Scrum Agile

🧠 What is Scrum Agile?

Scrum Agile is a framework that emphasizes team collaboration, fast iteration, and continuous improvement.

It uses time-boxed cycles (Sprints), clear roles, and frequent communication to deliver products effectively and adapt to changing needs.

Scrum is not a rigid process — it’s a framework that provides structure and rules, allowing teams to choose the best practices for their own problems.

🧪 Origin & Evolution

• Introduced: Early 1990s
• Creators: Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland
• Inspiration: The term “Scrum” came from a 1986 Harvard Business Review article The New New Product Development Game, which compared collaborative teams to a rugby Scrum formation.
• Context: Traditional waterfall models couldn’t keep up with changing requirements, and Scrum provided an iterative, incremental alternative.

⚙️ Three Pillars of Scrum

1. Transparency – All key information is visible to everyone.
2. Inspection – Progress and goals are regularly reviewed.
3. Adaptation – Plans and processes are adjusted based on feedback.

👥 Three Roles in Scrum

1. Product Owner
   • Defines the product vision and goals
   • Manages and prioritizes the Product Backlog
2. Scrum Master
   • Ensures Scrum principles are applied correctly
   • Removes obstacles that block the team
3. Development Team
   • Self-organizing, cross-functional team
   • Delivers potentially shippable increments each Sprint

🔄 Scrum Workflow

graph TD
    A[Product Backlog] --> B[Sprint Planning]
    B --> C[Sprint Backlog]
    C --> D[Daily Scrum]
    D --> E[Increment]
    E --> F[Sprint Review]
    F --> G[Sprint Retrospective]
    G --> B

1. Product Backlog – All requirements, features, and improvements
2. Sprint Planning – Team decides what to deliver in a Sprint (2–4 weeks)
3. Daily Scrum – A 15-min stand-up answering 3 questions:
   • What did I do yesterday?
   • What will I do today?
   • What obstacles are in my way?
4. Sprint Review – Present outcomes and collect stakeholder feedback
5. Sprint Retrospective – Reflect on the last Sprint and plan improvements

📏 Scrum Artifacts

1. Product Backlog – Long-term roadmap
2. Sprint Backlog – Tasks selected for the current Sprint
3. Increment – The usable product delivered at the end of each Sprint

📈 Advantages of Scrum

• Adapts quickly to changing requirements
• Improves communication and teamwork
• Increases transparency and visibility
• Enables continuous delivery, faster time-to-market
• Boosts ownership and responsibility within the team

⚠️ Challenges of Scrum

• Requires strong self-organization skills
• Unclear roles can cause confusion
• Needs a culture of frequent communication
• Management may resist frequent changes

💡 Case Study

A SaaS startup used Scrum with two-week Sprints:

• Daily stand-ups kept everyone aligned
• Sprint Reviews gathered real-time user feedback
• Sprint Retrospectives drove continuous improvement

Result: The release cycle was shortened from 3 months to just 6 weeks, and customer satisfaction increased significantly.

📎 Recommended Resources

• Scrum Guide (Official)
• Jeff Sutherland, Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time

🧭 One-sentence Summary

Scrum: A rugby-style charge where the team wins by moving forward together.