The Development Team consists of the professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint. It is a core role within the Scrum framework, and the team is empowered to organize and manage their own work.
Key Aspects of a Development Team
- Self-Organizing – They choose how to best accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team.
- Cross-Functional – As a whole, the team has all the skills necessary to create a product Increment (e.g., developers, testers, designers, architects).
- No Titles or Sub-Teams – Regardless of the work being performed by a person, there are no titles other than “Developer.” There are no sub-teams like “testing” or “analysis.”
- Accountability as a Team – Accountability belongs to the Development Team as a whole, not to individual members.
- Optimal Size – Typically small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint (usually 3 to 9 members).
Key Responsibilities
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Sprint Planning | The Development Team forecasts the functionality that will be developed during the Sprint and creates the Sprint Backlog. |
| Daily Stand-up | Team members inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and create a plan for the next 24 hours. |
| Delivering the Increment | The team performs the work of turning Product Backlog Items into a “Done,” usable product Increment. |
| Sprint Review | The team demonstrates what they accomplished during the Sprint and answers questions about the Increment. |
| Sprint Retrospective | The team inspects its own process and identifies improvements for the next Sprint. |
Example Scenarios
During Sprint Planning
The Product Owner presents the highest-priority Product Backlog Items. The Development Team asks clarifying questions and then pulls a selection of items into the Sprint, forecasting that they can complete them. They then create their own plan (the Sprint Backlog) for how they will accomplish the work.
During a Sprint
A developer on the team finishes a task early. Seeing that a tester is overloaded, the developer (who has some testing skills) helps with the testing effort. This is an example of a cross-functional, self-organizing team working together to meet the Sprint Goal.
Why The Development Team Matters
- Promotes Ownership and Commitment – Because the team is self-organizing and creates its own plan, members have a high degree of ownership and commitment to the Sprint Goal.
- Increases Quality – The team is collectively responsible for the quality of the Increment, which fosters a shared commitment to building a great product.
- Improves Predictability – A stable, long-lived Development Team will learn to forecast its capacity more accurately over time, leading to more predictable delivery.
- Fosters a Collaborative Environment – The “all for one” structure encourages team members to help each other and share knowledge to achieve a common goal.
See also: Scrum Master, Product Owner, Sprint Backlog, Scrum, Self-Organizing Team.