SCRUM for Successful Products

Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.

Scrum is an agile development methodology to manage a project, usually software development based on an iterative and incremental processes. Scrum is adaptable, fast, flexible and effective framework that is designed to deliver value to the customer throughout the development of the project. The primary objective of Scrum is to satisfy the customer’s need through an environment of transparency in communication, collective responsibility and continuous progress. The development starts from a general idea of what needs to be built, elaborating a list of characteristics ordered by priority (product backlog) that the owner of the product wants to obtain.

History of Scrum

The origin of Scrum can be traced back to the early 1990s. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber came up with the process to be used in software development processes by combining the concepts of the 1986 article titled, “The New Product Development Game” by Hirotaka Takeuchi & Ikujiro Nonaka. The article describes how companies such as Honda, Canon, and Fuji-Xerox produce new products worldwide using a scalable and team-based approach to product development. This approach emphasizes the importance of empowering self-organized teams. In 1993, Jeff Sutherland and his team at Easel Corporation created the Scrum process and presented to the Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages & Applications (OOPSLA) conference in Austin, Texas in 1995. They then formalized the methodology in a published paper called “SCRUM Software Development Process.”

Scrum Framework & Process

Scrum is precisely an evolution of Agile Management. Scrum methodology is based on a set of very defined practices and roles that must be involved during the software development process.

Scrum is executed in temporary blocks that are short and periodic, called Sprints, which usually range from 2 to 4 weeks, which is the term for feedback and reflection. Each Sprint is an entity in itself, and provides a complete result, a variation of the final product that must be able to be delivered to the client with the least possible effort when requested.

The process has as a starting point, a list of objectives/ requirements that make up the project plan. It is the client of the project that prioritizes these objectives considering a balance of the value and the cost thereof, that is how the iterations and consequent deliveries are determined.

On the one hand the market demands quality, fast delivery at lower costs, for which a company must be very agile and flexible in the development of products, to achieve short development cycles that can meet the demand of customers without undermining the quality of the result. It is a very easy methodology to implement and very popular for the quick results it gets.

Scrum methodology is used mainly for software development, but other sectors are also taking advantage of its benefits by implementing this methodology in their organizational models such as sales, marketing, & HR teams etc.

Scrum Methodology Events

Prescribed events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum. All events are time boxed. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The Scrum Events are:

• Sprint
• Sprint Planning
• Daily Scrum
• Sprint Review
• Sprint Retrospective

Three important roles for successful scrum :

Scrum master: The person who leads the team guiding them to comply with the rules and processes of the methodology. Scrum master manages the reduction of impediments of the project and works with the Product Owner to maximize the ROI. The Scrum Master is in charge of keeping Scrum up to date, providing coaching, mentoring and training to the teams in case it needs it.

Product owner (PO): Is the representative of the stakeholders and customers who use the software. They focus on the business part and is responsible for the ROI of the project. They Translate the vision of the project to the team, validate the benefits in stories to be incorporated into the Product Backlog and prioritize them on a regular basis.

Team: A group of professionals with the necessary technical knowledge who develop the project jointly carrying out the stories they commit to at the start of each sprint.

Scrum Framework Benefits

Scrum has many advantages over other agile development methodologies. It is currently the most used and trusted framework of reference in the software industry. Below are some of the known benefits of Scrum:

• Easily Scalable: Scrum processes are iterative and are handled within specific work periods, which makes it easier for the team to focus on definite functionalities for each period. This not only has the benefit of achieving better deliverables in line with the needs of the user, but also gives the ability to the teams to scale the modules in terms of functionality, design, scope and characteristics in an orderly, transparent and simple manner.
• Compliance of expectations: The client establishes their expectations indicating the value that each requirement/ history of the project brings, the team estimates them and with this information the Product Owner establishes its priority. On a regular basis, in the sprint demos, the Product Owner verifies that the requirements have been met and transmits feedback to the team.
• Flexible to changes: Quick reaction to changes in requirements generated by customer needs or market developments. The methodology is designed to adapt to the changing requirements that complex projects entail.?
• Time to Market reduction: The client can start using the most important functionalities of the project before the product is completely ready.
• Higher software quality: The working method and the need to obtain a functional version after each iteration, helps to obtain a higher quality software.
• Timely Prediction:?Using this methodology, we know the average speed of the team by sprint (story points), with which, consequently, it is possible to estimate when a certain functionality that is still in the backlog will be available.
• Reduction of risks:?The fact of carrying out the most valuable functionalities in the first place and of knowing the speed with which the team advances in the project, allows to clear risks effectively in advance.

But, why scrum?

Simplicity is the key. The rules, artifacts, events, and roles are easy to understand. Its semi-prescriptive approach helps remove the ambiguities in the development process, while giving sufficient space for companies to introduce their individual flavor to it.

The organization of complex tasks into manageable user stories makes it ideal for difficult projects. The clear demarcation of roles and planned events ensure that there is transparency and collective ownership throughout the development cycle. Brisk releases keep the team motivated and the users happy as they can see progress in a short span of time.

However, scrum could take time to fully understand, especially if the development team is acclimatised to a typical waterfall model. The concepts of smaller iterations, daily scrum meetings, sprint reviews, and identifying a scrum master could be a challenging cultural shift for a new team.

But, the long-term benefits far outweigh the initial learning curve. Scrum’s success in developing complex hardware and software products across diverse industries and verticals makes it a compelling framework to adopt for your organisation.