What is Scrum?
Definition
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams, and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. It's an iterative and incremental approach.
Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.
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 of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Empirical Pillars
Scrum is based on Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation to navigate complexity and manage risk.
The Three Pillars:
- Transparency: The emergent process and work must be visible to those performing the work as well as those receiving the work. With Scrum, important decisions are based on the perceived state of its three formal artifacts. Artifacts that have low transparency can lead to decisions that diminish value and increase risk.
- Inspection: The Scrum artifacts and the progress toward agreed goals must be inspected frequently and diligently to detect potentially undesirable variances or problems. To help with inspection, Scrum provides cadence in the form of its five events.
- Adaptation: If any aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits or if the resulting product is unacceptable, the process being applied or the materials being produced must be adjusted. Adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing.
Scrum Values
Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage.
The Five Values:
- Commitment: The Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other.
- Focus: Their primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best possible progress toward these goals.
- Openness: The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges.
- Respect: Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are respected as such by the people with whom they work.
- Courage: The Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing, to work on tough problems.
Why Use Scrum?
Key Benefits
Scrum enables faster value delivery, increased quality, enhanced productivity, better stakeholder satisfaction, adaptability, and improved team morale.
- Faster Value Delivery: Delivers usable product increments rapidly and frequently.
- Increased Quality: Focus on "Definition of Done" and continuous improvement ensures higher quality.
- Enhanced Productivity: Clear roles, events, and time-boxing drive focus and efficiency.
- Adaptability & Flexibility: Embraces changing requirements throughout the lifecycle.
- Risk Management: Iterative nature allows early identification and mitigation of risks.
- Stakeholder Satisfaction: Regular feedback loops and visible progress keep stakeholders engaged.
- Improved Team Morale: Empowers teams, fosters collaboration and a sense of ownership.
When Scrum Shines
Scrum is particularly effective for complex projects where requirements evolve, frequent feedback is crucial, and cross-functional collaboration is needed.
Scrum is best suited for:
- Projects with unclear or evolving requirements.
- Environments requiring rapid adaptation to change.
- Developing new products or releasing features iteratively.
- Situations where innovation and creativity are key.
- Work that benefits from close collaboration among a self-managing team.
The Scrum Team
Product Owner
Accountable for maximizing product value resulting from the Scrum Team's work. Manages the Product Backlog.
Key Responsibilities:
- Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal.
- Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items.
- Ordering Product Backlog items.
- Ensuring the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood.
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee, and may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog.
Scrum Master
Accountable for establishing Scrum and the Scrum Team’s effectiveness. A true leader who serves the team and organization.
Key Responsibilities:
- Coaching team members in self-management and cross-functionality.
- Helping the Scrum Team focus on creating high-value Increments that meet the Definition of Done.
- Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress.
- Ensuring all Scrum events are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox.
- Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption.
Developers
The people committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. A cross-functional group.
The Scrum Team is a small team of typically 10 or fewer people. This includes one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers.
Key Responsibilities:
- Creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog.
- Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done.
- Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal.
- Holding each other accountable as professionals.
They are self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.
Scrum Events
The Sprint
The heartbeat of Scrum. A fixed-length event of one month or less where ideas are turned into value. All other events happen within Sprints.
Sprints enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of progress toward a Product Goal at least every calendar month. When a Sprint’s horizon is too long the Sprint Goal may become invalid, complexity may rise, and risk may increase.
Key Aspects:
- Time-boxed to one month or less.
- A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.
- No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal.
- Quality does not decrease.
- The Product Backlog is refined as needed.
Sprint Planning
Initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed. Addresses Why, What, and How. Output: Sprint Goal & Sprint Backlog.
Time-box: Max 8 hours for a one-month Sprint.
Topics Addressed:
- Topic One (Why): Why is this Sprint valuable? The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint. The whole Scrum Team then collaborates to define a Sprint Goal.
- Topic Two (What): What can be Done this Sprint? Through discussion with the Product Owner, the Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint.
- Topic Three (How): How will the chosen work get done? For each selected Product Backlog item, the Developers plan the work necessary to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done.
Daily Scrum
A 15-minute event for Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog. Improves communication and identifies impediments.
Held daily at the same time and place to reduce complexity. It is for the Developers, by the Developers. If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as Developers.
The Daily Scrum is not the only time Developers are allowed to adjust their plan. They often meet throughout the day for more detailed discussions about adapting or re-planning the rest of the Sprint’s work.
Sprint Review
Inspects the outcome of the Sprint (the Increment) and determines future adaptations. Stakeholders provide feedback. Product Backlog may be adjusted.
Time-box: Max 4 hours for a one-month Sprint. Held at the end of the Sprint.
The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed. During the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team and stakeholders review what was accomplished in the Sprint and what has changed in their environment. Based on this information, attendees collaborate on what to do next.
Sprint Retrospective
The Scrum Team inspects itself and creates a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. Focuses on quality and effectiveness.
Time-box: Max 3 hours for a one-month Sprint. Occurs after the Sprint Review and before the next Sprint Planning.
The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved. The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness. The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as possible and may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.
Scrum Artifacts & Commitments
Product Backlog
An emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. Single source of work.
Commitment: Product Goal (long-term objective).
The Product Backlog is the single source of truth for all work undertaken by the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is accountable for the Product Backlog, including its content, availability, and ordering.
Product Goal (Commitment)
The Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against. It is in the Product Backlog. The Product Goal is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. They must fulfill (or abandon) one objective before taking on the next.
Sprint Backlog
Plan by and for Developers. Composed of the Sprint Goal, selected Product Backlog items, and an
actionable plan.
Commitment: Sprint Goal (objective
for the Sprint).
The Sprint Backlog is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal. It is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned. It should have enough detail that they can inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum.
Sprint Goal (Commitment)
The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint. Although the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers, it provides flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it. The Sprint Goal also creates coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together rather than on separate initiatives.
Increment
A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is
additive and must be usable.
Commitment:
Definition of Done (formal description of quality).
An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, the Increment must be usable. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint.
Definition of Done (Commitment)
The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born. If the Definition of Done for an increment is part of the standards of the organization, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum. If it is not an organizational standard, the Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriate for the product.