In the official Scrum Guide 2020, the Scrum Team structure included only three main roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. These three roles formed the foundation of self-managing teams and were responsible for creating value.

However, in the expanded version titled Scrum Guide Expansion Pack 2025, Scrum’s view on roles has evolved. This document formally recognizes two additional external roles:

  • Stakeholder – with a clearer scope and more active role
  • Supporter – a new role responsible for organizational support of Scrum

In the following sections, we will explore the official definitions and roles of Stakeholder and Supporter in the Expansion Pack 2025 and examine what these changes mean for Scrum practice.

Stakeholder: Formal Definition and Role in Scrum

In earlier versions of the Scrum Guide, the term Stakeholder appeared several times—mainly in relation to Sprint Reviews or value delivery. However, there was no formal or precise definition of who exactly a Stakeholder was.

In the Scrum Guide Expansion Pack (2025), the role is formally defined for the first time:

"A Stakeholder is an entity, individual, or group interested in, affected by, or impacting inputs, activities, and outcomes." (Page 14)

This definition clearly broadens the scope of the Stakeholder role. Stakeholders are no longer limited to users or customers; they may include managers, decision-makers, support teams, or even organizational systems that either influence or are influenced by the development of the product.

To better understand this definition, imagine the Scrum Team as a music band performing in a concert hall. Stakeholders are not just the audience inside the hall giving feedback and showing appreciation. Nearby shopkeepers who benefit from increased foot traffic during events, parking lot operators managing extra vehicles, service staff at the venue, and even traffic officers managing nearby congestion — all of them are, in some way, impacted by or contributing to the performance. They are Stakeholders.

Likewise, in Scrum, Stakeholders may be present in legal, marketing, HR, operations, sales, or infrastructure departments. Engagement with Stakeholders is not a one-way relationship; it is a vital part of the team’s value-creation structure.

Supporter: A New Role with Structural Impact

In earlier versions of the Scrum Guide, there was no mention of a formal role called Supporter. Yet, experienced teams always knew that successful Scrum implementation required more than an internal team — it also needed external and structural support.

In the Scrum Guide Expansion Pack (2025), the role of Supporter is officially introduced:

"Supporters are supporting Stakeholders and change agents." (Page 15)
"Supporters support the Scrum Team to thrive and influence the organization’s workflows, processes, systems, Products, services, and work environment to become coherent with a Scrum adoption and emergence." (Pages 15–16)
"Supporters who do not empower Scrum Teams to do what is recommended in this document are not really Supporters." (Page 16)

These definitions portray the Supporter as more than just a helper. A true Supporter not only supports but also drives change and aligns the organizational environment with the Scrum way of working.

To illustrate, think of the Scrum Team as the pilots and flight attendants on a commercial flight. They are directly responsible for flying and serving — just as the team delivers the product. But without airport services, fuel, air traffic control, flight planning, technical maintenance, and even booking systems, the flight would either fail or become risky.

Supporters in Scrum play this hidden but essential role. They may not sit inside the team, but through process improvements, barrier removal, and strategic alignment, they create the conditions for the team to succeed.

The Role of Stakeholder and Supporter in Collaboration with the Product Owner and Scrum Master
While the Scrum Guide Expansion Pack (2025) focuses on defining the roles of Stakeholder and Supporter, these roles also have a strong supportive impact on the Product Owner and Scrum Master.

Impact of Stakeholders on the Product Owner:

Active participation in Discovery, Product Backlog refinement, and defining Product Goals helps the Product Owner base decisions on real data and feedback.
When Stakeholders are recognized as co-creators, prioritization and value delivery align more naturally with business objectives.

Impact of Supporters on the Scrum Master:

Many of the impediments that the Scrum Master needs to remove originate from organizational processes, structures, or culture.
Active Supporters simplify Scrum implementation, remove unnecessary bureaucracy, and enhance organizational understanding of feedback, experimentation, and learning.
Supporters serve as a bridge between Scrum Masters and higher organizational levels, reducing resistance to change and enabling deeper adoption of Scrum.

Conclusion

The Scrum Guide Expansion Pack (2025) expands the scope of Scrum from a team-focused framework to a more systemic and organizational model by introducing the formal roles of Stakeholder and Supporter.

A Stakeholder is no longer just an observer or consumer of the product but a person or entity actively influencing or being influenced by the team’s work — with a rightful place in discovery, goal-setting, and value evaluation.

The Supporter is more than a background helper — they are change agents who empower the team and remove structural obstacles for meaningful Scrum adoption.

Understanding and applying these roles practically helps Scrum Teams operate in a more realistic environment — one where decisions are clearer, processes smoother, and value creation more sustainable.