Handbook
Kanban — roles (prescriptive)
Kanban does not mandate Scrum’s three roles. This page defines **common accountabilities** so teams can run ceremonies and link to [archetypes](../roles-archetypes.md).
Kanban — roles (prescriptive)
Kanban does not mandate Scrum’s three roles. This page defines common accountabilities so teams can run ceremonies and link to archetypes.
1. Core accountabilities (names vary by org)
Service request manager (SRM) / Product manager / “Options owner”
| Aspect | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Accountable for | Ordering work that enters the delivery system; stakeholder alignment; outcome framing |
| Archetypes | Sponsor proxy, Orchestrator |
| Typical outputs | Ordered options, acceptance criteria at pull, class-of-service tags |
Delivery team (developers, testers, ops as needed)
| Aspect | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Accountable for | Pulling work per policy; meeting Definition of Workflow / DoD; improving flow |
| Archetypes | Implementer (primary), Quality advocate |
| Typical outputs | Shipped increments, blocked-item signals, metric honesty |
Coach / Agile coach (optional but valuable)
| Aspect | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Accountable for | Facilitating evolution of system; teaching Kanban practices; neutral process mirror |
| Archetypes | Orchestrator, Quality advocate |
| Typical outputs | Policy drafts, retrospective facilitation, fitness metrics visibility |
2. Ceremony participation matrix
Legend: R = required · O = optional
| Ceremony | SRM / PM | Delivery team | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replenishment | R | R | O |
| Stand-up / workflow | O | R | O |
| Delivery review (stakeholder) | R | R | O |
| Retrospective | O | R | O (facilitate) |
| Service delivery review (managers + team) | R | R | O |
3. RACI — replenishment outcome
| Outcome | SRM | Team |
|---|---|---|
| What gets pulled next | A/R | C |
| Capacity / WIP feasibility | C | R |
| Policy updates proposed | C | R |
4. Interface with Scrum-like titles
If your org uses Product Owner and Scrum Master on a Kanban team:
- PO ≈ SRM for ordering.
- SM ≈ coach/facilitator unless they also code — clarify in team working agreement.
5. Links
Canonical source
Edit https://github.com/autowww/blueprints/blob/main/sdlc/methodologies/kanban/roles.md first; regenerate with docs/build-handbook.py.