SCRUM - A Project Management Framework

Abstract

In an ever-changing world that is getting more and more complex, the art of project management is becoming harder to control due to uncertainty and the speed in which requirements and demand change. Standard ways of planning a project, such as the Waterfall model, may not be applicable today. To accommodate this issue, SCRUM can be used because it embraces agility and a fast pace. SCRUM is an adaptive project management framework that relates to the project and development life cycles in the PMI standard. Even though SCRUM is applicable for both project, program and portfolio management, this article will focus solely on SCRUM as a project management framework and the implementation of SCRUM.

The SCRUM framework was developed in the early 1990's by Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland and is a framework based on empiricism and lean thinking and has its roots in software development. Today, SCRUM is one of the most popular ways of becoming Agile and is widely used for various projects. Benefits of utilizing the SCRUM Framework to structure the development life cycles are continuous improvements, transparency, early adoption, and embracing change, which is a great advantage compared to the classic Waterfall model.. The SCRUM Framework creates value in an adaptive and agile way through the SCRUM values, the SCRUM team, events and artifacts. The values focus on Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage. The team consists of the Product Owner (PO), the Scrum master (SM) and lastly, the self-organizing Development Team (DT). Furthermore, the framework consists of events such as Sprints, Sprint Planning and Sprint Retrospective, and artifacts which are the product backlog, sprint backlog and burndown chart.

The framework is applied in complex projects which are suitable for an agile way of working, and working in iterations to obtain increments during the project. By working incrementally, the team can learn from previous sprints to optimize the next and the product may be ready for release earlier than first anticipated. SCRUM has limitations by being non-applicable to 'business-as-usual' projects, potential scope creep due to an indefinite end-date, implementation in large teams is challenging etc.

Main idea

Purpose of the framework.

Application

Where to use SCRUM. Which projects can benefit from using SCRUM. When and who. Implementation of SCRUM (applied) Process flow chart.

Limitations

SCRUM is extending the current practice of project management but cannot always be applicable. Explain where not to use SCRUM.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management This standard describes the official PMI standard of project management, and is extensively acknowledged in the circles of project management.

2. The Scrum Guide (2020) The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game. Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Retrieved from https://www.scrumguides.org/ This is the official Scrum guide, written by the two founders of SCRUM, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. The guide is continously updated as new research becomes relevant and the latest edition from November 2020 is used.

References

Further references

, A. (2017). Managing successful projects with prince2 2017 edition. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.findit.dtu.dk