Updated June 28, 2023
Introduction To Agile Roles
Agile roles are an agile team’s approach to planning and executing a project. The agile roles are team-specified roles and the team member’s roles. An agile team comprises 5 to 11 members to carry out all the technical and non-technical capabilities related to the assigned project. The technical competencies include the programming, development, testing, and implementation related to the assigned project. The non-technical competencies include business aspects like domain knowledge and decision-making for achieving the goal. For the successful execution and implementation of a project and to avoid any ambiguity among the team, the roles and responses clearly the definition of every team, and team members must clearly remember the principle that the outcome of a project is the combined effort of the whole team, whether the result is good or bad. The agile team members work on a full-time basis.
The word agile means flexible or to move quickly. The Agile teams are formed as a part of project management, especially for the software development in which the whole project is divided into different modules or phases, and continuous assessments of the project after completion of every module or phase and the solution is achieved through the collaboration between the different cross-functional agile teams working on the project.
Broad Classification of the Agile Roles Based on the Project Hierarchy
Below is some classification of agile roles, which are as follows:
1. Project Level Roles
The project-level teams include the following profiles/roles:
- Business Sponsor
- Business Visionary
- Technical Coordinator
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
Project Level roles are the project steering roles that take the entire governance decision of the project. The project managers are the ones responsible for the budget analysis of the project. The project management level professionals provide strategic control and decisions related to project execution and implementation.
2. Solution Level Roles
The Solution Development Team roles include:
- Business Ambassador
- Solution Developer
- Solution Tester
- Business Analyst
- Team Leader
These are the roles related to product/software/service development. These professionals are the developers, programmers, testers, etc., who develop and test every technical aspect of the product/software/service.
3. Other Supporting Roles
The other supporting roles include:
- Business Advisors
- Technical Advisors
- Workshop Facilitator
The supporting roles provide assistance and direction to the project on a contractual or temporary basis. They may be the subject matter experts and the advisors who assist and don’t make the decisions, and they work closely with the solutions team in the areas where their expertise is required.
Roles of an Agile Team
The roles of an Agile Team are as described below.
1. Stakeholder/Owner
The product owner is the stakeholder or the client, and the product owner is the most crucial role as the client has the vision and shares that vision of the end product with the team. The stakeholders are constantly updated with the project’s progress so that the product can be reviewed at the end of every phase. The stakeholder and the scrum master together prioritize the work.
2. A Scrum Master/Project manager
A scrum master is the top dog of any organization. A scrum master is the project manager who outlines the entire project and guides the agile team. They supervise the daily activities of the project, mentor the team, and track and monitor the project’s progress. A scrum master is the one who decides the project deadline and eradicates any obstruction in the way of project implementation.
3. Agile Team Members
The agile team members are the project’s backbone, in the absence of which the entire project will collapse. The team members are a pool of specialists like architects, front-end and back-end developers, UI/UX developers, etc. Different team members are assigned different roles based on their respective skill sets so that the project is organized. Dependencies and difficulties are the stumbling blocks in any project, and these dependencies tend to make project management a tedious task. These dependencies and difficulties can be real-time also.
4. Development Team Members
The development team members, often called “techies,” are those involved in the project responsible for creating the product, service, or software. Development team members comprise the programmers, testers, engineers, etc., who play key roles in the product or software development. The development team members are expected to be multi-taskers and multi-skilled professionals to utilize their skills for the project implementation.
5. Agile Coach
An Agile coach or mentor is a highly experienced professional who has implemented and executed Agile projects. An Agile coach or mentor shares his experience and expert opinion with the Agile team members. The Agile mentor is the one who studies the project thoroughly and shares the feedback for the enhancement of the project. The Agile mentors apply agile principles and knowledge while executing the project while not involved in product/software development.
6. System Architect Roles
The Agile architect is the cornerstone for any successful project as the architects define and design the overall architecture. The role and involvement of the architect depend on the type of project. The system architect can be an individual or a small team that works closely with the Scrum Team and the product owner or the stakeholders for the project’s success. The Architects define the major and minor elements of the project and design the interface among the different subsystems of the project. They actively participate in stand-up meetings with the client/stakeholder, seeking to comprehend and articulate the project’s progress and any challenges encountered.
7. Product Management
The Product Management team works with the customer, and their role is to collect and understand the customer’s needs and requirements. Also, the product management team communicates with the product owner to establish peace and balance between the product owner and the customer to define and understand the system feature.
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