Difference between Project Manager and Scrum Master. This is a very popular comparison, but why do we compare and what goes behind this comparison? These are 2 different roles that originated from 2 different process frameworks. It is like a goalkeeper in football vs. a full-back in Rugby. When a goalkeeper switches to Rugby and starts mapping their old role in the new game, imagine what will happen? The goalkeeper will begin playing football in Rugby.
When you change the game, you learn new rules from scratch, gaining deeper insights to do a job better. If you're interested in a Scrum Master role, go for it; otherwise, you have two more options within Scrum.
This is my understanding after observing many teams: they understand why we use the waterfall approach within Scrum. So what did I do? I stopped comparing and stopped teaching it in my Professional Scrum Master and Product Owner (PSM & PSPO) classes. After all, I don’t need to learn swimming to learn running just because my trainer always compares swimmers vs runners to make me understand the benefits of running. Yes, I changed my trainer 😊
A little more about these roles to understand why it is not good to compare.
Project Manager’s responsibilities as described in PMBOK® Guide
The project managers are responsible for what their team produces. The project manager is the person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives. The project manager leads the project team to meet the project’s objectives and stakeholder’s expectations. The project manager works to balance the competing constraints on the project with the resources available.
The project manager also performs communication roles between the project sponsor, team members, and other stakeholders. This includes providing direction and presenting the vision of success for the project. The project manager proactively interacts with other project managers. Other independent projects or projects that are part of the same program may impact a project. Interacting with other project managers helps to create a positive influence for fulfilling the various needs of the project.
Scrum Master’s responsibilities as described in 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 Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Scrum Team. The Scrum Master helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which of their interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which aren’t. The Scrum Master helps everyone change these interactions to maximize the value created by the Scrum Team.
Do you see differences between the role of Scrum Master and Project Manager? I don’t see. What I see is different processes altogether and both have different roles to play in order to maximize outcome.
Why do we compare?
Many project managers either choose the role of scrum master themselves or get asked to take this role by an organization when organizations decide to use Scrum to develop products. Comparison is a natural thing to do in order to relate what I am doing now and what I am expected to do in the future. Ideally, we should be comparing processes at this stage rather than roles. This happens when we don’t have an in-depth understanding of a new process. First, we should compare new processes with existing ones. Once you understand how this new process works, it's beneficial to learn new sets of rules and then select a new role based on them. The key thing to remember is that if you try mapping existing roles into a new process, you will most likely demonstrate old behavior in a new process.
I tried recording a video too, but writing a blog is still easier than recording, and I look funny in the video 😩 Please share your feedback, as it helps me to improve and do the job better next time.
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