Chickens & Pigs

The "Chicken and Pigs" metaphor comes from a joke that was once commonly used to explain roles in Scrum:

A chicken and a pig are talking. The chicken suggests, "Let’s open a restaurant together! I’ll supply the eggs, and you supply the bacon." The pig replies, "That would mean I'm fully committed, but you’re only involved."

In Scrum, this metaphor was used to differentiate between those who are committed to the project’s success ("pigs")—like the development team members, Scrum Master, and Product Owner—and those who are involved but not accountable for the outcomes ("chickens")—like stakeholders and managers.

Roots: This analogy comes from early Scrum teachings, where it was important to emphasize who had decision-making responsibilities and who should be actively contributing to the product development process. It reflected the need for clarity on roles within a Scrum team and who should attend key ceremonies, such as the daily standup.

However, the metaphor was eventually dropped from the official Scrum Guide because it could create unnecessary division. Scrum teams are encouraged to collaborate openly with everyone, regardless of their level of involvement.