Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Colleagues, as many organizations transition to Agile frameworks like Scrum, I have noticed a growing debate about our profession. In a standard Agile team, the Product Owner manages the requirements and business value, while the Scrum Master coaches the team and removes impediments.
This leaves a big question: Where does the traditional Project Manager fit in?
Do you think the standard PM role is becoming obsolete in highly Agile environments?
Or does the role simply evolve into a different position, such as Delivery Manager or Agile Coach?
For those working in Agile companies, how does your organization handle traditional PM responsibilities like budget tracking, risk escalation, or external vendor management?
I would love to hear your thoughts and read about your real-world experiences!
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Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Francisco, this is an important question because the disappearance of a job title, the redistribution of its functions, and the disappearance of the need for those functions are three different developments.
Scrum does not prescribe a Project Manager role, but that does not mean every function traditionally associated with project management disappears. Nor does the continued need for those functions establish that a Project Manager must perform them.
The role may remain relevant, evolve, be replaced, or become unnecessary in particular contexts. None of these outcomes should be assumed in advance.
Your examples of budget tracking, risk escalation and vendor management are particularly useful. Depending on the organisation, these responsibilities may sit with Product Owners, team members, functional managers, procurement or other roles. What matters is not simply who receives the responsibility, but whether the necessary authority, information and capabilities accompany its allocation.
This raises two related but distinct questions: what happens to the Project Manager's distinctive professional contribution, and how are the coordination and integration needs of the wider project system addressed?
Neither a formal Project Manager nor a Scrum framework guarantees that those needs are met. Equally, distributed arrangements should not be presumed inadequate.
I would therefore examine how responsibilities and decisions are actually handled, which capabilities are mobilised, how dependencies are managed, and what consequences follow.
That evidence would help us understand whether we are observing professional evolution, redistribution, substitution or the disappearance of particular functions, rather than drawing conclusions from job titles alone.
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Oct 30, 2026 12:17 PM
Francisco Herrera
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I agree Luis, just because Scrum doesn't prescribe a formal Project Manager doesn't mean the need for coordination, budgeting, or risk management disappears. As you mentioned, what truly matters is that whoever takes on these tasks has the right authority and capabilities. It is a great reminder to focus on how responsibilities are actually managed in practice rather than just looking at job titles. Francisco
My personal view is that Agile cannot eliminate the Project Manager role, but I think it can become weaker or less distinct in organisations that adopt Agile. Agile teams mostly focus on their backlogs and deliverables. This works well in software development, where incremental releases and customer feedback drive progress. But in complex hardware and software product development, there are many more things to manage, such as cross-functional dependencies, suppliers, budgets, risks and system integration. The question then is not just how the PM role evolves but how organisations preserve overall accountability while empowering Agile teams.
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Nov 02, 2026 1:58 PM
Francisco Herrera
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Sujith you make a great point about the difference between pure software and complex hardware projects. While Agile teams excel at managing backlogs, handling cross-functional dependencies, budgets, and external suppliers still requires dedicated oversight. Finding the right balance between team empowerment and overall project accountability is indeed the key challenge. Francisco
From what I’ve seen on the ground, the role isn’t disappearing. It’s moving to the space between teams.
On large, multi-region programs I’ve worked on, the engineering teams managed their own work well on their boards and didn’t need someone directing tasks. What they did need was someone keeping teams that moved at different speeds in sync, surfacing risks before they turned into blockers, and translating between business stakeholders and delivery teams. None of that sat in anyone’s backlog.
I’ve also run sprints inside a fixed timeline and budget, where the client wanted agile delivery and a predictable end date at the same time. That hybrid setup is the reality for many organizations.
So my view is that the command-and-control PM is fading, but the work of managing dependencies, risk, and stakeholder alignment isn’t. Whether it’s called Delivery Manager, Program Manager, or PM, someone still has to own it, or it ends up with whoever notices the problem first.
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1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Nov 04, 2026 2:40 PM
Francisco Herrera
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Jacob the idea that the PM role is moving to the "space between teams" is a perfect way to describe it. While agile teams manage their own tasks well, cross-team dependencies and stakeholder communication still require dedicated attention. As you mentioned, the command-and-control style is fading, but the need for strategic alignment and risk management remains essential. Francisco.
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oct 23, 2026 3:27 PM
Replying to Luis Branco
...
Francisco, this is an important question because the disappearance of a job title, the redistribution of its functions, and the disappearance of the need for those functions are three different developments.
Scrum does not prescribe a Project Manager role, but that does not mean every function traditionally associated with project management disappears. Nor does the continued need for those functions establish that a Project Manager must perform them.
The role may remain relevant, evolve, be replaced, or become unnecessary in particular contexts. None of these outcomes should be assumed in advance.
Your examples of budget tracking, risk escalation and vendor management are particularly useful. Depending on the organisation, these responsibilities may sit with Product Owners, team members, functional managers, procurement or other roles. What matters is not simply who receives the responsibility, but whether the necessary authority, information and capabilities accompany its allocation.
This raises two related but distinct questions: what happens to the Project Manager's distinctive professional contribution, and how are the coordination and integration needs of the wider project system addressed?
Neither a formal Project Manager nor a Scrum framework guarantees that those needs are met. Equally, distributed arrangements should not be presumed inadequate.
I would therefore examine how responsibilities and decisions are actually handled, which capabilities are mobilised, how dependencies are managed, and what consequences follow.
That evidence would help us understand whether we are observing professional evolution, redistribution, substitution or the disappearance of particular functions, rather than drawing conclusions from job titles alone.
I agree Luis, just because Scrum doesn't prescribe a formal Project Manager doesn't mean the need for coordination, budgeting, or risk management disappears. As you mentioned, what truly matters is that whoever takes on these tasks has the right authority and capabilities. It is a great reminder to focus on how responsibilities are actually managed in practice rather than just looking at job titles. Francisco Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oct 25, 2026 10:04 AM
Replying to Sujith Sasi Kumar
...
My personal view is that Agile cannot eliminate the Project Manager role, but I think it can become weaker or less distinct in organisations that adopt Agile. Agile teams mostly focus on their backlogs and deliverables. This works well in software development, where incremental releases and customer feedback drive progress. But in complex hardware and software product development, there are many more things to manage, such as cross-functional dependencies, suppliers, budgets, risks and system integration. The question then is not just how the PM role evolves but how organisations preserve overall accountability while empowering Agile teams.
Sujith you make a great point about the difference between pure software and complex hardware projects. While Agile teams excel at managing backlogs, handling cross-functional dependencies, budgets, and external suppliers still requires dedicated oversight. Finding the right balance between team empowerment and overall project accountability is indeed the key challenge. Francisco Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oct 27, 2026 5:06 PM
Replying to Jacob James
...
From what I’ve seen on the ground, the role isn’t disappearing. It’s moving to the space between teams.
On large, multi-region programs I’ve worked on, the engineering teams managed their own work well on their boards and didn’t need someone directing tasks. What they did need was someone keeping teams that moved at different speeds in sync, surfacing risks before they turned into blockers, and translating between business stakeholders and delivery teams. None of that sat in anyone’s backlog.
I’ve also run sprints inside a fixed timeline and budget, where the client wanted agile delivery and a predictable end date at the same time. That hybrid setup is the reality for many organizations.
So my view is that the command-and-control PM is fading, but the work of managing dependencies, risk, and stakeholder alignment isn’t. Whether it’s called Delivery Manager, Program Manager, or PM, someone still has to own it, or it ends up with whoever notices the problem first.
Jacob the idea that the PM role is moving to the "space between teams" is a perfect way to describe it. While agile teams manage their own tasks well, cross-team dependencies and stakeholder communication still require dedicated attention. As you mentioned, the command-and-control style is fading, but the need for strategic alignment and risk management remains essential. Francisco. Saving Changes...
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