The Scrum Process

First identified by Takeuchi & Nonaka in 1986 a scrum is a rugby term that can be used in the context of Agile. It emphasises teamwork with progress in incremental steps and was originally considered for software development projects.

It is primarily focused on complex projects that require goals to be broken up into shorter iterative time frames called sprints.  The focus on teamwork means fellow team members will jump in and remove any bottlenecks that may be slowing down a fellow teammate. The flexibility that comes with scrum allows projects that are dynamic and not fully scoped to be completed. Change is ever present in scrum projects and that is part of the allure of the methodology. Scrum teams embrace change and look to quickly respond to changing requirements.

The terms Scrum and Agile are often used interchangeably but this is incorrect. The difference is that Scrum is a framework for getting things done whereas Agile is a methodology with a defined set of values and principles. In order to bring Agile to the workplace significant cultural change is required. Scrum can assist as it provides a framework to deliver projects in a more agile way and bring more agile thinking into both communication and the way you work.

There are many types of teams that use Scrum like Design, Human Resources and Marketing. Most significantly it is used in the software and engineering sectors. The characteristics of software development include changing requirements, goals and situations. Scrum embraces this change.

There are benefits to using Scrum such as including breaking down big complex project into smaller manageable pieces called sprints. This allows teams to make complex projects more manageable, it allows teams to ship out high quality work out faster and gives them more flexibility and adaptability.

Bringing in shorter iterations can provide many benefits compared to the more traditional waterfall approach. These include a reduction in risk and cost, more timely feedback from users, increased speed to market and see value quicker.

It also provides a team with achieving goals quicker which keeps them focused and energised. This has the added benefit of increased employee satisfaction and lower employee churn. With benefits like these it is easy to see that scrum is an attractive approach to many projects.

How Scrum Works

The core tenet for Scrum is constant learning and adapting to change. It is accepted that not everything is known at the beginning of a project. Scrum is useful for changing market conditions and changing user requirements.

As a development team sets out to build a new product or improve an existing one there will be a number of stories, features, requirements, enhances and fixes to work on. This is called the product backlog. An easy way to visualise this is as a large to-do list.

Every few weeks the team will decide from the product backlog what needs to be worked on during the next sprint. Sprints are normally around two weeks but the length of a sprint will be determined by the team.

Throughout the sprint the team participates in a number of events called ceremonies which are the hallmarks of the scrum framework. They create consistency, transparent communication, adaptability to change and assist with constant learning.

The key ceremonies are:

Sprint Planning

During the ceremony the team works out what they want to accomplish during the next sprint. The team then works together to move the stories from the backlog to the sprint in order to meet the sprint goal. The key is so make it realistic over the two weeks.

Daily Scrum or Stand-up

During each day of the sprint the team will undertake a daily scrum or stand-up. This is a very short meeting that happens at the same time and at the same place. It usually takes place in the morning and lasts for around 15 minutes. The length of the meeting can be determined by the team. The premise is that the meeting is quick and avoids lengthy meetings that get in the way of the real work.

The goal of the daily scrum is to get on the same page and voice any concerns or bottlenecks that may prevent sprint goals to be completed.

Sprint Reviews

At the end of the sprint the team comes together informally and reflects on what was achieved and review a demonstration of what was created. This is where the development team shows the product owner the backlog items that were finished. If satisfied the product owner will approve them for release.

The product owner will also review the backlog in light of what was achieved in the current sprint. This will then serve as the starting point for the next sprint planning session.

Sprint Retrospectives

The sprint retrospective occurs when the team comes together and documents what went well and what didn’t work during the sprint. It serves as a lessons learned register that can be used for future sprints and sprint planning. The retrospective could focus on the tools, key relationships, the sprint itself or even certain ceremonies. The idea is that the retrospective is held in a safe environment where open discussion can take place on what went well and what can be improved in the future.

Three Roles of Scrum

There are three primary roles in the scrum framework. They include the:

Product Owner

The product owner is the champion of the product and are focused on seeing their product vision come to life. They will have an in-depth knowledge of the market and the customer. They are focused on the business and the market. They will also lead the prioritising of the work when it moves from backlog to sprint. This assists the development team to know what is important and what needs attention.

Scrum Master

The scrum master is the scrum expert in the team. They coach developers, product owners and the business on the scrum process. They are constantly looking for ways to fine tune the process. Scum masters are referred to as the servant leader in the official Scrum Guide

Development Teams

Scrum development teams are the technical people who are the boots on the ground. They are the developers and designers who deal with the day in, and day out work to accomplish the sprint goals. They collaborate with the product owners to discuss what is a realistic expectation of what they can achieve in each sprint.

The also think about what development practices can be improved as they move forward and what works best.

Together the product owner, the scrum master and the development team will work together to ensure that the project moves in the right direction.

Scrum Artifacts

During the process of the project, the team will collect artefacts. An artefacts is something that is made like a tool that is created to solve a problem. In scrum the three main artifacts are:

The Product Backlog

The product backlog is the master to do list of user stories, features, requirements, enhancements and fixes. The product owner maintains this and uses it to plan the sprint backlog.

The Sprint Backlog

The sprint backlog is the user stories that the development team is working on in the current sprint to complete the increment.

Increments

Also known as the sprint goal. It is the usable end product from a sprint. This is usually viewed during the end of sprint demonstration where the team shares what was completed during the sprint. The increment can be whatever the team defines as what is done. It can be a milestone, a sprint goal or the full version of shippable product.

Every team will have a different view of done and it is important to ensure that the team is clear on their version.

This now gives you an introduction to the basics of Scrum and why it is so effective in the production of highly complex projects.