Scrum Project Management

Project management leans on various methodologies in order to simplify and enhance the processes involved. Agile methodologies are the most common ones to be used by software development teams as these methodologies are well suited for any digital projects. Scrum project management is one of these agile methodologies which is very popular among information technology teams.

Scrum gets its name from the sport Rugby. Like Rugby, Scrum allows for team collaboration and efficiency. Quite simply, Scrum is a framework used by teams in order to optimize their work in a specific manner. Even though Scrum is very efficient for software development teams, it is also effective for other kinds of projects where teamwork is involved. One of the reasons why Scrum is such a popular methodology is that Scrum offers short term wins that collate into a long term success.

What Is the Scrum Project Management Framework?

Scrum project management is an approach to dealing with projects. In order to understand why this approach is so popular, one must understand the process.

When a team takes up a Scrum project, the final deliverable is broken down into several parts. Each of these parts is known as a sprint. These sprints are organized and prioritized as per its importance and urgency. Once the project is broken down into smaller parts, the teams can choose how long they want each sprint to be as long as they are less than four weeks.

Dealing with each sprint one at a time offers short term and tangible goals to the software development team and also enhances the efficiency of the project. After the completion of each sprint, the team releases a product increment. A product increment is a version of the product which is deliverable by itself if need be. Each sprint is reviewed by the team members as well as the other stakeholders involved and if required, alterations are made to the project accordingly.

Scrum promotes transparency as well as cross-functionality across the team. This means that each member is equally involved in every stage of the process. In order to ensure transparency and efficient communication, the team members hold ‘daily standups’. Daily standups are short, 15 minute meetings where each member discusses what they have achieved so far, what they plan on doing today, and if they are facing any issues. As the daily Scrum meetings are frequent, every member is adequately informed of the progress and any issues are taken care of quickly.

The Core Values of Scrum

What makes scrum so successful is the core values by which it functions. Scrum project management is underlined with the following values which contribute to the effectiveness of the methodology.

1. Commitment
Scrum requires each team member to commit to the project as well as each sprint. The Scrum team needs to mutually agree upon the standards of quality for each sprint and ensure that these standards are met within the given time frame. When each team member commits to completion of each sprint, the project progresses with finesse and speed.

2. Focus
Scrum, like many other agile methodologies, advocates for complete focus on the task at hand. The teams involved in a project are not expected to multitask. Instead, every team member is encouraged to focus solely on the completion of the ongoing sprint and to be involved in each stage of the sprint with complete focus.

3. Openness
The effectiveness of Scrum entirely depends on teamwork. Therefore, one of the most important values of Scrum is openness. Team members are encouraged to be open about any conflicts or impediments that may come their way so as to ensure complete transparency and openness on their part. 

Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Conflict Management

4. Respect
Any enterprise involving multiple contributions can only be successful if everyone is respectful of the role that others are playing in the completion of the project. Scrum outlines respect as one of the key values in a team. Each team member is respected equally irrespective of their role, designation or seniority. The roles are clearly defined and outlined, and the stakeholders are expected to respect the same.

5. Courage
Any successful project requires courage from the team members. The Scrum approach not only expects the team members to complete the sprints in time, but it also expects the team members to be ambitious with each sprint. The Scrum master is expected to be courageous when interacting with the stakeholders as well.

The Roles Involved in Scrum

The Scrum approach ensures that everyone involved is aware of their responsibilities towards the project and helps outline every role so as to simplify the expectations and task completion. The following roles are involved in any Scrum project.

Product Owner
The Product Owner is basically the representative for the customer or the client to whom the project is deliverable. The Product Owner is responsible for providing requirements, briefs, and changes as and when needed. They decide the course of action for the teams and help review individual sprints to ensure that the team is headed in the right direction.

Scrum Master
The Scrum master is essentially a coach or a facilitator for the development team. The job of the Scrum master is to mediate between the team and the stakeholders. The Scrum Master also ensures that the team functions at their maximum capacity and there are no problems involved in the process.

Development Team
The development teams consist of several members who are expected to cross-function so that the team is well rounded and all the necessary skills are available to the team. The development team is self-organizing, which means that there is no hierarchy in the team and the members organize as per their skills. The team is responsible for planning the project and individual sprints as per their convenience.

The development teams consist of several members who are expected to cross-function so that the team is well rounded and all the necessary skills are available to the team. The development team is self-organizing, which means that there is no hierarchy in the team and the members organize as per their skills. The team is responsible for planning the project and individual sprints as per their convenience.

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