Stakeholders. The Scrum Guide talks about them a lot. But do you really know who yours are?
The Scrum Guide repeatedly emphasizes the role of stakeholders. A few examples:
- The Scrum Team and its stakeholders inspect the results and adjust…
- The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges.
- The Scrum Team is responsible for all product-related activities from stakeholder collaboration, …
- The Product Owner may represent the needs of many stakeholders…
- Facilitating stakeholder collaboration…
- Removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams.
- …a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders.
- A product is a vehicle to deliver value. It has a clear boundary, known stakeholders, …
- ...an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint.
Let’s say that knowing and understanding your stakeholders is pretty important…
Many assume 'stakeholder' means 'management.' But the Scrum Guide never mentions 'manager' even once. It does mention 'user,' 'customer,' and 'committee'—each only once. That should tell you something: stakeholders are many, and not always who you think.
Cambridge Dictionary “stakeholder: an employee, investor, customer, etc. who is involved in or buys from a business and has an interest in its success.” And if the product fails? Stakeholders will definitely care—just not in the way you’d hope.
That little 'etc.' in the definition is doing a lot of work. It means your stakeholders could be anyone with an interest in your product—users, customers, investors, support teams, legal, even competitors. Yes, competitors. Your rivals might not be cheering for you, but their reactions to your product matter. And yes, managers are stakeholders too—just one of many.
It is crucial you know your stakeholders. Miss one, and you miss crucial requirements, expectations, or risks. You might forget to invite key stakeholders to your Sprint Review, leaving valuable feedback on the table. Worse, you might build something no one wants. That’s a risk you can’t afford.
Do you have a transparent list of your stakeholders? Are you sure? Who might you be missing?
So, who might you be overlooking? Let me know—curious to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact.
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Wishing you an inspiring read and a wonderful journey.
Scrum on!
