Scrum

Scrum is a process framework used to manage product development and other knowledge work. Scrum is empirical in that it provides a means for teams to establish a hypothesis of how they think something works, try it out, reflect on the experience, and make the appropriate adjustments. That is, when the framework is used properly. Scrum is structured in a way that allows teams to incorporate practices from other frameworks where they make sense for the team’s context.

A team starts out a Sprint with a discussion to determine which items from the product backlog they will work on during the Sprint. The end result of Sprint Planning is the Sprint Backlog. Sprint Planning typically occurs in two parts. In the first part, the product owner and the rest of the team agree on which product backlog items will be included in the Sprint. In the Second Part of Sprint Planning, the team determines how they will successfully deliver the identified product backlog items as part of the potentially shippable product increment. The team may identify specific tasks necessary to make that happen if that is one of their practices. The product backlog items identified for delivery and tasks if applicable, makes up the Sprint Backlog. Once the team and product owner establish the scope of the Sprint as described by the product backlog items no more items can be added to the Sprint Backlog. This protects the team from scope changes within that Sprint.

The scrum master is the team role responsible for ensuring the team lives agile values and principles and follows the processes and practices that the team agreed they would use. The name was initially intended to indicate someone who is an expert at Scrum and can therefore coach others. The role does not generally have any actual authority. People filling this role have to lead from a position of influence, often taking a servant-leadership stance.

Scrum’s primary contribution to the software development world is a simple, but effective approach to managing the work of a small collaborative team involved in product development. It provides a framework and set of simple rules that allow an appropriate amount of planning, control over the work, and risk identification and mitigation and issue identification and resolution.