My Notes On The Scrum Framework
This is the first time I am hearing about this framework and I thought it would be great to share my findings. The scrum frameworks falls under the broad agile methodology. This basically means that scrum adheres to the general values of the Agile Manifesto. These include:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
How does scrum compare to the traditional waterfall model of development?
Well… the waterfall model hinges on fully completing each step in the development process before moving to the next. That is to say that the planning phrase is fully exhausted before the actual building of the product commences. Consequently, the testing of the product is done only once the product is complete. I am certain that you can already see the shortcomings of this model. Assuming that the planning phase takes a whole 2 months which might as well be a reality considering that there are many stakeholders to be consulted during this process, then the building may take even longer. There’s a great and horrifying possibility that the product might hit the market and be rendered obsolete immediately it is released. In light of changing trends and the constantly moving window of opportunity, it is absolutely important that a product is developed within the shortest time possible.
Here comes scrum framework to the rescue. This framework breaks down each project into smaller pieces and handles each piece to completion before taking on the next block of deliverables. There are three major roles that constitute the framework.
- The product owner(PO) : He owns the vision of the product and brings all his bright ideas to the team for development.
- The Scrum Master(SM): He is the leader of the team and is responsible for managing the team and guiding the process.
- The Team Members(TM): This is a diverse group of people that work tirelessly to ensure the product is delivered according to the specifications.
How it all comes together
Here’s how the magic happens…Once the product owner has a eureka moment and decides he wants a particular product developed, he approaches a team of developers with his idea. During what is called a sprint planning meeting, the PO comes up with a prioritized list of the attributes of the product he wants. This is known as a product backlog. From the top of the list, the team picks a chunk of them to be completed within a time frame of less than 4 weeks. This is typically how long each sprint takes. They agree on who’s doing what and all the mambo jumbo and everyone gets to work. Scrum thrives on shared commitment and so more often than not, team members would have to work outside their titles, roles or even skill sets to ensure that what needs to be done is done. There’s a daily meeting same time and place every 24 hours to regroup and give each other updates. The scrum master facilitates this and ensures everyone is on track. Its referred to as a daily scrum or stand-up. At the end of each sprint, there’s what we call a sprint review where the outcome of the sprint is presented to the PO and the team members share notes on what could be improved for greater efficiency on the next sprint. The fantastic thing about scrum is that after every sprint there’s a potentially shippable product ready to hit the market if the PO decides that that is what he wants. And so the sprints are repeated to produce several incremental releases of the product until the Product backlog is fully developed. There you have it folks…Scrum Framework in a nutshell!
