Definition of Component Teams
Component Teams are teams in software projects that organize themselves around specific components, technologies or systems.
These teams focus on developing, maintaining or improving individual parts of a product or application. For example, consider a team that works only on the user interface and another team responsible for the databases.
Challenges with these kinds of teams
Although such teams have in-depth knowledge of specific technologies or parts of a system, they also present challenges. They often struggle to maintain a comprehensive and holistic view of the entire product. This usually leads to problems with coordination, collaboration and integration of different components when building the complete product.
The use of component teams in Scrum is therefore discouraged. The Scrum framework advises choosing a cross-functional team that has all the skills needed to create value in every Sprint. This team structure helps to reduce dependencies and increases the chance of delivering functionality. This is also known as a Feature Team and is the opposite of a Component Team.
Note: are you working with multiple Scrum Teams on the same product? Then consider embracing frameworks such as Nexus or LeSS (in addition to Scrum).