SCRUM - A Project Management Framework
By Louise Landschoff
Contents |
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, the adaptive project management framework, Scrum, can be used because it embraces agility and a fast pace. Scrum relates to the project and development life cycles in the PMI standard[1]. 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[2]. 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.[3]. The process of Scrum is to first create the product backlog and then define the sprint by creating the sprint backlog and then performing development resulting in an increment. 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[4]. 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[2]. 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
As the world emerges, new trends arise. Being agile and flexible has become a precondition to survive and succeed in today's buisness environment[5]. It is crucial for all kinds of businesses to be able to respond and adapt to unforeseen activities and events on the market because if not, someone else will fulfill the customers' demand. Scrum has become the most popluar way of becoming agile(deep dive) because is a simple framework that can be adapted and fulfilled by own needs and goals(guide). Agility is acknowledged in the PMI standard[1] for being one of the ways of determining the project life cycle. It is described as
Adaptive life cycles are agile, iterative, or incremental. The detailed scope is defined and approved before the start of an iteration. Adaptive life cycles are also referred to as agile or change-driven life cycle (The PMI standard, p19)
Within the project management knowledge areas, especially within project integration, scope, schedule and risk management, agility and Scrum are strong drivers of simplicity in a complex environment.
Scrum theory[2] explains how Scrum is based on empiricism which states that knowledge comes experience and decision making should be based on what is observable, and lean thinking which seeks to eliminate waste and focus on what is value-adding. Furthermore, the empirical pillars of Scrum are transparency, inspection and adaptation[2]. Scrum improves predictability and the act of controlling risk, which is driven by transparency in the project management process. Having high transparency also implies a need for inspection to ensure progress and identify problems during the process. The inspection process is handled during the Scrum events. Lastly, having inspections without adaptation and learning is pointless which is why the Scrum team must work empirically. Scrum is highly relevant in today's vibrating business environment because it creates a framework able to handle unpredictability and complexity in a project and makes teams able to create higher value more frequently, ultimatly resulting in higher customer satisfaction[4].
Agile Manifesto
Application
Scrum is applied as a framework for the management of project life cycle development from idea to finished product. Figure 1 is the writer's understanding of how the role and responsibilities are distributed in the Scrum framework. Litterature on Scrum implementation in software projects incorporates further roles in the framework[6]
below from Home of Scrum[4] illustrates the life cycle of Scrum. Based on this figure, the framework will be described in the following section, focusing on how to implement Scrum in a real life situation.
Figure 1: The writer's illustration of the The Scrum Framework based on The Scrum Framework Poster from The Home of Scrum. Retrieved from https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum
The Scrum Framework
The Scrum framework consists of the SCRUM values, the SCRUM team, events and artifacts. These will be described in further detail below. DoD, The success of Scrum depends on the level of compliance of the Scrum values: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage.[2] and the full Scrum framework as described in the below text.
The Scrum Team The team consists of the Product Owner (PO) who has the overall responsibily for communicating the product goals and defining the product backlog, the Scrum master (SM) who is responsible for the SCRUM rules are complied with and therefore also the team's effectiveness and lastly, the self-organizing Development Team (DT) who are the developers of the product.
Scrum Events Furthermore, the framework consists of events such as Sprints, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective,
Scrum Artifacts
artifacts which are the product backlog/user stories, sprint backlog and burndown chart.
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 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/
- ↑ Bibik I. (2018) Agile Scrum Deep Dive. In: How to Kill the Scrum Monster. Apress, Berkeley, CA. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-3691-8_3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Home of Scrum. Retrieved from https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum
- ↑ Business Agility and Information Technology Diffusion IFIP TC8 WG 8.6 International Working Conference May 8–11, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Richard L. Baskerville, Lars Mathiassen, Jan Pries-Heje, Janice I. DeGross
- ↑ The Art of Scrum (2016) How Scrum Masters Bind Dev Teams and Unleash Agility. Dave McKenna, Apress, Berkeley, CA. Retrieved from https://doi-org.proxy.findit.dtu.dk/10.1007/978-1-4842-2277-5
Further references
, A. (2017). Managing successful projects with prince2 2017 edition. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.findit.dtu.dk
