Pigs and Chickens

Definition

In Scrum, project participants are divided into two groups by their level of skin in the game. "Pigs" are those committed to the project—those responsible for delivering it and who are accountable for outcomes. Pigs include the Team, the Product Owner, and the ScrumMaster. "Chickens" are those interested in the project and affected by it but not directly accountable—executives, other business stakeholders, or support functions. The terminology comes from an old joke: a chicken and a pig consider opening a restaurant. The chicken suggests "Ham and Eggs." The pig demurs: "You'd only be involved, but I'd be committed."

In the Book

Schwaber uses this distinction to clarify accountability and prevent chaos. Scrum makes a sharp boundary: those responsible for the project have the authority to do what's necessary to succeed. Those not responsible cannot interfere with the team's work during the sprint. This is not cruelty; it's clarity. In the MetaEco case study, Tom (the ScrumMaster) must protect the team from Paul (the CEO/Product Owner) who keeps asking developers to do customization work mid-sprint. Tom invokes Scrum's rule: during a sprint, the team is left alone. If Paul wants different priorities, he must raise them at the next sprint planning meeting, where he can visibly accept the consequences of redirecting the team.

The distinction is critical during execution. Chickens can attend sprint reviews and retrospectives, but they don't have voting rights on what the team does. The daily standup is for pigs only—it is where the team synchronizes and removes impediments. Schwaber notes that without this clarity, well-meaning stakeholders derail projects by inserting last-minute requests, and teams lose focus.

Why It Matters

This concept isolates the tension between stakeholder responsiveness and team focus. It provides a governance model without needing complex permission structures: whoever is accountable gets authority; whoever is not accountable doesn't interfere. This approach is especially valuable in organizations where many groups have competing interests or where traditional hierarchy creates slow decision-making. The pigs-and-chickens model makes it possible for Scrum teams to be responsive to genuine priority shifts while protecting them from constant low-priority interruptions.