Scrum: An Agile Framework
Scrum is a lightweight, iterative framework for managing complex work. Rooted in the Agile Manifesto, it emphasizes transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Teams deliver value in short, time-boxed iterations called Sprints, enabling continuous feedback and improvement.
Core Principles
- Transparency: All work and progress are visible to everyone.
- Inspection: Regularly review artifacts and progress to detect variances.
- Adaptation: Adjust plans and processes quickly based on inspection findings.
- Empirical Process Control: Decisions are based on observation and experimentation.
Key Roles (Actors)
- Product Owner: Owns the product vision and prioritizes the Product Backlog.
- Scrum Master: Facilitates the process, removes impediments, and coaches the team in Scrum practices.
- Developers / Development Team: Cross-functional group that plans, builds, and delivers the product increment.
- Stakeholders: Customers and business partners who provide feedback and requirements.
Core Components
- Product Backlog: Ordered list of all desired product work.
- Sprint Backlog: Selected items from the Product Backlog for the current Sprint plus a plan to deliver them.
- Increment: The usable, potentially shippable product result of a Sprint.
- Definition of Done: Agreed criteria for considering work complete.
Ceremonies (Events)
- Sprint Planning: Team selects Product Backlog items and defines the Sprint Goal.
- Daily Scrum: 15-minute stand-up to inspect progress and adapt the plan.
- Sprint Review: Inspect the increment with stakeholders and gather feedback.
- Sprint Retrospective: Reflect on the process and identify improvements for the next Sprint.
Scrum’s simplicity and focus on continuous improvement make it a popular choice for software development and many other complex product initiatives.