The Scrum Approach

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The Scrum Approach

The Scrum framework is one of the most popular and widely used methodologies within Agile project management. It outlines a set of values, principles, and practices followed by Scrum teams to deliver a product or service in an iterative and incremental approach. By emphasizing collaboration, transparency, and adaptability, it allows teams to deliver value in a flexible and customer-focused manner.
The Scrum framework prescribes for teams to break work down their work into time-boxed iterations known as "sprints," with each sprint typically lasting two to four weeks. These are the key elements of Scrum:

Scrum Roles

1. Product Owner: represents the customer or stakeholders, defines project requirements, and prioritizes tasks.
2. Scrum Master: facilitates the Scrum process, ensures the team adheres to Scrum principles, and removes obstacles.
3. Development Team: cross-functional group responsible for delivering the product incrementally.

Scrum Artifacts

1. Product Backlog: a prioritized list of features, enhancements, and bug fixes that need to be implemented in the project.
2. Sprint Backlog: a subset of items from the product backlog selected for a specific iteration (Sprint).
3. Increment: the product's potentially shippable working version after each Sprint.

Scrum Ceremonies/Events

The Scrum technique in project management is employed through certain ceremonies (meetings):

1. Sprint Planning: a meeting where the team selects (and agrees on) items from the product backlog for the upcoming Sprint.
2. Daily Scrum: a 15-minute daily meeting where the team synchronizes their work and identifies any impediments.
3. Sprint Review: a meeting at the end of each Sprint where the team demonstrates the increment and gathers feedback from stakeholders.
4. Sprint Retrospective: a meeting where the team reflects on the Sprint and identifies areas for improvement.

Scrum Values

These can be summarized briefly as: Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, and Respect.

Key Principles of Scrum

1. Empirical Process Control: Scrum is based on the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Teams regularly inspect their work and adapt based on feedback.
2. Self-Organizing Teams: Development teams in Scrum are empowered to manage their work and make decisions.
3. Time-Boxing: Scrum events are time-boxed. They have a set duration to ensure they are focused and efficient.
4. Prioritization: The Product Owner prioritizes items in the product backlog based on value and need.
5. Continuous Improvement: Scrum encourages teams to reflect on their processes and make adjustment to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

The Scrum Workflow/Process

1. Product Backlog: The Scrum process begins with the creation of a product backlog. This is a prioritized list of all the features, user stories, bug fixes, and other items that need to be addressed in the project. The product owner is responsible for managing and prioritizing the backlog based on business value and stakeholder input.
2. Sprint Planning: At the start of each sprint, the Scrum team, which includes the product owner, Scrum Master, and development team members, conducts a sprint planning meeting. During this meeting, the team selects a subset of items from the product backlog that they believe they can complete within the upcoming sprint. These selected items become the sprint backlog.
3. Daily Standup (Daily Scrum): Throughout the sprint, the team holds daily standup meetings, often referred to as the Daily Scrum. These meetings are short and focused, with each team member sharing what they worked on the previous day, what they plan to work on that day, and any impediments or challenges they are facing. The Daily Scrum helps ensure transparency and keeps the team aligned.
4. Incremental Development: During the sprint, the development team works collaboratively on the items in the sprint backlog. At the end of each sprint, a potentially shippable product increment is produced.
5. Sprint Review: after the production of the increment, a sprint review meeting is held. The development team presents the completed work to stakeholders, including the product owner, who assesses whether the work meets the acceptance criteria. This meeting also serves as an opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback and make adjustments to the product backlog.
6. Sprint Retrospective: Following the sprint review, the team holds a sprint retrospective meeting. In this meeting, the team reflects on the sprint, discusses what went well, identifies areas for improvement, and creates an action plan for implementing those improvements in the next sprint. The Scrum Master facilitates this process.
7. Repeat: The Scrum process is iterative. After the retrospective, the team moves on to the next sprint, and the cycle repeats. Over time, the product evolves based on changing requirements and feedback, with each sprint building on the previous ones.

Whereas Scrum adheres to the Agile Manifesto like all the other agile approaches (including Extreme Programming (XP), Crystal, and Feature Driven Development, etc.), it can be applied in various industries beyond software development (such as marketing, sales, and HR, etc.), and is well-suited for all projects with changing requirements and a need for regular customer feedback.

⇨ Do you know a lot about Scrum? I cordially invite you to add more info below!
Sources:
Agile Alliance. (n.d.). Agile Glossary
Scrum.org. (n.d.). What Is Scrum?
Wikipedia. (Sep. 14, 2023). Scrum (software development).

		Comments by date▼ Comments by rating Rating
		2 Anonymous
	PROs and CONs of Scrum Thank you for the good overview. But what are the main advantages and disadvantages associated with using Scrum? When should I use it and when better not?...

		2 Alouis van Dongen Management Consultant, Netherlands
	When to Use Scrum There is no easy answer. As stated it is valuable in an environment with changing requirements and regular customer feedback. By the way, the method of breaking up the work in sprints and doing the ce...

		1 Dave Wilderman Professor, United States
	Creating Value for Customers The SCRUM Approach emphasizes customer-focused value in an organized manner. Create Value and win!...

		1 Hong Sun Management Consultant, Canada
	When to Use and not to Use Scrum Scrum is best suited for projects that are complex, uncertain, and require frequent feedback and adaptation. It is also good for projects where the requirements are not fully known or understood at th...

		3 Philippe Guenet Coach, United Kingdom
	Missing Nuances in Scrum Summary I’d like to address some nuances in this short summary describing Agile / Scrum deployment in organizations. - It is not so much about project management as it is about product management. The produc...

		2 Anonymous
	Add a Team Working Level Agreement I would include the process of generating a Team Working Level Agreement. Scrum is often a new approach to engineering and interactions, so it is critically important to gain from all working level pa...

		1 Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	Pair Programming or Mentoring in Scrum Development of team members can be achieved by mentoring (pair programming). A mentor as a role model fits well as they are already having the necessary knowledge and skills and a junior programmer pr...

		2 Yzack Consultant, Niger
	Challenges/Limitations in Using Scrum @Anonymous: Theorically Scrum can be used for any kind of project. The limitation is not really in the scrum itself but in the way it is applied. In other words, the real challenges reside in its impl...