What is Scrum? – Understanding the Basics

Most organizations always look for simpler ways and methods to carry out tasks and projects within the organization. They seek ways to break down huge projects into simpler chunks that are easy to handle and at the same time can be quickly delivered. This is what frameworks like scrum help to achieve.

Scrum is a framework used for addressing complex and adaptive work or problems while at the same time delivering productive and creative results and products of high value. It is used for effective team collaboration when doing a complex work or project. It is designed in such a way that teams of ten or fewer members break their project into set objectives that can be finished within a given time usually referred to as sprints.

Scrum initially placed emphasis on software development and was majorly used in software cycles but these days, it is also used for complex work and research in several other industries and fields.

Scrum as an agile process enables teams to focus on delivering value in the shortest time. It emphasizes accountability, collaboration, teamwork, and iterative progress to clearly defined goals. Stakeholders identify an opportunity, discuss with team members so they understand desired outcomes, they then evaluate possible solutions to use, build, deploy and then measure progress.

What is Agile and how is it Related to Scrum?

Agile is a practice or set of values and project management principles that describe how teams perform their day to day activities and interactions. It requires and encourages teamwork between owners of a project; businesses, stakeholders, etc., and those that are tasked with delivering it. It represents and defines the set of values that lay out how individuals in an organization relate with one another.

Agile utilizes different methodologies which include basic principles from Scrum, Kanban and XP. You can read more about agile methodology here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development.

Scrum is a subgroup of agile and follows its principles but it is specific and includes further definitions. It will usually begin with what is known or seen and the fact that requirements are likely to change. Afterward, it tracks the progress of the project and makes changes and tweaks where necessary. It breaks down a project into smaller bits and helps in its continuous iteration and testing. It has three pillars which are transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

Roles in Scrum

Scrum defines and includes a set of roles which are the product owner, Scrum Master and Scrum development team.

Product Owner

This is the project key stakeholder. It may be a customer, company or their representative. This person is responsible for making sure teams understand the desired outcomes and that expectations are communicated and agreed upon. The product owner manages product backlog (a list of requirements) and accepts completed increments (sum of all product backlogs items completed) of work as done.

Scrum Master

This is a team member that serves as a leader and facilitator with no hierarchical authority. The scrum master serves as a bridge between the product owner, the organization and the development team and ensures that the team adheres to best practices, values and principles. The scrum master facilitates meetings, removes blockers and impediments as well as supporting the team.

The Development Team

These are the group of people that do the actual work of developing the project/product. They work on delivering the chosen product backlog and the final product. They also attend scrum meetings.

These teams are self-organizing meaning that they choose the best way to accomplish their task without guidance from others outside the team. They are also cross-functional, meaning that they have competencies necessary for accomplishing their tasks without relying on individuals who are not part of the team. Teams are designed to be flexible, creative and productive. There are no job titles and everyone on the team has equal status. Also, the team succeeds or fails as one because they are accountable as a whole.

Scrum Events

Scrum has a set of events that serve specific purposes. These events are time-boxed which means that they have a maximum amount of time. They are:

The Sprint: This is the duration in which specific work selected from the product backlog is started, finished and released for review. They are typically 2 – 3 weeks long but can sometimes be a week or occasionally four. Once the duration is agreed upon, it cannot be changed.

Sprint Planning: This is an event or meeting to determine which item on the product backlog will be delivered and how it is going to be accomplished. It is usually 2-3 hours long but can be a maximum of 8 hours.

Daily Stand up: This is a maximum of 15 minutes daily meeting where each team member gives an update of work progress. It allows team members to know what each one is working on and if there is any impediment.

Sprint Demo: This usually happens at the end of a sprint. Items of the just-concluded sprint are shown to stakeholders who in turn check against predefined criteria and may either accept or reject it.

Sprint Retrospective: This is a meeting to determine how the team performed. They check what went well and what did not and how they can improve. Each team member may give input which should be about 30 minutes or a maximum of 2 hours.

Getting Started

Scrum is an essential framework that individuals and organizations need to complete their projects quickly and efficiently. It also enhances the effective use of resources when carrying out a project. As an organization, you can receive training or coaching on how to use it in your organization. For individuals, you can get trained and certified.

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