Scrum is a framework for agile project management that is primarily used in software development. It is designed to help teams work together to develop a product. Scrum encourages teams to learn through experiences, self-organize while working on a problem, and reflect on their wins and losses to continuously improve.
While the Scrum I'm describing is most frequently used by software development teams, its principles and lessons can be applied to all kinds of teamwork. This is one of the reasons why it's so popular. Essentially, Scrum is about coming together as a team, getting the job done, and continuously improving.
Overview of Scrum
Scrum is an agile process that allows us to focus on delivering the highest business value in the shortest time. It allows us to rapidly and repeatedly inspect actual working software. The business sets the priorities and the teams deliver them in short cycles called Sprints.
Scrum is not a methodology, but rather a framework. There are no rules that apply to each and every case, instead, its approach is that the team learns from experience and adjusts for the next sprint or project.
Scrum Framework
The Scrum framework is deceptively simple. The Scrum process is divided into cycles of work called sprints. The sprints are of fixed duration – usually between 2 – 4 weeks. The process begins with a planning meeting. During the meeting, the Product Owner (the person requesting the work) and the Development Team agree upon exactly what work will be accomplished during the sprint.
At the end of the sprint, the team holds two more meetings: the sprint review and the sprint retrospective. The sprint review is the team demonstrating the new functionality to the product owner – essentially proving that they have done the work they committed to. The retrospective is the team looking at their own processes to see what worked and what didn’t, so they can improve for the next sprint.
Scrum Roles
There are three key roles that are defined in Scrum: The Product Owner, The Scrum Master, and The Scrum Team.
The Product Owner is responsible for what will be developed and in what order. The Scrum Master helps everyone else understand Scrum and feel comfortable in their roles. The Scrum Team does the work of delivering the product increment.
Explanation of Scrum
Scrum is a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. It is a simple, straightforward, and easy to implement approach to getting work done. The beauty of Scrum lies in its simplicity. It intentionally compiles simple, flexible steps so the team can focus on the work at hand and not get bogged down in process and procedure.
Scrum is based on transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Transparency allows all facets of any project to be visible to all members who are responsible for the outcome. Inspection is the process where the users and the team can see and discuss the progress. Adaptation is adjusting the process based on the result of the inspection.
Scrum Artifacts
Scrum Artifacts provide key information that the Scrum Team and the stakeholders need to stay informed about the product and the progress. The most common Scrum Artifacts are product backlog, sprint backlog, and increments.
The product backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. The sprint backlog is the set of product backlog items selected for the sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product increment and realizing the sprint goal. The increment is the sum of all the product backlog items completed during a sprint and the value of the increments of all previous sprints.
Scrum Events
Scrum defines four events (sometimes called ceremonies) that create a rhythm or regular pattern for the team: The Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
The Sprint is a time-box of one month or less during which a "Done", useable, and potentially releasable product increment is created. Sprint Planning is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute time-boxed event for the Development Team to synchronize activities and create a plan for the next 24 hours. The Sprint Review is held at the end of the Sprint to inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning.
How-Tos of Scrum
Implementing Scrum involves defining the product vision, forming the Scrum team, developing a product backlog, planning the sprint, hosting a daily Scrum meeting, conducting the sprint review and retrospective.
It's important to note that while implementing Scrum, the team should be self-organizing and cross-functional and the Scrum Master should avoid micromanaging. The team should also have regular feedback sessions and always be improving.
Implementing Scrum
Implementing Scrum involves a shift in mindset and culture. It's not just a set of roles and meetings, but a new way of thinking about and managing work. The first step is to understand the values and principles of Scrum and Agile. The next step is to form a Scrum team and define a product vision.
Once the team is formed and the vision is clear, the team can start working in sprints. Each sprint begins with a planning meeting. During the meeting, the Product Owner and the team agree on a set of work to be completed. The team has the autonomy to decide how to do the work.
Using Scrum in Product Development
Scrum can be a powerful framework for product development. It's not a process or a technique for building products; rather, it’s a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques. Scrum makes clear the relative efficacy of your product management and development practices so that you can improve.
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. How this is done may vary widely across organizations, Scrum Teams, and individuals. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog.
Specific Examples of Scrum
Scrum has been widely adopted by a variety of industries and organizations. From software development to marketing, from large multinational corporations to small startups, Scrum is being used to manage and improve work.
For example, in a software development project, the product owner could start by building a backlog of user stories. The team would then estimate the effort for each story and prioritize them based on their business value. The team would then commit to deliver a set of stories in the next sprint.
Scrum in Software Development
In a software development project, the team could use Scrum to manage and control the development process. The Product Owner would create a product backlog of features that need to be developed. The team would then select a set of features from the backlog and commit to delivering them in a sprint. The team would meet daily in a Scrum meeting to discuss progress and obstacles.
At the end of the sprint, the team would demonstrate the completed features to the Product Owner in a sprint review meeting. The team would then reflect on the process in a sprint retrospective meeting and make adjustments for the next sprint.
Scrum in Marketing
Scrum can also be used in a marketing context. For example, a marketing team could use Scrum to manage and control their work. The Product Owner would create a product backlog of marketing initiatives. The team would then select a set of initiatives from the backlog and commit to delivering them in a sprint.
At the end of the sprint, the team would demonstrate the completed initiatives to the Product Owner in a sprint review meeting. The team would then reflect on the process in a sprint retrospective meeting and make adjustments for the next sprint.