Modern software industries are a fast-paced environment.
They need to be, or else the competition will scoop them up
before they have time for any of your needs! When things get
hectic at some point, we are always looking for new ways to
save time and make life easier. But one thing that hasn't
budged is speed.
Can anything help us instantly?
Perhaps, but with a certain approach. Although people are
prone to quick fixes, some different approaches deliver a
better solution.
Where is a process that would lead us to the current set goal?
The SCRUM approach is composed of the slow-term process. SCRUM
is a process framework used to manage product development and
other knowledge work.
Scrum is an Agile methodology consisting of lightweight
management practices that have relatively little overhead. Its
practices are simple to understand but very difficult to
master in their entirety.
Here is an example:
At the moment when the world has stopped, our only goal was to
survive and stay employed.
How did we walk over these impediments?
With some kind of physical work, with playing sports. Our body
is used to doing some iterations, repeating certain actions to
see good results. Its practices are simple to understand but
very difficult to master in their entirety. Doesn’t it?
Thence the term from sports dictionary. It dates back to the
90s but now it has gained importance in software development.
It’s not by accident, and here is why.
Term SCRUM in
Software Development
Rugby players have been using this term SCRUM for a long time,
and the tactic is next: Scrum is an ordered formation of
players, used to restart play, in which the forwards of a team
form up with arms interlocked and heads down, and push forward
against a similar group from the opposing side. The ball is
thrown into the scrum and the players try to gain possession
of it by kicking it backwards towards their own side.
(Wikipedia)
When keywords are spotted, it will be seen why they apply to
the group leading the project for software development.
Thereby, the team relies on SCRUM values: Commitment, Focus,
Openness, Respect, and Courage.
(Rugby players are very agile, adaptive, and open to
changes.)
SCRUM lies on the empirical theory where all knowledge is
based on experience derived from the senses. Scrum encourages
teams to learn through experiences, self-organize while
working on a problem, and reflect on their wins and losses to
continuously improve. Like a rugby team.
Transparency is the first pillar of SCRUM theory, and the
benefits of transparency are many. Each of the SCRUM phases
brings us a project draft, and there lies the beauty of
transparency.
For one, it is enabled to be seen what is happening in the
project at all times by everyone. Therefore, collaboration is
open to every coworker and a solution is being searched from
each of them.
Some layers of courage are vowed in the transparency pillar.
SCRUM is an organization of work that allows rapid inspection
and adaptation. Those are the next two pillars of empiricism
woven in Scrum. As we can anticipate, it requires some level
of flexibility.
The Customer has to be supported, the thing that is
developing, and of course, people who have money. All the
above has to have an environment where this type of adaptation
could be provided.
This is called planning. Sprint planning as a part of SCRUM
ceremonies is something that can’t be written in passing. So,
let's set this aside.
Some SCRUM values that are visible from these insights in
SCRUM are commitment and focus.
Inspections (as the third pillar of philosophy) bring us
critical aspects of empirical process control as it what’s
makes the Scrum framework adaptive to complex problems.
Organizations that are using SCRUM regularly inspect artifacts
to see undesirable variances and provide opportunities to
correct them.
One way that SCRUM teams ensure they're making the best
decisions is by showing progress updates to their customers at
regular intervals. This helps them get feedback on what needs
improvement and if something should continue as-is or change
direction entirely.
The customer can give input about changes proposed by
stakeholders, but it's important for all parties involved in
this discussion (the client included!) to agree before any
final product comes out of those negotiations.
But inspection must be dosed l: it may cause delay of work.
One more time, SCRUM value brings us respect and openness.
Who is on
the SCRUM team?
There are certain roles inside of a Scrum team. Besides
software developers, there is a product owner and a scrum
master. So, a small team of people.
Skilled individuals are managed by the Product owner and with
them are made successfully equipped. How does it work?
All product requirements for the developers must come through
the product owner role. The obligation of Product owner is
also to create the backlog based on the previously gathered
and elicited requirements.
Therefore, he prioritizes these requirements and ensures the
requirements are clearly defined.
Ensuring that the scrum team adheres to SCRUM practices is a
part of a Scrum master role which is followed by assisting the
product owner and the development team. Scrum master is the
link.
Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies,
and the Product Goal is their main goal.
What are their tactics
for the goal?
Following the route of SCRUM methodology, the team is ordered
formation, interlocked with heads down. Focused.
The rugby game is unpredictable and depends on variable
possible tactics. Like life.
Although, in life, there is barely time for tactics. That is
why we are in constant need of instant solutions.
Planning was set aside, and now is the time to focus on it.
SCRUM events are Sprints which are for pushing forward. Those
events are made to create consistency. A new Sprint starts
immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.
Through sprints with fixed lengths, ideas are turned to value.
Those events are where Product Backlog can be refined as
needed, but quality does not decrease. This is where the
adaptation is being seen.
As the project moves forward, behind is a proven work of
progress. How is that known? Through the third pillar of
empiricism: inspection, which is the primary measure of
progress.
A daily scrum meeting is held to ensure the team's progress
aligns with their goals. Blocks and challenges are surfaced so
they can be resolved as soon as possible, ensuring a
successful sprint outcome. The team's work will be showcased
to stakeholders and teammates during the sprint review. This
is your chance for visibility before it hits production!
The sprint retrospective is the perfect opportunity for your
team to identify any areas of improvement before starting on
their next cycle. Time for some great feedback and suggestions
is in front of the team, and that is how we can make this work
even better!
Our iteration
(Sprints are made by the SCRUM team to complete a set amount
of work.)
This would be the SCRUM guide that isn't software
development-centric. By keeping these three SCRUM pillars in
mind daily, scrum will help instantly.
Why is this the fastest way of working? It has a favorable
pattern, structured programming, planning and meeting styles,
and more importantly, an effective mechanism for tracking
project progress.
It's Agile culture and mindset. Values and principles are
delivering results.
Now, imagine a Rugby game where everything goes smoothly.
And instantly wins.
Conclusion
-
The SCRUM approach is composed of the slow-term process.
SCRUM is a process framework used to manage product
development and other knowledge work.
-
Rugby players have been using this term SCRUM for a long
time, and the tactic is next: Scrum is an ordered
formation of players, used to restart play, in which the
forwards of a team form up with arms interlocked and heads
down, and push forward against a similar group from the
opposing side.
-
SCRUM lies on the empirical theory where all knowledge is
based on experience derived from the senses. Scrum
encourages teams to learn through experiences,
self-organize while working on a problem, and reflect on
their wins and losses to continuously improve. Like a
rugby team.
-
Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or
hierarchies, and the Product Goal is their main goal.
-
SCRUM events are Sprints which are for pushing forward.
Those events are made to create consistency. A new Sprint
starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous
Sprint.
-
Scrum has a favorable pattern, structured programming,
planning and meeting styles, and more importantly, an
effective mechanism for tracking project progress.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(software_development
https://www.florugby.com/articles/6745914-rugby-rules-101-the-scrum
https://phnx.llc/