Overview of Scrum Framework
Scrum framework is a methodology related to agile management used to manage knowledge and work, especially for software development. It has wide applications in various fields and is now being explored by traditional project teams across the globe. It is made for moderately sized teams of three to maximum nine members, where work is broken into small chunks that can be completed within iterations called sprints. It does not take more than 30 days/a month to complete the entire work.
The time taken to completely execute it is two weeks and if it exceeds it then, it is re-structured in meetings called daily scrums. The framework that provides an image of how scrums are being implemented is called a Scrum framework. Teams in larger organizations include the following scrums namely, large-scale Scrum (LeSS), scaled agile framework (SAFe), the scrum of scrums, and Scrum@Scale, the Nexus, etc.
Role of Scrum Framework
Scrum framework consists of three roles. The framework in its entirety helps in optimum and proper communication among team members. These three roles together form the scrum team. These three Scrum framework roles are:
1) Product Owner: The product owner represents all the possible stakeholders and the customer in each case. It has the responsibility of delivering the maximum possible value to the customer. The product owner does not follow the traditional methods of getting things done rather s/he prioritizes things on the basis or dependencies and importance. A scrum team should have only one product owner. This role is different from that of the scrum master. The product owner focuses on the business part of a product and acts as an intermediate between the stakeholders and the team. The product owner is no dictator but a consensus maker. Therefore, a good product owner should be able to understand the needs of the business, the reasons behind those needs and communicate them to the stakeholders and the concerned team.
2) Development Team: The development team is responsible for delivering optimum quality work with each passing sprint. The sprint goal describes the work a team should do and the quality it must deliver at the end of each sprint. The team has from three to nine members who carry out all tasks required to build the product increments. Although a team consists of people from various backgrounds all of them are generally, referred to as developers. It is a self-organizing team and interactions outside the team is managed by the product owner or the scrum master.
3) Scrum Master: Scrum Master is responsible for facilitating a scrum, ensure that there are no hassles on the way of quality product or deliverable being delivered. The scrum master acts as a mediator between the team and any hassles on the path of work and is not necessarily the team leader. The scrum master ensures that the Scrum framework is followed. The scrum master encourages the team to improve. The role has also been referred to as a team facilitator or servant-leader to reflect the dual aspects.
The Workflow of Scrum Framework
The workflow of a scrum framework is as follows:
1) Sprint: A sprint/iteration is the unit of a Scrum. A sprint is limited to a specific time. The duration of a sprint is decided beforehand and is normally, between one week to one month, commonly two weeks.
2) Sprint Planning: Initially, the scrum team conducts sprint planning to:
- Mutually decide the scope of work that should be done during a sprint.
- Identify items that can be done in just one sprint.
- Make a sprint in which the work that should include items to be completed.
- The expected time taken is four hours per day for two weeks.
- As the work is proceeded with, the items identified are split and if they cannot be completed within a sprint then they are put into the product backlog.
- When the sprint backlog is developed by the development team, the items which can be completed within a sprint are taken up.
3) Daily Sprint: A daily scrum or stand up is held every day with each sprint.
- Every member of the development team comes well prepared.
- Even though a few members of the development team are missing, it begins exactly on time.
- Every day it should be held at the same time and place.
- Time is limited to fifteen minutes.
- Only development team members should contribute but anyone else is also welcome.
- Each team member is expected to answer three questions during the daily scrum.
- Did I do anything to contribute towards the team’s sprint goal yesterday?
- What do I need to do today to help my team contribute to my team’s sprint goal today?
- Do I reckon any hassles that can either delay or stop my team from achieving its pre-determined goals?
4) Sprint Review: The team holds two events at the end of a sprint which is the sprint review and the sprint retrospective.
At the sprint review, the team:
- Reviews the completed work and the work that is yet to be completed.
- The completed work is submitted to the stakeholders.
- Decides what is to be completed next by collaborating with the stakeholders.
Guidelines for Sprint Reviews:
- Work that is incomplete cannot be demonstrated.
- The expected duration is two hours for two weeks.
5) Sprint Retrospective: At the sprint retrospective, the team:
- Studies the past sprint.
- Identifies the flaws and rectifies them.
6) Extensions: Extension includes two events, namely,
- Backlog refinement.
- Cancellation of a sprint.
Despite being so precise and efficient, the Scrum framework has its own limitations:
- There are teams that are scattered geographically or have part-time members and so, are difficult to manage and carry out such a framework.
- There are teams with very specialized skills and such a definitive framework does not work on them properly.
- A few external factors also influence products and deliverables which are out of one’s control.
- A few products are mature in nature and have restricted quality control and therefore, such a framework does not fit them.
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