Scrum methodology is one type of agile methodology that is often used for software and product development.
Scrum depends mainly on iterative and incremental processes performed almost daily in a cycle till the final product or objective is obtained.
In definition, the Scrum methodology is a framework that is based on iterative and incremental development. This methodology helps teams to balance the needs of the customer with the team’s ability to deliver.
Scrum was first mentioned in 1986 in an article posted by two Japanese business experts; Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka published the article, “New New Product Development Game” in the Harvard Business Review, stating a new approach that would increase process speed and incredibly flexible to changes.
After that in 1995, Ken Schwaber and Dr. Jeff Sutherland provided a presentation that demonstrates the definition and values of Scrum, to the OOPSLA conference in Austin, Texas. They were both parts of a software design company called Easel Corporation in the late 1980s when they first encountered difficulties in working with large development projects. Their solution was to create a process framework that could help teams manage complex projects so that they could have successful outcomes with fewer risks.
In 2001, Sutherland, Schwaber, and 15 other software development leaders created the manifesto for Agile Software Development. Shortly afterward, the agile alliance was founded and the first book on Scrum. In the years that followed, the Scrum Alliance was founded in 2002 by Schwaber and a certification arm was added to the organization with certified scrum master programs.
In 2006, Sutherland created Scrum Inc. and kept teaching certified scrum courses. In 2009, Schwaber left Scrum Alliance and started Scrum.org which offers a professional Scrum series to this day.
In 2010, the first scrum guide was published. There have been a few updates on it since then. The latest would be on the 25th Anniversary of the Scrum Framework in 2020.
Scrum Methodology is based mainly on empiricism and lean/fast thinking. Empiricism implies that knowledge is based on experience derived from previous or current work, this leads to more accurate decisions. Lean/fast thinking forces decision-makers to focus on the essentials which in turn reduces waste and saves time.
It employs an iterative, incremental method to optimize predictability and to manipulate risk. Scrum engages individuals that together have all of the abilities and knowledge to do the work and share or gather such abilities as needed.
Scrum combines four formal events for inspection and adaptation within a containing event, the Sprint. These events work because they implement the empirical Scrum pillars, they are:
First: Transparency
The work and processes done in the project must be visible to both those who are performing the work and those who are receiving the work. The team must make important decisions that are based on the perceived state of the three pillars, so if they have low transparency, the value will decrease and the risk will increase.
As stated in the Scrum Guide, Transparency enables inspection. Inspection without transparency is misleading and wasteful.
Second: Inspection
The tasks performed during the process must be inspected regularly and frequently to detect any undesirable issue or risk. To help with inspection, Scrum provides cadence in the form of its five events, which will be illustrated later in this article. These events are designed to provoke the change necessary to obtain the needed goals from this process.
Third: Adaptation
In the case of change that occurs during the sprints or any deviation from the acceptable limits or requirements, the process applied must be adjusted to adapt to the new change required.
Adaptation becomes more difficult when team members are not self-managing. A Scrum Team is expected to adapt the moment it learns anything new through inspection
Scrum values are the fundamental principles that guide the best companies in Agile software development. To succeed in the digital age, organizations need to be able to respond quickly and efficiently to changing business needs. Scrum can help them do so.
The basic idea behind Scrum is that teams should have a high degree of autonomy and self-organization, which facilitates responsiveness to customers and market needs.
Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values:
Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage
Commitment to achieving the goal and supporting each other is required from any successful Scrum team.
The main focus of the sprint is to make progress towards the objectives needed in the best possible way.
All stakeholders must be Open to all challenges they may face during the work.
Respect among team members and trust that they are capable & independent people, is of utmost importance.
The Courage to do the right thing is an important characteristic.
Any decision made or step taken during this work should reinforce these values, not diminish or undermine them.
The fundamental unit of a Scrum team is mainly composed of developers, a product owner, and a scrum master. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-groups or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals centered on one objective at a time, the Product Goal. They are cross-functional, the members have all of the technical skills essential to create value for each Sprint. They also are self-managing, they internally decide who does what, when, and how.
The team roles are:
- The developer is responsible for the development tasks required to meet the product’s requirements.
- The product owner is responsible for providing the vision and strategy for the product and managing dependencies with other teams and stakeholders.
- The scrum master facilitates communication among stakeholders and ensures that the process is followed.
The Sprint is a box for all other events. Each event in Scrum is a proper opportunity to investigate and adopt Scrum artifacts. These events are mainly designed to allow and enable the transparency required. Failure to perform or operate any events as prescribed results in lost opportunities to investigate and adapt. Events are utilized in Scrum to create regularity and to reduce the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.
Optimally, all events are held at the same time and place to lessen the complexity.
These events are:
- The sprint; they are the most important event in the scrum. it is where ideas are turned to value. they are always the same length, usually a month or less. the newsprint starts after the conclusion of the previous one. It contains all the work needed to achieve the product or project objective, including sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, and retrospective. A Sprint can be canceled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
- Sprint Planning; Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the Sprint. This resulting plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team. In this plan, three main topics are addressed. the value of the sprint, what can be done during, and how will the work be executed.
- Daily Scrum; the main basis here is to check the progress toward the main goal and change the sprint backlog accordingly, adjusting the upcoming planned work in the process. it is usually a 15-minute event for the developers.
- Sprint Review; this review is meant to inspect the outcome of the sprint and determine the changes or adaptations needed in the next sprint. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and then the progress to the Goal is discussed.
- Sprint Retrospective; the goal here is to plan ways to increase the quality and effectiveness of the work performed during the next sprint. It is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint
These artifacts represent the work of value, they are designed to provide maximized transparency of key information. The philosophy behind it is that it should have a commitment to reinforce empiricism and the scrum values for the team and stakeholders.
These artifacts are:
- Product Backlog; a list of all work needed to improve the product.
- Sprint Backlog; consists of the sprint goal, the product backlog items selected for the sprint, and the action plan for the increment delivery.
- Increment; is the stepping stone toward the main goal. Each increment is additive to all prior increments in a way that ensures all of them work together to provide value.