Scrum

Scrum is an agile methodology used in software development based on an iterative and incremental process. Scrum is a flexible, fast and effective agile framework designed to deliver customer value throughout the project development process.

The main goal of Scrum is to meet the customer's needs through an environment of transparent communication, collective responsibility and continuous progress.

The development starts with a general idea of what needs to be built, creating a prioritised list of features (product backlog) that the product owner wants to obtain.

The Scrum Process: Four Meetings to Encourage Flexibility and Adaptability

The Scrum process follows a fixed sequence of four meetings, which create space for flexibility and adaptability. These meetings are:

Sprint Planning

During this meeting, the team and the customer determine the goal and intermediate products that need to be delivered. The sprint planning ensures that everyone knows what needs to be done and that no one is overworked or underworked.

Stand-up

This is a short meeting of about 15 minutes that is held every day (usually in the morning) to discuss any issues and share progress. This helps to keep everyone informed and up-to-date and allows the team to identify and address any problems that arise quickly.

Review

During the review, the final product is delivered. All stakeholders come together and provide feedback on the product(s). This feedback is used to make any necessary changes or improvements to the product.

Retrospective

The team comes together to evaluate and suggest improvements. Further agreements are made to improve the process. The team then begins to go back to the sprint planning for the next sprint. This helps ensure that the team constantly improves and works towards their goals.

Roles and Values in Scrum

There are several key roles within the Scrum framework, including: 

• Development team: This team produces the final (software) product.

• Product owner (customer): The product owner determines priorities, provides direction, and makes decisions regarding the project.

• Scrum master: The Scrum master is the leader and coach of the team, ensuring that they work effectively and efficiently to achieve their goals.

• Stakeholders: Other individuals or groups interested in the project, such as customers or investors.

To ensure that Scrum teams work effectively together, collaboration is the most important aspect of the process. Without good collaboration, the process will run less smoothly. To improve collaboration, Scrum has five core values:

• Commitment: Everyone involved in the project is committed to achieving their goals and delivering high-quality results.

• Courage: Team members are encouraged to take risks and make difficult decisions to succeed.

• Focus: The team delivers the highest possible value to the customer and avoids distractions or unnecessary work.

• Openness: The team is open and transparent, communicating frequently and sharing information to help ensure success.

• Respect: Everyone involved in the project is treated respectfully, and their opinions and ideas are valued.

By embracing these core values, Scrum teams can collaborate more effectively, collaborate more efficiently, and achieve their goals more successfully.

Maintaining an overview in Scrum

In Scrum, it's essential to maintain an overview of the project to avoid losing sight of the main goal. Several lists are created to make the work process transparent and manageable, including: 

• Product backlog: This contains the tasks that still need to be completed. During a "product backlog grooming" session, the team works with the business owner to prioritise the work. The product backlog can be refined during a process called "backlog refinement".

• Sprint backlog: This list of tasks must be completed before selected product backlog items can be delivered.

• Acceptance criteria: This is a list of criteria created before and during sprint planning. It can be reviewed afterwards to evaluate the successful outcome.

• Scrum board: This is the most popular Scrum tool, consisting of three columns labelled "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done."

• To Do: This column contains all the tasks that still need to be completed during the sprint.

• In Progress: This column contains the tasks someone is working on.

• Done: This column contains the tasks that have been completed.

 By using these lists, Scrum teams can maintain a clear overview of the project's progress, ensuring that everyone knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be completed. This transparency helps to ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget, and to the desired level of quality.

Benefits of Scrum

Scrum is highly popular, and here are the reasons why it has become so popular:

High-quality products

By working with Scrum, the team constantly receives and processes feedback for improvements. As a result, development teams using this method deliver high-quality products.

Teamwork

Scrum creates cohesive teams that communicate effectively, meet deadlines, and solve problems together. Members trust and respect each other and understand that their time is valuable.

Flexibility

With Scrum, teams must adapt their resources and processes to new circumstances. Product definitions can change as development progresses, and effective teams deliver those changes within a few iterations.

Faster time-to-market

Scrum aims to release products and their features in predictable steps using well-defined sprints. The entire product does not need to be ready to remove parts. Sprints are designed to add features at each step of the way.

Higher ROI

The benefits of Scrum mentioned above ultimately lead to a higher return on investment (ROI). By providing constant feedback and promoting collaboration, Scrum reduces the risk of costly mistakes and ensures a better-quality product with fewer defects. Additionally, the shorter time-to-market allows for faster revenue generation, further contributing to the increased ROI.

Disadvantages of Scrum

While Scrum offers many benefits, it also has some drawbacks to consider:

High failure rate

If team members lack motivation or dedication, the chance of failure is high. Therefore, it is essential to have a committed and motivated team to achieve success.

Frustration

Some team members may find having a daily meeting frustrating, so good communication is crucial for the product's success and the team's mental health.

Scope creep

If tasks are not tracked properly, they can pile up, leading to an overflow of work and a poor project or end product. Therefore, it's essential to manage the project's scope effectively.