SCRUM methodology: what it is and how to implement it

Agile development is a philosophy that more and more companies use, as it allows them to be faster, more efficient, and more productive, reducing their costs and offering better products and services to their customers. Large companies have embraced this type of agile methodology for a long time, obtaining great results.

Within these methodologies, SCRUM is one of the most interesting, since it is directly focused on the tasks to be performed and the interaction of the work teams and the end customer.

What is SCRUM

SCRUM has the meaning of collaboration, as it is a term taken from rugby where players support each other. The agile SCRUM methodology is a work environment where a series of actions are applied with the aim of tackling projects much more quickly and efficiently. In SCRUM, collaborative work is fundamental, so a high level of communication between the different components involved in the project must be guaranteed.

SCRUM works with Sprints, that is, the project is divided into small parts to be able to address them more quickly and efficiently. A project can be composed of several sprints that when concluded give the expected result.

When is it recommended?

Although SCRUM was applied in the development of software to deliver higher quality applications in less time, and with continuous deliveries, today it is a methodology that has evolved, being applied in any type of company, regardless of its size or the sector in which it operates.

How the SCRUM methodology works

The SCRUM methodology consists of approaching any project by dividing it into sprints or smaller parts. Within this work environment, a series of phases must be followed to address each task, and specific roles participate that guarantee compliance with this work philosophy.

SCRUM Phases

The SCRUM methodology is divided into five phases:

1. Sprint planning. Sprint planning is the first phase of SCRUM where it describes what tasks are assigned to each member of the working group, as well as the time it takes to complete.
2. Scrum team meeting. They are usually daily and short that work teams perform to evaluate the work done, the one that is going to be addressed on the day, and what problems have arisen or are intuited that they will arise.
3. Backlog refinement. It is a review of the tasks and their evolution by the Product Owner in order to evaluate the time and effort spent on each task and to solve any inconvenience encountered along the way.
4. Sprint Review. They are meetings where the client also participates, and which aim to show the results obtained. The presence of the client is essential to achieve real and quality feedback and creating a closer and more productive relationship.
5. Retrospective. It is a final meeting after concluding the project where everything that has happened during the sprint is reviewed (what was done well and what was done wrong, and what were the main difficulties that had to be faced). The objective is to acquire knowledge to improve future projects.

Profiles and roles

Within SCRUM we can find three main roles or profiles:

• Scrum Team. It is made up of the members of the work teams that collaborate in order to be more efficient when addressing and concluding the different tasks and processes.
• Product Owner. This profile is intimately linked to the client, acting as their voice within the project. It is responsible for ensuring that the project follows the objectives set at all times.
• Scrum Master. The main function of this role is to help the scrum team to meet the forecasts established when approaching the project. It is responsible for providing everything necessary to overcome problems and obstacles and ensuring the flow of information between all participants in a sprint.

Benefits of the SCRUM methodology

SCRUM is a very popular methodology that increasingly has followers from different sectors. The advantages provided by SCRUM have made it one of the most interesting agile methodologies to improve the operation and results of a business.

The main benefits of SCRUM are:

• It allows to better face the projects in relation to the time and resources to be used.
• It allows you to set a more accurate and realistic delivery date by having greater control over the entire process.
• It brings a lot of value to the company thanks to a large amount of information obtained (collaborative work).
• Delivery times are reduced, and the quality of the product or service offered is increased.
• Customer satisfaction is improved, which goes from a static external agent to participate in the project.
• It creates a better work environment where problems and incidents are addressed from a positive perspective, looking for solutions instead of guilty.
• Increases the productivity and competitiveness of the company.

Tools

In the market there is a wide range of tools or software specially designed to manage projects under the SCRUM methodology.

Some of these most prominent SCRUM platforms are:

Jira

Jira It is probably the most interesting SCRUM tool on the market to be able to tackle agile projects. It includes a series of utilities specially designed to work with sprint, such as:

• Flexible and customizable task boards.
• Workflow management.
• Generation of reports and dashboards.

Trello

Trello is a virtual dashboard that works with a post-it system, which allows you to track tasks and processes in the form of columns.

Using plugins, new functionalities can be implemented for better control of the sprint (such as the integration of metrics and monitoring KPIs).

SCRUM is an ideal methodology to apply in any type of company, as it is based on agile principles where processes are divided into smaller and more approachable tasks, which facilitates and accelerates their conclusion.  With SCRUM, companies will increase their productivity  and be much more competitive in today’s market marked by globalization and digitalization.