What are agile teams?

An agile team is a small, self-contained crew where everyone has different skills but works toward the same goal. Instead of having separate departments that pass work back and forth, agile brings together all the needed talents into one team of 3-9 people.

Every agile team has 3 key roles. The product owner decides what needs to be made and why. The scrum master helps everyone work together smoothly and removes any obstacles. The development team members actually create the product.^[1] Unlike traditional teams where a manager assigns all the work, agile teams decide among themselves how to get things done. This is called "self-organization." It's similar to how a group of friends might organize a dinner party — everyone contributes their skills where they're most useful, rather than following strict assignments.

In agile teams:

• Each team member works on only one main team at a time
• Everyone shares responsibility for the final product
• Communication happens directly, not through managers
• Teams stay together long-term to build strong relationships
• Daily face-to-face or video conversations keep everyone aligned