What is the difference between Scrum Master and Technical Project Mananger?

Aspect	Scrum Master	Technical Project Manager (TPM)
Primary Focus	Facilitating Agile processes and team dynamics	Delivering projects with technical scope, timelines, and resources
Key Goal	Empower the Scrum Team to be self-organizing and high-performing	Ensure successful delivery of technical projects
Ownership	Process & team effectiveness	Scope, schedule, budget, and technical execution
Typical Tasks	- Facilitate stand-ups, retrospectives, sprint planning - Remove blockers - Coach Agile principles - Promote team collaboration	- Manage timelines & deliverables - Work with engineering leads on system design - Coordinate cross-team dependencies - Report progress to stakeholders
Technical Involvement	Low to moderate (depends on background)	High – often understands architecture, APIs, infrastructure, etc.
Stakeholder Interaction	Primarily with the dev team and Product Owner	Frequent updates to business stakeholders, clients, and execs
Reporting Lines	Often reports to Agile Coach or Program Manager	Reports to Engineering Manager, PMO, or senior leadership
Mindset	Servant-leader, facilitator	Project leader, delivery-focused

🔑 Summary

• A Scrum Master ensures the Agile process runs smoothly and the team stays focused, collaborative, and empowered.
• A Technical Project Manager ensures the project gets delivered on time, within scope, and often bridges technical and business teams.

🧠 Think of it this way: The Scrum Master is a team coach, while the TPM is a project owner/driver with technical fluency.