Agile Delivery Manager versus Scrum Master

Agile Delivery Manager versus Scrum Master

Both the Scrum Master and the Agile Delivery Manager (AdM) play similar roles in supporting Agile teams, but there are some key differences in their focus, scope, and responsibilities. 

Focus and Scope

Scrum Master:

• Focus: The Scrum Master is a role specific to the Scrum framework and is focused on facilitating the Scrum process within the team. Their primary goal is to ensure that the team adheres to Scrum principles and practices, and to support the Scrum team’s self-organization.

• Scope: The Scrum Master’s responsibilities are centered on team-level activities, ensuring that Scrum ceremonies (Daily Standups, Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) are being executed properly and that the team is continuously improving within the Scrum framework.

• Responsibilities:

  • Facilitating Scrum ceremonies and helping the team adhere to Scrum practices.

  • Removing obstacles that prevent the team from delivering value (e.g., team conflicts, process issues, organizational impediments).

  • Coaching the team and organization on Scrum best practices.

  • Helping the team stay focused on their goals and ensuring they are following Scrum processes correctly.

  • Protecting the team from external disruptions and helping maintain a sustainable pace.

Agile Delivery Manager (AdM):

• Focus: The Agile Delivery Manager focuses on delivery at a broader level across multiple teams, ensuring overall project delivery is on track. While they are still Agile in their approach, their scope is broader than that of the Scrum Master, and they often work across multiple Agile teams or even across Agile and non-Agile teams.

• Scope: The AdM ensures that teams are delivering value iteratively and incrementally while following Agile principles, but they often step outside the bounds of Scrum, and their scope can extend across delivery processes, resource management, and stakeholder communication.

• Responsibilities:

  • Overseeing the overall delivery process across multiple teams (Scrum or other Agile methodologies).

  • Ensuring that Agile practices are followed but also adapting them to fit the organization’s needs (they might work with teams using Kanban, Lean, or other Agile methodologies, not just Scrum).

  • Removing high-level blockers that impact delivery across teams or projects (organizational or cross-team issues).

  • Coordinating with Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment on delivery timelines, milestones, and goals.

  • Acting as a liaison between senior management, stakeholders, and teams to report progress, risks, and delivery status.

  • Supporting the continuous improvement of delivery processes, ensuring that Agile practices are being used to drive effective, predictable delivery.

Role in Scrum Ceremonies and Team Dynamics

Scrum Master:

• The Scrum Master plays a hands-on role in all Scrum ceremonies. They are responsible for ensuring the ceremonies run smoothly and are productive. This includes Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, and Sprint Retrospectives.

• The Scrum Master works with the team to resolve impediments during the Sprint, and actively encourages the team to self-organize, continuously improving the Scrum process itself.

• Coaching the team on Scrum principles and practices is a core part of the role. They ensure that the team adheres to the Sprint Goals and delivers value in alignment with the Scrum framework.

Agile Delivery Manager (AdM):

• The AdM is less focused on specific Scrum ceremonies (unless they are working with Scrum teams) and more on overall delivery coordination. They may oversee multiple teams (not necessarily Scrum teams) and may work with teams using various Agile methodologies.

• The AdM is more involved in the big picture of delivery, including budget, resources, timeline, and risk management. They will help ensure that the teams have the right resources to meet their delivery goals and that external stakeholders are kept informed.

• While the AdM may be involved in some ceremonies (such as Sprint Reviews or planning sessions), they don’t typically facilitate day-to-day team activities or Scrum-specific ceremonies like the Scrum Master does.

Responsibility for Removing Impediments

Scrum Master:

• The Scrum Master is responsible for removing impediments that affect the team's ability to work effectively on a day-to-day basis. This includes resolving conflicts within the team, helping individuals get the resources they need, or removing external blockers (e.g., dependencies on other teams).

• The Scrum Master removes or mitigates obstacles that are directly related to team dynamics, processes, and practices—things that could prevent the team from delivering their Sprint Goal.

Agile Delivery Manager (AdM):

• The AdM removes higher-level impediments that might affect multiple teams or the delivery pipeline. These could include things like lack of coordination between different teams, issues with leadership or organizational priorities, or challenges around resource allocation and capacity.

• While the Scrum Master addresses impediments at the team level, the AdM tackles problems at the project or portfolio level. For example, an AdM might help ensure that teams have the necessary cross-team coordination to unblock delivery or help with scaling Agile practices across a broader organization.

Hierarchy and Reporting Structure

Scrum Master:

• The Scrum Master is typically a servant-leader to the team, not a manager. They do not have direct authority over the team members but are there to support and guide them in their Agile journey.

• The Scrum Master is often considered part of the team, and their goal is to empower the team to be self-organizing, self-managing, and high-performing.

Agile Delivery Manager (AdM):

• The AdM often holds a managerial or leadership position with more responsibility for delivery oversight. They are likely to report to higher-level stakeholders or leadership and may have oversight over multiple teams or a portfolio of projects.

• The AdM works with senior management, product managers, and other leaders to ensure that the delivery teams are on track and that delivery goals are met.

• While they are not directly managing people in the same way a line manager does, they might have responsibilities related to resource management, cross-team coordination, and performance reporting.

Strategy and Alignment with Business Goals

Scrum Master:

• The Scrum Master primarily ensures that the team is working effectively within the Scrum framework and that they are delivering value iteratively. They focus on processes and team dynamics to ensure that the team is capable of delivering high-quality, incremental work.

• Their role is more focused on facilitating team alignment with the Sprint goals and helping the team be as effective as possible within the current Sprint.

Agile Delivery Manager (AdM):

• The AdM is often more involved in aligning delivery with business strategy and ensuring that the teams’ work aligns with the broader business goals. They may work with Product Owners and Product Managers to ensure the delivery is aligned with the business roadmap and customer needs.

• The AdM works with leadership to ensure that the agile delivery process contributes to organizational goals and that teams are aligned with strategic priorities.

Summary of Key Differences:

 

The Scrum Master is focused on the team-level Scrum process, ensuring that the team is following Scrum practices, facilitating Scrum ceremonies, and helping the team work efficiently within the Scrum framework.

The Agile Delivery Manager (AdM) takes a broader, delivery-oriented role, often overseeing multiple Agile teams or projects, working at the organizational level to ensure effective delivery of value, and removing higher-level blockers that affect multiple teams or projects.

While the Scrum Master is focused on process and team dynamics, the Agile Delivery Manager focuses on overall delivery, helping to ensure that teams are delivering value on time and aligned with business priorities.