What is SCRUM Methodology?

In Ken Schwaber and Keith Sutherland’s Scrum Guide, they define Scrum as “a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.” For project managers, this set of tools can be particularly helpful when attempting to tackle complex product development projects. Since the 1990’s this Agile framework had been used to create successful project management methods that support the development of a high-quality product through a reliable and reproducible set of processes that can be adjusted at any time to maximize overall effectiveness.

Scrum Implementation

Built from Schwaber and Sutherland’s three pillars, transparency, inspection and adaptation, Scrum might seem simple at first, but its proper implementation requires in-depth knowledge and experience to reap the full array of possible benefits. Together with key stakeholders, the team develops a coherent plan of action based on empirical data collected before the project begins.

Scrum is particularly useful for project managers embarking on development projects that will require several layers of complex tasks across organizational groupings. It provides tools for managing tasks that lead to a series of discrete goals supporting the larger overall product development goal. Because there is constant monitoring of the tasks and goals, the process is adaptable where needed to keep forward momentum and larger goals in sight.

Benefits of Using Scrum

One of the major benefits of Scrum is the transparency of the process. All stakeholders involved in the process have access to the tools needed to review the feedback and make necessary changes. This saves time and money throughout the development process. If something in the process is not working well or if a set of tasks is no longer serving the goal, they can be adjusted or eliminated for better outcomes.

Because Scrum is adaptive, changes can be made to teams in midstream if a new process or product component may make the end result more effective in the marketplace. In rapidly evolving technology-based product development initiatives, this adaptability is vital to address market needs as they unfold. The data that drives Scrum processes is monitored on a daily and weekly basis, keeping team leaders in synchronicity with one another as the process unfolds.

The marriage of inspection with adaptation keeps the development teams fresh and responsive in addition to saving time and money that could result from poor communication and ineffective use of resources. Tasks toward goal completion can sometimes seem disparate and isolating to team members. Through Scrum, the teams have a better sense of how completion of their task lists and goals supports the overall production of a high quality and desirable product.

Other Considerations of Using the Scrum Framework

Product development comes with inherent risk. Applying Scrum methodology to product development empowers project managers to learn ways to mitigate that risk. Knowing how to empirically look at a design or development challenge through the eyes of data-driven, decision-making, and responsive leadership takes skill and experience. In design and development projects, the success can be thwarted by the sheer number of details that need to be coordinated in order to bring a competitive product to light.

Scrum processes offer project managers a proven set of tools with which to enhance the results of a product development project. It helps leaders coordinate tasks and teams across company divisions into a more synergist force to drive greater levels of productivity and innovation.

What Are Scrum Values and Roles

Scrum is often discussed in project management courses covering Agile frameworks. The emphasis in Scrum is placed on finely orchestrated teamwork and a strong commitment to processes that support continuous improvement. Scrum is rooted in a series of values that permeate the entire process. These values are personified by the various roles team members take when implementing the Scrum methods.

Together, these values and roles drive the success of Scrum and allow it to remain one of the most popular project management frameworks for product developers since its inception in the 1990’s.

Scrum Values

The values of Scrum help provide the framework for success. The process is fed by these values and these values in turn provide guidelines for the process.

• Focus – Tasks to complete a project can be varied. Uniting teams with a common focus can build cohesion.
• Courage – Resources are shared, as is data, so teams and team members do not feel they are alone. With the support and connection to the group, new innovations become possible.
• Openness – Transparency and data sharing result in faster response times for processes that need to be re-worked to maximize the effectiveness; openness builds better results.
• Commitment – Team members become more engaged, driving their own success as they meet the goals of their part of the collective undertaking.
• Respect – When groups are working and sharing information with one another, respect for one another and the shared process builds positive momentum toward the desired results.

When these values are put into action by skilled Scrum leaders, product development projects benefit from a more streamlined and cohesive set of management strategies. These values are further enhanced by the roles needed to carry out the effective and efficient processes across teams.

Scrum Roles

When stakeholders ask for a product, many gears are set into motion at once. Going about the process in an organized way and involving key roles is essential for overall project success. Team members within Scrum work inside a framework of transparency and constant refinement. In order to make the most of Scrum tools, certain key roles must be established.

• Product owner – The product owner outlines the framework for the product that will be developed; the scope and schedule considerations are maintained and disseminated through the product owner who is supported by the other teams.
• Development Team Member – This is the cross-functional team member that has the knowledge and skills to bring the product to reality through a series of incremental stages building logically and coherently upon one another.
• Scrum Master – This is the “servant-leader” whose role it is to help the teams define their incremental goals, clear away obstacles across teams and processes, provide support so teams can self-manage and then help the product owner clearly define the end result.

For students and project managers who are just beginning their career journey, building a successful project using Scrum methods may seem daunting at first. Top project managers established their success by building a portfolio of tools that could be used in a variety of settings and applications over time. Ongoing education, career mentoring and a fearless attitude toward new challenges can help build the competitive edge over time for project managers committed to perpetuating their own personal growth. Villanova University offers an Agile Certificate for professionals aspiring to bring speed to their projects.