During a Sprint, who decides how to accomplish the work?

The Development Team is responsible for deciding how to accomplish the work during a Sprint. This responsibility aligns with the principles of Scrum, which emphasize self-organization and empowerment of the Development Team. They are the ones who understand the technical aspects and the necessary skills required to complete the Sprint Backlog items effectively.

By allowing the Development Team to decide the best way to achieve their goals, Scrum fosters an environment that encourages collaboration, creativity, and accountability. This self-organizing nature enables the team to adapt their approaches as needed based on the progress and challenges faced during the Sprint. The Scrum Master supports this process, but does not dictate how the work is done; rather, they facilitate the team in achieving their objectives while maintaining Scrum principles.

In this context, the Product Owner focuses on what needs to be built, prioritizing the backlog items based on stakeholder needs and business value, but does not determine the methods or techniques the team utilizes to achieve this. Stakeholders provide input and feedback, but ultimately it's the Development Team that has the expertise and responsibility to execute the work.