Agile methods are getting very common in the workplace, especially in technology-oriented teams and companies. Scrum is one of the most famous approaches for doing Agile work. According to the official definition:
Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.
What is Scrum really about?
Scrum is about working in an iterative way, meaning that you start with a very small product, and then in each fixed period called a sprint (often three weeks) you build an increment (an additional feature) for this product.
The real goal of Scrum: avoiding failure of big projects by having continuous feedback on the delivery.
For example, you start with a website that only shows information. Then in the next sprint, you add an “About” page. Then you do a sprint again, to deliver a new increment: the “Contact” page.
In this way, you can follow the development of the product closely, and monitor whether you are still headed in the right direction. This is the real goal of Scrum: avoiding failure of big projects by having continuous feedback and by being flexible and adjustable.
Scrum roles and the Scrum Master
Scrum roles and processes are defined in the Scrum Guide. It is a relatively short handbook, which is also the main study material for a Scrum certification.
The Scrum Guide defines relatively specific roles, that split responsibilities well. A very short description:
