We hear self-managing teams so often it become a cliché

TL;DR; Self-management is essential for all Scrum roles, not just developers, and involves active, disciplined work in how Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Developers fulfill their responsibilities. Scrum requires clear alignment and adaptive discipline, not a loose or chaotic approach. Development managers should ensure their teams understand and practice self-management as a structured, intentional process rather than mistaking it for a lack of direction.

Published on 9 May 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/FqiyqqNxjFS

We hear “self-managing teams” so often it’s become a cliché.

But here’s what gets missed:

Self-management applies to all Scrum roles.

Product Owners must self-manage how they engage with stakeholders, order the backlog, and shape the product vision.
Scrum Masters must self-manage how they serve the team, coach the organisation, and create the conditions for success.
Developers must self-manage how they plan, execute, and deliver the Increment.

This isn’t a passive concept.
It’s active, adaptive, disciplined work.

Scrum isn’t designed to be a loose, anything-goes framework.
It’s a social technology to deliver adaptive solutions — and that requires disciplined self-management across roles, grounded in clear alignment.

Where are you mistaking “self-management” for chaos or neglect?

Also published on: LinkedIn

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