Scrum Master V/s Project Manager: Are they similar?

 

We often get to hear this question in the IT sector. Is scrum master a project manager? Is scrum master a project manager in an agile environment? Is the Scrum master called an agile project manager? Are they similar, or are they different?

To conclude this, we need to understand the defined roles and responsibilities of a scrum master and a project manager. Before that, let us know why this question arises? These questions are quite common when the organization transitions from traditional waterfall project management methodology to agile project management methodology.

Although the project manager's skills and scrum master overlap to some extent, they are not the same. However, before introducing the scrum master role, the current scrum master might have worked as a project manager.

According to Scrum.org’s 2019 Scrum Master Trends Survey,

“31% of respondents stated that they were titled as project managers before becoming a scrum master.”

It is quite common to compare scrum master and project manager roles as they ideally possess similar characteristics such as leadership skills, communication skills, and organizational skills but are different. In simple terms,

Scrum Master is the one who follows the Scrum Guide. According to the Scrum Guide,

‘The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.’

The project manager, according to the PMBOK®? Is,

‘The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team responsible for achieving the project objectives.’

Who is a Scrum Master?

A Scrum Master is the one who is responsible for the implementation and promotion of the scrum framework defined in the Scrum Guide. A scrum master helps the scrum team to implement scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. The main target of a scrum master is to enhance productivity with effective collaboration. A scrum master is also called a servant-leader of the scrum team with scrum project management.

Scrum Master: Roles and responsibilities

There are many responsibilities on the scrum master’s shoulders to successfully implement Scrum for project progress successfully. The roles and responsibilities of a scrum master are:

1. A scrum master educates the team about agility and scrum methodologies and defines the tasks according to the requirement. A scrum master acts as a coach or a mentor to the scrum team.
2. A scrum master leads the team in successfully implementing the agile methodology with all the stakeholders in different roles.
3. Scrum master facilitates scrum events such as Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, or Sprint Retrospective.
4. A scrum master serves the team rather than directing. So, a scrum master is also called as ‘servant-leader.’
5. A scrum master holds the responsibility of adequate communication with stakeholders.
6. A scrum master continually motivates the team.

Who is a Project Manager?

A Project Manager is the one who is responsible for the completion of the project successfully within constrained time and budget. A project manager is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, managing, and controlling the projects.

The project managers hold good command over leadership, communication, time management, risk management, and cost management.

Project Manager: Roles and responsibilities

The project manager plays a vital role in an organization. The roles and responsibilities of project managers

1. The project manager is responsible for developing and defining project objectives and scopes.
2. The project manager is responsible for all the project life cycle phases, such as planning, initiating, executing, monitoring, and controlling.
3. The project manager ensures resource availability and allocates the tasks that lead to project progress.
4. Develops a comprehensive project plan in the planning stage of the project.
5. Cost management is the critical responsibility of the project manager. He/She ensures that the project is completed within a constrained budget.
6. Effective Communication management with all stakeholders.
7. Manages the change requests such as time and budget.
8. Effective risk management by identifying, tracking, and managing the project risk. 
9. Documentation of project plan and progress.
10. Manage and control the quality of the project.
11. Implementation of project management tools and techniques.

Similarities between Scrum Master and Project Manager

The above section shows that scrum master and project manager roles and responsibilities are different, yet some functions overlap.

1. The scrum master and project manager both act as a support system to their teams. The scrum master coach facilitates and supports the scrum team, whereas the project manager also involves resolving error and conflict issues.
2. The ultimate focus of both scrum master and project manager is the quality of the outcome.
3. Both are not held responsible for the success or failure of the project. In the case of the scrum, the product manager or project manager is responsible, whereas, in the context of a project manager, the project board is held accountable.
4. Both scrum master and project manager improve team efficiency and project progress.

Responsibility Differences between Scrum Master and Project Manager

There are few responsibilities of scrum manager and project manager that are significantly different:

1. The project manager is responsible for documentation and administration related work such as project brief, project plan, cost, Gantt chart, etc. The responsibility of the scrum master does not include any documentation work.
2. The project manager manages resources and other stakeholders' scope, whereas scrum masters don't manage resources.
3. The project manager has a broader spectrum of responsibilities that includes all the knowledge areas of project management. In contrast, the scrum master has a narrow scope of responsibilities that include agility.
4. The project managers can customize their approach according to requirements, whereas scrum master strictly has to follow the Scrum framework.

Conclusion:

Scrum master and project manager are not the same but quite similar in their roles in different aspects. Some responsibilities overlap, while some duties are entirely other. The project manager is a broader spectrum and significantly handles larger teams and multiple projects. The scrum master holds similar responsibilities for a comparatively smaller team working in an agile environment. Both roles have a huge demand. However, project managers have no industry boundaries, whereas scrum master is related to IT or IT-related industries. To become a recognizable project manager, earn PMP certification, and become a scrum master to gain CSM certification from the industry is the institute Certification Planner.

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