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Is there a project manager role when doing Agile product development with Scrum? The Scrum framework defines three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developer. There is no formal role called "project manager" in Scrum. But, the core skills and responsibilities of a project manager still remain essential and need to be addressed. So, what happens to the project manager in Scrum? Let's find out.

Project manager vs. Scrum Master

The role of the Scrum Master is often confused with an Agile project manager or a project manager with a different designation or title. While both the roles may sound as if having some similarities, this is a myth. A Scrum Master is a servant leader, which distinguishes the role of a project manager that is primarily 'command and control'-focused.

The traditional role of a project manager

To understand the responsibilities of the project manager in an Agile environment, we'll first need to discuss the role of the project manager in a traditional or waterfall environment. The project manager is responsible for the successful implementation of a project throughout the five stages of a project lifecycle. These stages include:

• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Execution
• Project Monitoring & controlling
• Project Closure

A project manager addresses the following constraints:

• Scope
• Quality
• Budget
• Resources
• Risk

The Scrum framework, on the other hand, focuses on releasing small increments of the final product in Sprints instead of a big bang release, and this short cycle is iterated on a continuous basis. Another aspect of Scrum is to make the team self-organizing to make improvements on its own, which eliminates the need for a traditional project manager for project management.

What happens to the traditional project manager in Scrum?

Depending upon the skills and passion, a project manager can perform any of the three Scrum roles. For instance, they can make excellent Scrum Masters if they can swear off their 'command' and 'control' management instincts and embrace Servant Leadership style. Project managers can also transition into the role of the Product Owner if they have deep domain knowledge and other skills required to perform the Product Owner role. Furthermore, a project manager who had sound technical knowledge and experience can also become a member of the Developers.

So, it might be true that the Scrum framework does not define a project manager role; the project management skills they possess can be applied to fulfil various Scrum roles.

Here's how the project manger's role can be redefined in a Scrum environment.

Project manager As a Scrum Master:

Project managers have helped teams to address or reduce risks, and thus perform better. This aspect of project management can be a perfect transition when playing the role of Scrum Master. Because one of the responsibilities of a Scrum Master is to remove impediments faced by the Developers, thus trying to make them a high productive team. However, the project manager has to shed the 'command and control' style. And leverage more of Servant Leadership style. This means, one should be empathetic, service oriented, a good listener, let the team make decisions and help them in decision making.

However, this might not be effective if the organization culture is not conducive. Some organizations, apart from making the traditional project managers as Scrum Masters, they also expect to play the reporting manager for the Developers. For Developers in which the Scrum Master is also their reporting manager, the Developers members may not have a chance to negotiate, may feel that decision making is only illusionary, and even more dangerously may obstruct innovation. If the Scrum Master is also the boss, the Developers may not be entirely transparent during the Scrum events especially during a Sprint Retrospective.

Develop a coaching style of leadership:

Another skills for project managers to cultivate could be a coaching style of leadership to solve problems and help teams to solve their own problems. This is one of the latest trends around the globe, project managers are now embracing.

Working with multiple teams:

Several organizations have multiple teams developing large enterprise products. In such a scenario, collaboration and coordination among these interconnected teams are crucial to ensure dependencies are addressed, and business objectives are met. A Scrum Master can help identify cross-team dependencies and promote open communication between all the teams involved. This role requires negotiation and coordination skills, something which a traditional project manager is always expected to possess.

Project manager - As a Product Owner:

Project managers have negotiated with stakeholders, created project charters, sought budget approvals, drawn project release timelines, and executed change management. The Product Owner's role can be a great fit for project managers who want to continue utilizing these skills from their past roles. A Product Owner in Scrum product development is responsible to define and own a Product Vision, make a Product Strategy, draw a Product Roadmap, create and prioritize a Product Backlog, plan release timelines, own product budget etc. This is a highly collaborative role. A project manager with similar skills and attitude can transition into a great Product Owner role.

Project manager - As a Scrum stakeholder:

There are various other decisions that need to be made that Scrum teams do not address as part of their product development responsibilities. These include organizational management and HR aspects such as hiring new team members, performance reviews, periodic company activities etc. In both small and large organizations, these aspects need to be handled for the smooth functioning of Scrum roles. These responsibilities were earlier fulfilled by a program manager, people manager a functional manager. Project managers are traditionally equipped with skills and experience of guiding and mentoring staff in a specific discipline, making them the ideal fit for the role. And in a Scrum environment, these responsibilities are performed by stakeholders outside the Scrum team - which could be an ideal fit for a traditional project manager.

Final thoughts: Where do project managers fit?

The best way to approach this hurdle is by directly asking the project managers - where do they think they would fit and what is their passion? Is it working with the business and stakeholders to develop a Product Vision, collaborate to get the product to the market? Or do they prefer helping the Developers, removing their blockers, enabling them to solve problems, conducting great Sprint Retrospectives to create hyper-performing teams.

In conclusion, the skills and experience of a project manager remain essential to a business. However, these responsibilities are not addressed in an individual role but can be largely distributed among various Scrum roles and stakeholders, and can still add value to the overall Product Development. The key is to shed the 'command and control' style of management.

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