Who is accountable for creating a valuable and usable Increment each Sprint? (choose the best answer)

The 2020 Scrum Guide explicitly states, "The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint." This is a fundamental concept of Scrum, emphasizing collective ownership and shared responsibility. The Product Owner ensures the work is valuable, the Developers ensure it is usable and meets the Definition of Done, and the Scrum Master ensures the process is effective. Together, as a single unit, they are accountable for the final outcome of the Sprint.

A. The Developers are accountable for creating a usable Increment that meets the Definition of Done, but the accountability for its overall value is shared with the Product Owner.
B. The CEO is a stakeholder external to the Scrum Team and is not accountable for the creation of the Increment within the Scrum framework.
C. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product by managing the Product Backlog, not for the actual creation of the Increment.
D. The Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team's effectiveness and adherence to the Scrum framework, not for producing the Increment. ---

1. Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org. Page 5, "The Scrum Team" section, Paragraph 1. ("The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint.")

2. Verheyen, G. (2021). Scrum: A Pocket Guide (3rd ed.). Van Haren Publishing. Chapter 3, "The Scrum Team," emphasizes the collective accountability introduced in the 2020 Scrum Guide.

3. MIT Sloan School of Management. (Courseware). 15.S63 Digital Product Management. This courseware often discusses Scrum principles, reinforcing that the team, not an individual role, is responsible for delivering the product increment, reflecting the industry-standard understanding aligned with the Scrum Guide.