AGILE IN ACTION: 10 things about scrum

Sunday, November 13, 2005

10 things about scrum

1. Software projects are non-linear and too complex to predictably plan in detail, up front. Scrum uses the empirical techniques of frequent inspection and adaptation to steer the project towards its objectives.

2. Scrum is about applying common sense. Identify the right thing to do, the right way to do it, and then do it.

3. Scrum insists on total visibility. There's no hiding problems, issues, or obstacles. See them, understand them, deal with them.

4. Scrum is driven by results and not by effort. Progress is measured by the goals met and not by how many hours it took to meet them.

5. An inventory of work is maintained as a list prioritised by business value [product backlog].

6. The product owner represents the project stakeholders and is responsible for proactively managing and frequently prioritising the product backlog so that it steers the development effort.

7. A scrum team is self-organising and cross-functional. There is no command and control. The scrum team has the authority to do whatever is needed to meet its commitments. Everyone is equally responsible for determining the most suitable way to proceed.

8. A scrum team delivers business value every 30 days [sprint]. The product owner selects the items to be developed in the next sprint [sprint backlog] from the product backlog so that the highest business value is delivered first and return-on-investment is maximised.

9. A scrum team meets every day for no longer than 15 minutes, at the same time and in the same place [daily scrum meeting]. Each team member answers 3 questions:
- What have I done since yesterday?
- What am i going to do today?
- What obstacles are preventing me from doing my work?

10. The scrum master is a facilitator and has no authority. The scrum master's responsibilities include ensuring that everyone follows the scrum rules and practices, bringing the scrum team and product owner together so that the product owner directly drives development, and facilitating creativity and empowerment in the scrum team.

Here's a diagram of the scrum cycle created by Mike Cohn at Mountain Goat Software.