Scrum is a framework that was created as a part of the Agile methodology. It was made to help teams address complex problems within a project. The Scrum method was created to improve productivity within the team and deliver products that deliver the highest value to the consumer in a creative manner.
Scrum is undoubtedly one of the most popular agile methodologies used today, with a whopping 72% of respondents to the most recent State of Agile Report saying they use “Scrum or a hybrid that includes Scrum”.
Scrum, when applied correctly can be very successful. More than 62% of the projects completed using scrum has been successful. An ideal Scrum team is usually made of between four to nine team members, which is what leads to the highest levels of success.
The Agile Scrum Methodology is focused on improving teamwork through continuous learning using iterations. Scrum was mainly used by software development teams but has now grown to be accepted within other industries as well.
The framework has principles and lessons that can be adapted by any team in any industry, making it all the more popular. The Scrum method consists of various tools, roles, and techniques that team members can learn to help them improve the structure of how they work.
There are three distinct roles defined in Scrum:
The Scrum Master ensures the procedure is followed, eliminates impediments, and safeguards the team from disturbances. The Scrum Master differs from a traditional project manager in many ways, including that this role does not provide day-to-day direction to the team and does not assign tasks to individuals.
The Product Owner is typically a project’s key stakeholder. Part of the product owner’s responsibilities is to have a vision of what he or she wishes to build, and convey that vision to the Scrum team. The foremost task of the Product Owner is to provide value to the stakeholders.
The Scrum Team is a self-organizing and cross-functional team, who does the analysis, implementation, design, testing, and so forth. Although individuals may join the team with various job titles, in Scrum, those titles are insignificant. Scrum methodology states that each person contributes in whatever way they can to complete the work of each sprint. Individuals will thus spend most (and sometimes all) of their time working in whatever discipline they know, be it analysis, design, development, test, etc.
Scrum for beginners can be condensed into the following list:
1- A product owner creates a prioritized wish list called a product backlog.
2- During sprint planning, the team pulls a small chunk from the top of that wish list, a sprint backlog, and decides how to implement those pieces.
3- The team has a certain amount of time — a sprint (usually two to four weeks) — to complete its work while meeting every day to assess its progress (daily Scrum).
4- Along the way, the Scrum Master keeps the team focused on its goal.
5- At the end of the sprint, the work should be potentially shippable: ready to hand to a customer, put on a store shelf, or show to a stakeholder.
6- The sprint ends with a sprint review and retrospective.
7- As the next sprint begins, the team chooses another chunk of the product backlog and begins working again.
8- This goes on until the project is deemed complete, either by stopping to work (deadline, budget, etc.) or by completing the entire wish list.