Scrum Master vs Project Manager: Differences Explained

Scrum and project management are popular methodologies that can help you achieve your desired success. But what are the roles namely Scrum master and project manager plays to achieve that success? Are both of these roles of scrum master and project manager the same or do they have any differences?

On the other hand, you can say that the Scrum Master is like a referee of the match. They are tasked with the responsibility to keep the game moving if any conflicts arise then help solve them, and more importantly, they strictly observe to see if everyone is playing by the rules i.e., in this case, the scrum master makes sure that everyone on the team knows about the scrum frameworks and that they are following the scrum process.

Who is a project manager?

Coordinating the team to make sure that the tasks are done on time and the project is on the schedule;
The project must be managed within the budget;
The project must meet all of its goals;

When a professional is tasked with such responsibilities, that individual is called a project manager. They are most often seen taking care of finances, communicating with the stakeholders, leading meetings, making schedules, managing risks, and more.

The role of the project manager

When you hear the words project manager, you understand how much weight that name holds. After all, it’s the person who single-handedly manages an entire project and is also held responsible for the success or failure of the project. A failure can result in a project manager losing their job too. They are professionals who work at some firms. Of course, they might also have their firm. You can see a project manager in every type of sector, from construction to IT.

Characteristics of a project manager

1. Time management: Every single project is constrained by a time limit. So a project manager must know how to manage that time effectively. They not only have to manage the time themselves, but they also have to make their team members manage it effectively too. Even a single delayed task can derail the entire project.
2. Negotiation: Negotiation is another skill every project manager must arm themselves with. A project manager communicates with many parties like the project board, scrum teams, users, suppliers, and more. And not everyone can be on the same page about everything. It is the responsibility of the project manager to negotiate the best way out of it.
3. Risk management: A project manager must also be able to recognize, and if the need arises, manage and control the hazards efficiently.

Who is the scrum master?

An individual who ensures that the project team is successfully applying the scrum principles is called the Scrum Master. They are tasked to support the team members and help them understand scrum frameworks, processes, and best practices. In short, the scrum master is the one who transforms a regular team into a scrum team.

A Scrum master is kind of a middle manager of a project. When you compare scrum master with project manager, scrum master might not have that much knowledge or experience necessary to become a project manager but they surely are interested in the potential pressure and responsibility. They do have the leadership skills that are needed to lead the scrum teams. They have to make sure that the scrum teams are making the most out of the scrum processes.

Similar to the project manager, not everyone can become the scrum master. They must possess knowledge and experience about scrum frameworks and their best practices. They must know how to use these principles, why to use them, and more importantly, how their project can benefit from the scrum principles and their implementation.

Key characteristics of a scrum master

A scrum master is in the possession of so many great abilities but for now, we are going to discuss the top three.

1. Agile Expert: Scrum masters have not only mastered scrum, but they have also mastered agility. They have knowledge and experience with various agile frameworks, methodologies, and best practices. Scrum Masters are very skilled in teaching these ideas too.
2. Servant-Leader: Yes, Scrum masters are servant leaders as well. They are the perfect example of what others should follow. They are the live example of scrum and agile principles.
3. Coach & Consultant: Apart from the project manager, sometimes the scrum master also has to play the role of a coach for the development team and the owner, and the organization. Through their coaching, scrum masters influence the mindset of the people working on the project. Occasionally, scrum masters are also called consultants because they offer counsel on agile governance and similar practices.

What is Scrum?

Scrum originated from the game of rugby. The same tactics that once helped players score points are now helping professionals earn money.

After reading these values, you would understand how these scrum principles started in sports and were later adopted by businesses to build successful teams.

Scrum master vs Project manager

We have arrived at the key topic of our article and again we shall use the sports analogy to distinguish the functions and characteristics of both.

The scrum master – the sports analogy

A scrum master is like your quarterback or point guard. They are the leader of your team. They are very intelligent and they know how to make suitable modifications at a moment’s notice. This is your person who makes the call that calls when someone sees something and an audible needs to be called. When things go south and the team needs to come up with another tactic or plan, they all look forward to the scrum master. That’s the kind of respect a scrum master has earned from their peers as well.

Don’t confuse your scrum master as some hide-in-the-office type of person, they can work off in the field too. Think of them as middle management people but on steroids!

A scrum master knows everything about their projects as well as their teams. They also know what kind of person should work on a particular task and when they should do it. They are easily approachable. Whenever a problem arises within the project or team, a scrum master would never hesitate to intervene and solve your problems for you.

The project manager – the sports analogy

As we already have discussed, a project manager is just like the coach of a scrum team. All a player or a team member is ever going to do is execute a well-laid and practiced plan towards them. They are not going to get into the details of why we should do this. They know they just need to do so.

The “why” and the ‘coming up with a plan” thing is the job of a project manager.

Do you know that a sports coach would watch videos of previous games every week to iron out the exploitable weaknesses of their players and study the players of opposite teams too? Well, that’s what a project manager does too. They help the team overcome their weaknesses and become a balanced team capable enough to execute the plan designed by the project manager.  If you haven’t understood by now, allow me to give another example.

Takeaway

There are many similarities in the roles and responsibilities of scrum masters and project managers. You can think about it as a kind of Venn diagram. They are kind of two circles that are slightly intersecting each other. Because for most of the other parts, their personalities, characteristics, and duties differ a lot and are best fitted as per their position.

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