What is a Developer in Scrum?
We've covered the Product Owner and the Scrum Master — the third accountability is Developers, and it's the one most often misunderstood. Not because the role is complicated, but because the term gets confused with a job title, and the 2020 Scrum Guide deliberately changed how this group is described.
Developer definition
Developers are the Scrum Team members committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. They create the plan for the Sprint (the Sprint Backlog), instill quality by adhering to a Definition of Done, adapt their plan daily toward the Sprint Goal, and hold each other accountable as professionals.
"Developer" doesn't mean "programmer"
The name is misleading if you read it literally. In the Scrum Guide's terms, a Developer is anyone contributing to turning a Product Backlog item into a usable Increment — that might mean writing code, but it can just as easily mean design, testing, research, or documentation work, depending on what the product actually needs.
What Developers are accountable for
Creating the Sprint plan
Developers craft the Sprint Backlog — the plan for how the Sprint Goal will be met, including the Product Backlog items selected and the work needed to turn them into a Done Increment.
Instilling quality
By adhering to a Definition of Done, Developers ensure every Increment they call 'Done' is actually usable — not 'done except for testing' or 'done except for the edge cases.'
Adapting the plan daily
At the Daily Scrum, Developers inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust the Sprint Backlog as needed. This replaces status-reporting meetings entirely.
Holding one another accountable
There's no lead assigning work item by item. Developers self-organize internally and are accountable to each other, as professionals, for the outcome.
Why "Development Team" was removed
Earlier Scrum Guides described a 'Development Team' as a distinct subgroup working alongside the Product Owner and Scrum Master — implying a layer of separation. The 2020 Scrum Guide removed that framing entirely. Developers are simply Scrum Team members, on equal footing with the PO and Scrum Master, sharing accountability for the whole Sprint outcome rather than just 'the build.'
Frequently asked questions
Does 'Developer' mean programmer?
No. Anyone committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment counts — design, testing, analysis, and more, depending on what the product needs.
How many Developers should a Scrum Team have?
No hard number, but the whole Scrum Team should stay small enough to be nimble while having enough skills to be cross-functional — typically 10 or fewer total.
Who do Developers report to?
No one in the traditional sense — they self-organize and are accountable to each other and to the Scrum Team's commitments.