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.
Guide · Updated · Source
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.