In the popular game of rugby, a Scrum is used to begin a match, typically after some rule violation or error. During a rugby scrum, eight players from each team tightly huddle heads-down in three rows. The primary goal is to gain possession of the ball, placed into the opening between the two opposing front line team members.
Borrowing the concept of Scrum from the game of rugby, this Agile work methodology aims to deliver value in short periods. As a framework, it is better suited to handle complex projects. Scrum underlines aspects such as flexibility in adopting changes and new requirements, collaboration, interaction with the client, and iterative development to ensure results.
The Scrum methodology relies on three pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation, allowing the client to put the product on the market quickly and enable sales.
In Scrum, all those involved know what happens in the project and how it happens. This creates a “common” understanding of the project, a global vision. Also, Scrum team members frequently inspect progress for potential problems. The inspection is not a daily exam but a way of knowing that the work is flowing and that the team is functioning in a self-organized manner.
And when there is something to change, the team adjusts to achieve the sprint goal. This adjustment is the key to success in complex projects, where requirements are changing or loosely defined, and adaptation, innovation, complexity, and flexibility are essential.
Meet the team
Scrum teams are self-organized and cross-functional. Each one is responsible for specific tasks and for completing them at the agreed times, ensuring the delivery of value from the entire team, without the need for help or close supervision from other organization members.
Every Scrum team has a Product Owner responsible for maximizing the value of the development team’s work. Maximizing it comes hand in hand with good product backlog management. The Product Owner is the only profile that constantly talks to the client, which requires a lot of business knowledge.
Then, the Scrum Master is responsible for Scrum techniques to be understood and applied within the organization. The Scrum manager is a leader in charge of conducting the team through complex solution-thinking processes for the task ahead.
Finally, the Development Team is in charge of carrying out the tasks prioritized by the Product Owner. It is a multifunctional and self-organized team. They are the only ones who estimate the product backlog tasks without being influenced by anyone.
Development teams do not have sub-teams or specialists. The purpose of this is to transmit shared responsibility if all the tasks are not completed.
Learning Scrum is straightforward: the roles, milestones, and tools are clear and have an objective, so it is a method closely related to our daily way of working. In short, the use of Scrum is beneficial when fast and continuous delivery of value is the main objective. This methodology also allows to streamline processes, practice transparency, and motivate the team through autonomy and independence.
In short, Scrum is especially interesting for projects in which the objective is the continuous delivery of value to the client to start seeing results as soon as possible. This methodology also allows us to streamline processes, practice transparency, and motivate the team through autonomy and independence.
