In the course of software development, it is essential that there is a framework to maintain the productivity of the team and increase the chances of project success. This framework is provided by Scrum Methodology which helps the team to deliver effectively.
The solutions provided by Scrum are adaptive and lightweight making the process easier for the teams and the organizations. The presence of The Scrum Guide helps the user to implement the Scrum Methodology for the project. The Guide provides a detailed view of rules and events that might be required while using scrum.
A scrum master is essential to facilitate the processes of scrum and ensures that the team transforms the work into better values. Along with the team, he also makes sure that the results are up to the mark and makes changes if they are not.
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is probably the most important of Agile Methodologies. Most of the teams go for Scrum setups or hybrid models. Along with development scrum is also being used in business functions and marketing works. Sometimes management teams use scrum along with lean and kanban.
It has been observed that with the use of scrum the productivity of a team goes higher. This is probably because of the presence of the specified framework which helps in the ease of work. The products made during the scrum usage are of better quality compared to the ones made otherwise. The marketing time required for the products produced is also much lesser. Thus because of all the above pointers and the good quality of the product, the stakeholders are very satisfied. Lastly the most important pointer, the employees are more satisfied due to the structured work improving the dynamics of the team.
Scrum Framework
Components of a Scrum Team
The components of a scrum team are:
a. The product owner
The product owner is always a very important name in the list of stakeholders. This person may be a direct customer or may also be someone representing the customer. This product owner takes the whole responsibility of communicating with the team about the aim of the project. He also takes care if there are backlogs and acceptance of work increments.
b. Scrum Master
The scrum masterworks with the product owner, the main team, and the organ building the product. The master is more like a facilitator than a leader as there is no hierarchy in a scrum team. He is in charge to make sure that the required theories, practices, and rules are being followed. He is responsible for helping the team so that it can deliver most efficiently.
c. The Development Team
The main features that are desired from a development team are: cross-functional and self-organizing. They are supposed to deliver better results at the end of each sprint. Scrum calls every person a developer who makes an increment in the delivery. As stated earlier there is no hierarchy in such teams thus there is the absence of any leader.
What are Scrum Artifacts?
a. Product Backlog
The document which specifies the requirements and needs of a project or product the document is known as the product backlog. It is like a to-do list that encompasses all the work items, the deliverables, and the value. The product owner usually orders the backlog items.
b. Sprint Backlog
When items are taken from the product backlog and are to be completed within a sprint they are known as Sprint Backlog.
c. Increment
When the product backlog items which have been completed in a particular software release are added it is known as increment. The product owner exactly when the increment has to be released. However, it is the responsibility of the team to make the increment ready for release.
What are Scrum Commitments?
a. Commitments to the Definition of Done (DoD)
If the increment is delivered i.e. all the criteria are fulfilled then it has to be marked as done.
b. Commitments to the Sprint Goal
As the name suggests, the sprint is the goal for the sprint backlog. As the goal is specified, the members are clearly the aim they are working towards.
c. Commitments to the Product Goal
The team also should be aware of the goal related to the product i.e. what exactly has to be done about the product. During the whole lifetime of a product, the goals may vary however there is only one goal at one particular instance.
What are Scrum Events?
The different scrum events are:
a. The Sprint
The sprint helps the product and product goal get closer. The timeframe of a sprint is usually less than a month.
b. Sprint planning
When the team decides on the goal, what has to be done and how it has to be done, and the way forward for it it is known as sprint planning. If the sprint is a month-long which is considered to be the maximum then the time required is 8 hours.
c. Daily Scrum
The maximum of the daily scrum is 15 minutes and is decided by the scrum master and developers depending on the project’s progress towards the goal.
d. Sprint Review
The team looks at the results and reviews them to come up with solutions that can be implemented in the future. Stakeholders can also give feedback on the projects.
e. Sprint Retrospective
The literal meaning of retrospect, the team looks back at the sprint, to find what went wrong and what could be made better. These improvements are implemented in the next sprints.
Scrum Master Roles and Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Scrum Master can be
- Easing problems faced by the team.
- Creating the right work environment for the team so they can deliver to the fullest.
- Creating better team dynamics.
- Establishing a cordial relationship between the team members and the product owner.
The different types of scrum masters are:
- Rotating scrum master
- Part-time scrum master
- Full-time scrum master
- Full-time scrum master with more than one team.
- Agile Coach
FAQs for Scrum Methodology
What exactly is scrum?
Scrum can be defined as a framework that aims at making teamwork easier and more efficient. It entails meetings, tools, and work for a better flow of the
project.
Is scrum a framework or a methodology?
Agile along with scrum is considered as a methodology however it is always wise to consider scrum as a framework used in projects.
What are the 6 scrum principles?
The 6 principles of scrum are:
- Transparency
- Power to self-organize
- Collaboration
- Prioritizing according to the value
- Timeboxing
- Iterative development
What are the steps in scrum?
The steps in scrum are:
- Creating product backlog
- Sprint planning
- Development
- Testing and Feedback
- Retrospect
What are the three pillars of scrum?
The three pillars of Scrum are:
- Transparency
- Inspection
- Adaption
How long is a scrum cycle?
A scrum project is a collection of sprints and the life of each sprint is between 2 to 4 weeks.