The Importance of Clear Accountability in Scrum
A Scrum team consists of three clear accountabilities: one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. Often, when working with a Scrum team struggling with excessive conflict or a lack of trust, I find the culprit is a lack of clarity around each of these accountabilities. Even with the best intentions, the Product Owner can become too focused on the upcoming Sprint and not focused enough on the bigger picture. The Scrum Master can become overly protective of the team, and the Developers - wishing only to please - can take on too much work, jeopardizing the Sprint Goal.