Scrum Master & Product Owner as the same person? 3 Options

You are faced with the question: “Can a Scrum Master be a Product Owner, can the same person take on the two jobs?” Let’s explore this dilemma together and help you find the best option for your agile team.

I will go through 3 “options for action”, all of which are theoretical, but may help you with your question.

Scrum Master and Product Owner form the dynamic duo that significantly influences the success of agile teams. The relationship between Scrum Master and PO is therefore very important. While the Scrum Master removes obstacles and drives the team forward in terms of process, the Product Owner ensures the interests of the stakeholders. Clear communication, continuous exchange and a shared understanding of the agile principles are essential for both roles and their relationship with each other. 

But what if the Scrum Master and Product Owner roles, which could potentially conflict in their complementary objectives, are to be combined in one person? So there is no longer a Scrum Master and Product Owner relationship, suddenly both become one person. I see 3 options for this scenario.

Can a Scrum Master and Product Owner be the same person? If we stick to the Scrum Guide, the recommendation would probably be the following: Keep the roles of Scrum Master and Product Owner separate. This is a principle that should promote the efficiency and smooth running of agile processes.

If it is financially possible, do not shy away from filling both roles. This prevents potential conflicts of interest and allows you to focus clearly on the specific areas of responsibility.

I think it is obvious that it makes sense to separate the roles. But what if, for whatever reason, that might be difficult? There are two other options that I can see.

If you see yourself as an experienced Scrum Master and Product Owner and believe that you can maintain the balance between the two roles, you could of course go the whole hog and combine Scrum Master and Product Owner in one person. Then the answer would be yes: a Scrum Master can be PO or Product Owner. After all, Agile principles encourage experimentation. Temporarily wearing both hats will certainly bring new and above all practical insights. 

But be warned: In practice, it often turns out that combining both roles tends to lead to imbalance. However, there may be a compromise that will optimize your probability of success.

My hypothesis would be that if you take on both roles in one person, the PO role will tend to dominate in everyday life because more tangible decisions often have to be made there. You will probably become something like a product owner who moderates all meetings.

At the same time, the role of the Scrum Master will suffer particularly from a) meetings being less well prepared and b) the team being less observed in order to identify impediments early on, for example - in principle, the topic of “Continuous Improvement” will probably suffer massively.

To counteract these two points, a pragmatic compromise for the product owner could be the use of digital support. One example of this is the use of Echometer as a digital coach.

Echometer is a digital tool that helps agile team leads with agile retrospectives and team Health Checks. Whether remote, hybrid or on-site: it makes team coaching measurable and professionalizes your work while saving you a lot of work. Just take a look at our website to find out more: www.echometerapp.com.

I was surprised by how many teams deviate from the recommended norm in the distribution of the two roles of Scrum Master and Product Owner.

Christian Heidemeyer, Psychologist & Scrum Master

In the agile world, the question “Can a Scrum Master be a Product Owner?” is asked surprisingly often, so there must be a certain need. The choice between clear roles, flexible duality or shared responsibility depends on the individual needs of your team. Find the option that best suits your agile journey, always keeping the Agile Manifesto and the Scrum Guide in mind. As a rule of thumb: Try to get both roles into the team full-time in 2 people!

Finally, one more note: If you would like to try out how it feels to develop your team further with our tool: You can start an agile retrospective without logging in below, in this case the “Keep, Stop, Start” workshop. 

Alternatively, simply forward our website to the responsible colleagues: www.echometerapp.com.