What Is Scrum?
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams, and organisations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. It is simple to understand yet difficult to master.
Scrum implements the scientific method of empiricism to help people collaborate to do complex work. This is work where there is a high degree of uncertainty and unpredictability, and therefore, the probability of change is high. An empirical approach helps us find answers to the issues that emerge in these complex environments.
Scrum is not a methodology. It does not have all the answers to all the problems you will encounter when developing a product. It requires those who use it to find most of their solutions to the issues. No methodology or framework could have all the answers to developing products in complex environments where things are constantly and inevitably changing. Requirements, technology, practices, market forces, economics and regulatory factors are only some things that cannot be controlled entirely despite our best efforts.
Instead, Scrum is a minimal set of rules that guides peoples’ relationships and interactions. It will help you develop a product and expose your most significant issues as early as possible. By discovering the significant problems early, you can work to solve them while you have time and resources. Scrum is best described as a problem-finding framework!
Scrum helps you to present an accurate and transparent picture of your current ability to develop your product. These truths can sometimes be painful to acknowledge but should not be ignored.
Software development is a prime example of complex work, and it is from here that Scrum emerged in 1995. In the years following, the use of Scrum proliferated. Scrum co-creators Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland wrote the first Scrum Guide in 2010 to explain the rules of Scrum to prevent some common misunderstandings and misrepresentations of Scrum.
The Scrum Guide is great, but it is not easy for those new to it all to read and understand. You can find the Scrum Guide at scrumguides.org. So, what is Scrum?
Scrum comprises three accountabilities, three artifacts and five events. The framework also details additional rules and guidelines. The fundamental unit of Scrum is a small team of people, a Scrum Team. Inside the Scrum Team, there are three accountabilities. These are:
- Product Owner
- Scrum Master
- Developers
Scrum Teams are self-managing and cross-functional. Self-managing teams internally decide who does what, when, and how. Cross-functional teams have all the competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others outside the team.
Scrum’s artifacts represent work or value to provide transparency and opportunities for inspection and adaptation. The Scrum artifacts are:
- Product Backlog
- Sprint Backlog
- Increment
Each of the artifacts in Scrum contains a commitment to them, which brings transparency and focus:
- The Product Backlog has the Product Goal
- The Sprint Backlog has the Sprint Goal
- The Increment has the Definition of Done
The Scrum events are used to provide opportunities for inspection and adaptation. The five Scrum events are:
- The Sprint
- Sprint Planning
- Daily Scrum
- Sprint Review
- Sprint Retrospective
Scrum contains specific rules that, when used correctly, can enable greater Agility.
Scrum is the most widely used approach to become more Agile. Scrum is not the only way to be Agile, and Scrum does not guarantee Agility. Like any tool, what you do with it makes the difference.
Scrum was very attractive to me when I first came across it. It can help you learn fast, collaborate effectively, lower risk, and deliver more value to your customers promptly and frequently. Here are some of my top tips for using Scrum:
- Follow the rules of Scrum. These will act as guard rails to help you safely learn and adopt a new approach to complex work.
- Foster an environment where the values of Scrum & Agile are understood, respected and enacted.
- Take an empirical approach to your work, build trust, and learn quickly.
- Stay close to your customers and release value to them as early and often as possible.
- Simple!
Scrum is (or should be) simple! Unfortunately, it has been complicated for many years, but not any more. We are here to simplify Scrum for you.