Scrum is an agile framework for team collaboration. Similar to a rugby team preparing for a big match, Scrum enables teams to learn from experiences, self-organize while addressing a task, and reflect on their successes and failures to continually improve.
Although software development teams use it most frequently, the scrum I’m referring to may be used in a variety of collaborative situations. This is only one of the many benefits of the scrum master certification. Teams that use Scrum may better plan and manage their work thanks to a set of meetings, tools, and roles. It is widely considered to be a framework for agile project management.
The framework
Given that scrum is based on continuous improvement, an essential component of agile, people frequently mistakenly believe that scrum and agile are interchangeable terms. While agile is a way of thinking, scrum is a structure for accomplishing tasks.
Since it takes the entire team to shift how they view providing value to clients, you can’t really “go agile.” But if you want to practice incorporating agile principles into your regular communication and work, you can utilize a framework like a scrum.
The scrum framework in agile is pragmatic; it is based on ongoing learning and adaptation to changing circumstances. It recognizes that the team will develop throughout a project and that they won’t have all the answers at first.
With re-prioritization built into the process and brief release cycles so your team can continuously learn and grow, Scrum is created to help teams automatically adapt to changing conditions and user requirements.
Scrum artifact
Let’s begin by identifying the three objects in the scrum. We create artifacts, such as a tool to address an issue. These three artifacts in scrum are a product backlog, a sprint backlog, and an increment with your definition of “done.” They are the three constants in a scrum team, which we keep in mind and invest in over time.
The Product Backlog
It is the principal to-do list that is kept up to date by the product manager or owner. The sprint backlog is created from a dynamic list of features, requirements, improvements, and fixes. In a sense, it serves as the team’s to-do list.
The Product Owner regularly reviews, re-prioritizes, and maintains the product backlog because as we learn more or as the market changes, certain items may become irrelevant or issues may be resolved in different ways.
Sprint Backlog
It is the list of things, user stories, or bug fixes that the development team has decided to implement within the current sprint cycle. The team selects the product backlog items it will work on for the sprint during the sprint planning meeting held before each sprint.
A sprint backlog may be adaptable and change throughout the sprint. The primary sprint goal, or what the team hopes to accomplish during the current sprint, cannot be compromised.
Increment (or Sprint Goal)
You may have never heard the word “increment” because it’s not frequently used to refer to the team’s definition of “Done,” a milestone, the sprint goal, or even a full version or a shipped epic. Simply put, it depends on how you and your team define “Done” and your sprint objectives. As an illustration, some teams decide to deliver something to their clients after each sprint. Therefore, “shipping” would be their definition of “done.”
Scrum ceremonies or events
Scrum teams regularly conduct a series of sequential activities, rituals, or meetings, which are some of the more well-known elements of the scrum framework. We see the most differences between teams during the ceremonies. For instance, although other teams view them as essential check-in, some teams find doing all of these ceremonies tedious and monotonous.
All the important rituals that a scrum team could observe are listed below:
Organize the backlog:
The product owner is in charge of this activity, also referred to as backlog grooming. The major duties of the product owner are to guide the product in the direction of the product vision and to continuously keep an eye on the market and the consumer.
To prioritize tasks and keep the list organized and prepared for work at any time, he or she updates it utilizing input from users and the development team.
Planning a sprint:
In this meeting, the entire development team plans the work (scope) that will be accomplished during the current sprint. During this meeting, which the scrum master facilitates, the team chooses the sprint goal.
The sprint is then supplemented with particular user stories from the product backlog. The scrum team determines that these stories are plausible for implementation during the sprint because they consistently align with the goal.
Sprint:
A sprint is the actual time period that the scrum team works together to finish an increment. Most teams believe that a week or even a month makes it easier to deliver a valuable increment, but a sprint normally lasts two weeks.
A daily stand-up or scrum:
To make things simple, this daily meeting takes place at the same time (often in the mornings) and location. Many teams attempt to finish the meeting in 15 minutes, however, that is only a recommendation.
This meeting is sometimes known as a “daily stand-up,” highlighting the necessity for it to be brief. The daily scrum’s objectives are for the team as a whole to be on the same page, focused on the sprint goal, and develop a plan for the upcoming 24 hours.
Sprint review:
The team meets informally to view a demo of or inspect the increment after the sprint. The development team asks stakeholders and coworkers for input on the backlog items that are now marked as “Done.” Although the increment is often released, the product owner has the option to decide otherwise.
In addition, at this review meeting, the product owner updates the product backlog in light of the most recent sprint, which can be used as input during the subsequent sprint planning session. Consider time-boxing your sprint review to a maximum of four hours for a one-month sprint.
Sprint retrospective:
The retrospective is a meeting of the team when they record and review what worked and what didn’t for a sprint, a project, people or relationships, tools, or even specific ceremonies. The goal is to establish a space where the team can concentrate more on what went right than what has to be fixed for the next time.
Conclusion
Traditional project management processes have always been linear, making them predictable & slow in comparison to the various types of Agile frameworks outlined above in the universal agile article. As a result, they have drawbacks including delayed market change responsiveness. Scrum framework in agile served as lifesavers in that situation.
Agile project management practices are more recent on the market than more established ones, but they are still quite dynamic and flexible to changes in the marketplace. Agile has contributed to reducing development schedules, increasing productivity, and enabling teams to produce amazing products.
