand  Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. Scrum master coaches and motivates. Scrum master never enforces.

Who is a Project Manager?

A project manager is responsible for leading a project right from its inception to delivery. A project manager plans and organizes and manages the resources, scope, schedule time and stakeholders necessary to complete a project. The project manager is responsible for the success of the project within cost and on time.

Project Manager and Scrum Master - In a nutshell

• A Project Manager aims to bring the project to a successful conclusion, while a Scrum Master empowers the Scrum Team.
• The Scrum Master always  places the needs of the team first. This with the firm belief that you get the best out of people when you empower them.
• A project manager is responsible to develop based on agreed requirements and deliver a project within budget and on time. The scrum master ensures the maximum value of the product is achieved by getting the needs to get the best out of the team.

Responsibilities of Project Manager and Scrum Master

Project Manager:

• Develop project scopes and objectives
• Ensure resource availability and allocation
• Develop a detailed project plan
• Prepare a Budget
• Measure project performance
• Manage the relationship with stakeholders
• Time Estimating
• Cost Estimating
• Documentation

Scrum Master:

• Forecast the number of deliverables possible in a single iteration
• Estimate and plan
• Coach the team in agile practices
• Serve the team rather than direct the team.
• Remove blockers/impediments
• Monitor the progress of a sprint
• Promote continuous communication
• Facilitate  sprint planning and meetings
• Monitor and helps improve team dynamics
• Motivate the team

Some Statistics 

To substantiate the statement that Scrum Master could have been Project Managers, let us look into some of the insights from the survey report of “2019 Scrum Master Trends,” which lists the titles previously held by a scrum master.

• Project manager: 31 percent.
• Software developer or engineer: 25 percent.
• Business analyst: 10 percent.
• Quality assurance: 8 percent.

In a survey of made with 2,100 scrum masters by Scrum.org and Age of Product

• 14% stated that their agile practice was part of their organization’s project management office (PMO)
• 31%  acknowledged having held the title of project manager before becoming a scrum master.

Scrum Master & Project Manager: Are they similar?

It is by now evident that scrum master and project manager are different and distinct but there are overlapping in their roles. By now, you would have realized that both the roles are quite different, yet important. Let’s understand the similarities between these two roles:

• Both are focused on the team’s efficiency and performance.
• Scrum Master facilitates and coaches the team. Project Manager involves troubleshooting measures to resolve team issues and conflicts.
• In both the roles, the decision making authority rest elsewhere. In the case of a Project Manager, the stakeholder decides. In the case of scrum master, it will be the product owner.
• Both Scrum Master and Project Manager stress the importance of quality and stickler to adherence to quality standards.
• With the right skill set and experience, Both command respect and demand  in the industry.

What are the differences between Scrum Master & Project Manager?

Let’s understand the differences between the two roles:

1. Industry-specific. Scrum Master can engage in IT and IT-related industry whereas Project Manager is too broad and can engage in any industry.

2. A Scrum Master's core contribution lies in scope, quality, and resource management knowledge areas. A Project Manager involves in all the ten knowledge areas of project management.

3. A Project Manager handles significantly large teams and sometimes, multiple teams or multiple projects. Scrum Master works in a team that is relatively smaller in size.

4. Scrum Master conducts daily scrum meetings. While the Project Manager schedules meetings based on need, calendar and communication plan

5. A Scrum Master follows scrum framework and scrum rules strictly without deviations. Project Manager has the choice to customize their approach and tailor it according to the requirement. The project demand determines the selection of approaches.

6. The team members’ work schedule and responsibilities are assigned by the Project Manager, while the Scrum Master coaches and motivates the team

7. Scrum Master focuses on maximizing the product value while the Project Manager is more concerned about the plan, scope, and schedule of the project.

8. PMP or Prince2 certifications are the essential and most recognized certification for Project Manager, while Scrum Master requires a certification from scrum alliance.

Closure

The answer for about Scrum Manager as a Project Manager is divided in opinion as some experts differ with a resounding “No”, while some concur with ” possibly”, but none with a concrete “yes”. Hence there is a gray area as a result of the overlapping of duties in both the roles, but the similarity ends there. The project manager role is more about leadership, while the scrum master is about coaching and motivation. Also, both the roles are so different in their roles and responsibilities. Scrum Master works in an agile environment. The project manager predominantly follows the traditional waterfall, but with the latest PMP certification from PMI, the upgraded version of the reference material PMBOK 6th guide, the Project Manager can follow the agile approach. So the playing area is getting levelled. With the Project Manager playing an active role in an agile approach, it will be interesting to see how the future will unfold.

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