Scrum is one of the project management frameworks that fall under the Agile “umbrella” and guides us through projects in a structured way. Commonly used in IT, Scrum introduces controls, quality, and continuous improvement to our work. At Wunder, we use Scrum as the foundation for project delivery, adapting it over time to suit our needs. In this article, however, we’re emphasizing the core principles of Scrum itself—ensuring the basics are in place before diving into our unique interpretation.
Unlike traditional approaches to project management, which are controlled by precise methodologies spelling out a pre-defined project path, Scrum gives us a mindset, a structure, and some tools to help address the complexities of large technical projects. Another major benefit of Scrum is that it allows us to scale our approach to suit the size of the project.
ScrumOpens in a new tab is built on empiricism and lean thinking. Knowledge comes from experience, and decisions are based on observations, while lean thinkingOpens in a new tab focuses on reducing waste. It uses an iterative, incremental approach to enhance predictability and manage risk. Scrum brings together people with the necessary skills, sharing or acquiring new ones as needed.
Transparency, inspection, and adaptation are the three pillars of Scrum. Transparency ensures that the work and its progress are visible to all, allowing informed decision-making and reducing risks. It enables effective inspection, which is conducted frequently to identify issues early. Scrum's structured events support this regular inspection, which in turn drives adaptation. When deviations occur, immediate adjustments are made to keep the process on track.
Scrum framework and key elements
The Scrum framework was invented in 1995 as a better way of team collaboration for solving complex problems. The Scrum Team (Product Owner, a Scrum Master, and Developers) takes part in five events and produces three artifacts. While the Scrum GlossaryOpens in a new tab provides quite a long list, we want to highlight a handful of terms that will help you understand the Scrum basics.
Scrum roles
There are three main roles in Scrum:
Scrum Master – responsible for helping the team implement Scrum, providing coaching to the Product Owner and team, and helping team members resolve impediments.
Product Owner – an individual who fully understands the goals and objectives of the business and is able to take responsibility for steering the project towards these. They should be senior enough in the organization to make key decisions about the project - to take ownership.
Scrum Team (or simply The Team) – the designers, developers, analytics and accessibility specialists, security experts, and others responsible for the delivery of the requirements.
Scrum events
These five regular events (meetings) keep Scrum on track:
The Sprint – a time-boxed period, typically one to four weeks, during which the Scrum Team works to create a potentially shippable product increment. It provides a consistent rhythm for delivering value and making progress.
Sprint Planning – an event that kicks off the Sprint, where the Scrum Team collaborates to define the Sprint Goal, select Product Backlog items to work on, and create a plan for achieving the Sprint Goal. It ensures alignment and focus.
Daily Scrum – a brief, daily meeting where the Scrum Team discusses progress towards the Sprint Goal, plans for the next 24 hours and identifies any impediments. It fosters communication, synchronization, and quick resolution of issues.
Sprint Review – an event at the end of the Sprint where the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the increment and discuss what was accomplished during the Sprint. It provides an opportunity to gather feedback and adapt the Product Backlog.
Retrospective – a meeting held after the Sprint Review, where the Scrum Team reflects on the Sprint, identifies what went well and what could be improved, and creates a plan for implementing improvements. It promotes continuous learning and adaptation.
Scrum Artifacts
The Scrum team's work is valued by these three artifacts:
Product Backlog – an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the Product Owner. It is dynamic, evolving as the product and its environment evolve, and serves as the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.
Sprint Backlog – a set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, along with a plan for delivering the product Increment and achieving the Sprint Goal. It is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the team plans to accomplish during the Sprint.
Increment – the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints. It is a concrete stepping stone toward the product goal, providing a basis for inspection at the end of the Sprint.
In short
IT projects need tight controls, and Scrum provides these in a simple manner. It’s a very good, lightweight method of achieving a lot with relatively little overhead.
The success of a project generally depends on delivering high value with high quality. By creating regular checkpoints (Scrum events) to review and test what the Scrum team is developing (Scrum artifacts), we continually shape the product into something that truly works for users. If the end product meets the end user's needs, we’ve delivered a product that adds value to the organization.
Resources
Manifesto for Agile Software Development: https://agilemanifesto.org/Opens in a new tab
Scrum Glossary: https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-glossaryOpens in a new tab
The 2020 Scrum Guide: https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.htmlOpens in a new tab
What is Scrum?: https://www.scrum.org/learning-series/what-is-scrum/Opens in a new tab
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