MethodologiesBasic

Scrum

A lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.

Pronunciation

/skrʌm/
"skruhm"
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What is it

According to the Official Scrum Guide:

“Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.”

The name comes from rugby, where a “scrum” is a formation where the team works together to move the ball forward. In software development, it represents small teams working collaboratively in short cycles called Sprints.

Common pronunciation mistakes

  • ❌ “scroom” (not like “room”)
  • ❌ “s-crum” (not two syllables)

The 3 Pillars of Scrum

Scrum is founded on empiricism (decisions based on observation and experience):

Pillar Description
Transparency Work and processes must be visible to those performing and receiving the work
Inspection Regularly examine artifacts and progress toward goals
Adaptation Adjust processes and products when deviations are detected

The 5 Scrum Values

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            SCRUM VALUES                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Commitment  │   Focus   │  Openness   │
│              │           │             │
│    Respect   │  Courage  │             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

These values guide how teams work and interact with each other.

The Scrum Team (3 roles)

1. Product Owner

  • What they do: Maximize product value
  • Responsibilities:
    • Define and communicate the Product Goal
    • Manage the Product Backlog (list of pending work)
    • Prioritize what gets built first

2. Scrum Master

  • What they do: Enable team effectiveness
  • Responsibilities:
    • Facilitate Scrum events
    • Cause the removal of the team’s impediments
    • Promote Scrum adoption in the organization
    • Help the team focus on creating high-value Increments

3. Developers

  • What they do: Create usable Increments each Sprint
  • Responsibilities:
    • Plan the Sprint
    • Maintain quality standards
    • Hold each other accountable as professionals

The 5 Scrum Events

Event Duration Purpose
Sprint One month or less (fixed length) Container for all work
Sprint Planning Max 8h (1-month Sprint) Plan what and how
Daily Scrum 15 minutes Daily synchronization
Sprint Review Max 4h Inspect outcomes
Sprint Retrospective Max 3h Improve processes

The 3 Scrum Artifacts

Product Backlog

Ordered list of everything needed to improve the product.

  • Commitment: Product Goal

Sprint Backlog

The Sprint Goal + selected items + the delivery plan.

  • Commitment: Sprint Goal

Increment

The verifiable, usable output that meets the Definition of Done.

  • Commitment: Definition of Done

Real-World Example: The Agile Pizzeria

Imagine you own a pizzeria and want to renovate the menu.

Traditional approach (Waterfall):

  1. Plan all 50 dishes for the new menu
  2. Buy all ingredients
  3. 6 months later launch everything
  4. Discover that nobody likes 30 of the dishes

Scrum approach:

Sprint Duration Deliverable
Sprint 1 2 weeks 3 new pizzas tested with customers
Sprint 2 2 weeks Improvements based on feedback + 2 pastas
Sprint 3 2 weeks 3 desserts + digital menu

At the end of each Sprint:

  • Transparency: Everyone sees what was cooked
  • Inspection: Review sales and customer feedback
  • Adaptation: Adjust the next Sprint with real data

When to use Scrum

✅ Ideal for:

  • Projects with changing or uncertain requirements
  • Teams of 10 people or less
  • Products that need early feedback
  • Complex problems without clear solutions

❌ Not ideal for:

  • Projects with 100% fixed and known requirements
  • Individual work without collaboration
  • Predictable routine maintenance
  • When there’s no access to customer/user

Official Certifications

If you want to go deeper, Scrum.org offers recognized certifications (Scrum Alliance offers others, such as CSM and CSPO):

  • PSM I, II, III - Professional Scrum Master
  • PSPO I, II, III - Professional Scrum Product Owner
  • PSD I - Professional Scrum Developer
  • Sprint - Fixed-length work period (one month or less)
  • Daily Standup - Daily sync meeting (Daily Scrum)
  • Product Backlog - Prioritized list of pending work
  • Agile - General philosophy of iterative development

The 2020 Scrum Guide remains the official reference. In 2025, Jeff Sutherland and co-authors published the Scrum Guide Expansion Pack, an optional companion that does not replace it.

Official Sources:

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