Learn Agile and Scrum in under five minutes

“Scrum is like your mother-in-law, it points out ALL your faults” - Ken Schwaber?

People confuse Agile and Scrum, often assuming they are different methodologies. But, in simple terms, Agile is the methodology, and Scrum is the framework. Together, they enable companies to review and adjust software development according to analytics and regular feedback.??

What exactly is Agile?

Agile is the framework software development companies use when working on client projects. Using a methodology built on Agile principles, developers can deliver frequent iterative deliveries that enable clients to measure progress and project quality. The framework is hyperfocused on releasing the progress of a given development in easy-to-understand “sprints” (weekly iterations). This method allows developers to create high-quality software by integrating real-time customer feedback.?

The Agile Manifesto

Agile follows a set of principles published according to a manifesto in 2001. Its contents are as follows:? ? ? ?????????????????????

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. ?Simplicity-the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

What exactly is Scrum?

With Scrum, a project is built using a series of iterations called “Sprints”. These “Sprints” break large tasks into bite-sized pieces, allowing for transparency, regular communication, easier management, faster feedback, and faster deliveries. Most importantly, Scrum gives you (the customer) the flexibility to adapt and change your project during the developmental process.

The stages of Scrum

Figure 1: The main stages of Scrum - Developments are complete using a systematic framework known as Scrum. This involves a series of steps where development teams analyze, plan, deliver, and review software iterations. This is a positive feedback loop that is used to save time and costs spent on improving the software being developed.?

Product Backlog: The product owner writes the software’s requirements and breaks them down into manageable tasks. At this stage, the tasks are edited throughout the process of building the software, with upgrades and changes becoming necessary as the client's needs shift with time.

Sprint:? Sprints are the periods (usually after one, two, or four-week iterations) in which software components will be built according to the product backlog.

Sprint planning: Sprint planning defines what can be delivered in the sprint and what needs to be done by all development team members to accomplish this. The sprint cannot begin until the planning has been completed.?

Sprint backlog: In this section, the components to be completed by the scrum team are finalized. The components are taken from the product backlog during the sprint planning session.

Scrum team: The team that creates the software is usually a small group averaging between four to eight members. The core roles are broken down as follows:

1. Product owner: This person is not the client but rather a representative of the client and stakeholders. They are responsible for maximizing the return on investment of the software and giving the developers the requirements needed by the client.?
2. Scrum master: This individual is in charge of the sprint retrospectives and daily scrum. Additionally, they are in charge of helping the teamwork steadily in ways such as resolving internal conflicts and managing the communication between the product owner.
3. Development team: This is a cross-functional team, with people who have experience in designing, developing, and testing software.

Daily scrum: Every day for 15-30 minutes, meetings are conducted in which the team discusses the work that is needed to be completed for that day. Hurdles faced by team members are brought up, and solutions will be addressed to resume work.?

Sprint review: The work completed in the last scrum cycle is reviewed according to the product backlog. If the Sprint goal is not met, any changes to facilitate that in the next sprint are made here.?

Increment: The increment is the software ready to be deployed for the client to access and use.

Sprint retrospective: The team discusses how they worked throughout the sprint, any changes to be made concerning team dynamics or roadblocks faced are discussed and made here.

Conclusion

Agile and Scrum are methods businesses need today to remain competitive. Here at Rofi Labs, we can acknowledge that software is a living and breathing organism subject to changes in requirements, goals, and situations. That is why we adopt a Scrum framework. This model allows everyone involved in the development of a project the flexibility to collaborate productively and innovatively in solving complex problems. Organise a free consultation with one of our technical consultants to see how Agile can be utilised to optimise your developments today.?

To find out more on Agile and Software Development. Have a look at our previous article here: From Caterpillar to Butterfly - The 6-step Software Development Life Cycle

Author

Thakshila Jayasundara, Copywriter @RofiLabs