Becoming your own Scrum master
The Scrum team structure includes a product owner, a Scrum master, and the development team. To adapt Scrum for individuals, you would need to fulfill the responsibilities typically handled by each of these roles. Here’s how you can adapt them.
Product owner
In traditional Scrum, the product owner is the go-to source for information about the product. They have the end in mind from the beginning, and they share that vision with the rest of the team. They are responsible for communicating and ordering the product backlog items. They should be available throughout the project to field questions, provide clarity to the team, and facilitate communication.
As your own product owner, you must clearly define your end product. Identify features and requirements, and record these in clear detail for later reference. You might even create a user flow diagram or low-fidelity mockup to map your parameters.
When applying Agile for individuals, you’ll also need to keep in mind that delivery is your ultimate goal. If you find yourself getting bogged down in the development process, try to look at the project from a product owner’s perspective. As you remind yourself of what is important in the project, you can avoid unnecessary delays because of unimportant details.
Scrum master
The Scrum master is conventionally responsible for facilitating a smooth sprint process. They address roadblocks during the sprint, including making handoffs between development team members.
As your own Scrum master, you will need to problem-solve to remove roadblocks. This requires taking a hard, fair look at your work. If, for example, you find that working solo makes it easy to get distracted, act as your own Scrum master to find ways to stay focused, such as implementing the Pomodoro technique or timeboxing. Likewise, if you keep running up against problems with the requirements, use your Scrum master role to identify the issues and find ways to fix them.
Development team
The development team is composed of all individuals creating deliverables on the project. This team is responsible for creating the sprint backlog and adhering to a definition of done. The developers hold each other accountable and collaborate to complete the sprint goal.
Being your own development team is likely the easiest role you’ll take on, as you will simply be doing the work that you would do anyway. Keep in mind, however, that a Scrum development team is self-managed and self-motivated to complete the sprint. Approach your project with that attitude.
Also, in adapting Agile for one person, you’ll need to keep track of process flaws to address at the end of the sprint. While you won’t be improving your collaboration with other team members, you can still improve your own personal process. Keep records throughout your sprint to make this easier.
