Scrum Theory Essentials. Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

What is Scrum?

Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework allows teams and organizations to iteratively and incrementally deliver valuable products of “Done” working releasable products in 30 days or less. Successful use of the Scrum framework requires an understanding and application of the Scrum Values and the tenets of Empiricism to professionally deliver value to the organization while addressing the inherent complexity of product delivery. The Scrum framework consists of Scrum Teams and their associated Roles, Events, and Artefacts. Each of these components within the framework serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum’s success and usage. The rules of Scrum bind together the Roles, Events, and Artifacts, governing the relationships and interaction between them.

Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.

Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.

When agilists refer to empiricism, they are simply recognising that there are categories of problems that are too complex to be solved by reason or analysis alone. While simple problems are straightforward to solve, complex problems require that we experiment our way to the solution. In the context of Scrum, empiricism refers to the idea that solving complex problems, or doing complex work, can only be done using an exploratory process rather than relying on predetermined plans.

Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and to control risk. Scrum engages groups of people who collectively have all the skills and expertise to do the work and share or acquire such skills as needed.

Scrum asks everyone involved to:

– Work in a co-located or at least highly connected space.
– Self-organise to find the correct answer.
– Avoid interruptions with extreme prejudice.
– Commit to new behaviours.
– Jettison ego in favour of rational decision making.
– Trust that everyone will do their job to best if their abilities.
– Follow the rules everyone agreed on in the first place.

Scrum Pillars

The team must be transparent about their progress and the product being developed:

they must inspect this progress and the product regularly.
they must be able to adapt their work and processes based on what they observe.

This helps to ensure that the team is continuously improving and delivering value to the customer.

Scrum Values

The Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other. Their primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best possible progress toward these goals. The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are respected as such by the people with whom they work. The Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing, to work on tough problems.

These values give direction to the Scrum Team with regard to their work, actions, and behavior. The decisions that are made, the steps taken, and the way Scrum is used should reinforce these values, not diminish or undermine them. The Scrum Team members learn and explore the values as they work with the Scrum events and artifacts. When these values are embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life building trust.

Courage – Scrum Team members need courage to do the right thing and face tough problems. For example, they should exhibit courage to explore the unknown, to change direction, to share information and to engage in courteous disagreements.

Focus – The Scrum Team focuses on the work of the Sprint and its goals. Examples of this include focusing on: creating value, what’s currently most important and getting to Done.

Commitment – Each Scrum Team member commits to achieving the team’s goals and to support each other. This involves commitment or dedication to:

Delivering value.
Quality.
Working toward the Sprint and Product Goals.
Using empiricism.

Respect – It’s necessary for Scrum Team members to respect each other as skilled professionals. Scrum Team members should respect each other’s differing expertise and perspectives and be respectful when they disagree.
Openness – The Scrum Team and its stakeholders agree to be open about all of the work and the challenges with performing the work. Scrum Team members should be open about the struggles they face. They should share feedback and learn from each other and from their stakeholders.

The Importance of Living the Scrum Values

For agility to thrive, the culture of the organization must support the fundamental concepts of agility. By living the Scrum Values and helping others to apply them, learners will create an environment where empirical process, self- organization, and continual improvement will be more successful. Using our values to guide our behaviour, actions and decision-making provides us a sense of direction and purpose.

The Scrum Team accountabilities, events and artefacts provide structure for practicing Scrum. Some practitioners mechanically follow this guidance without adopting an agile mindset. Each of the Scrum Values may be interpreted by each team member differently. Language and cultural differences may contribute to this.

Scrum and an agile mindset, requires a shift away from command-and-control style corporate behaviours. The Scrum Values provide support for this mindset shift and foster an environment of support, professionalism and trust necessary for practitioners to practice Professional Scrum. The Scrum Values:

Help create an environment of psychological safety that is necessary for empiricism to thrive: In traditional environments, it’s typical to assign blame when things don’t go as planned. However, in Scrum we understand that complex problems can only be solved by experimentation and we cannot plan our way to the solution. The essence of experimentation is to create a hypothesis, and either prove or disprove it. A great deal of knowledge is gained when a hypothesis is disproved. Scrum Team members must trust that they will be supported, not blamed, when an experiment doesn’t support their hypothesis.
Provide a guide for decision-making: When faced with several difficult choices, it’s helpful to lean on the Scrum Values to help assess whether each choice is in alignment or not.
Support strong team dynamics: The Scrum Values help guide interpersonal interactions among Scrum Team members to be healthy and supportive. This helps team members feel motivated and supports an environment of creativity.

Scrum Team

The Scrum Team is responsible for all product-related activities from stakeholder collaboration, verification, maintenance, operation, experimentation, research and development, and anything else that might be required. They are structured and empowered by the organization to manage their own work. Working in Sprints at a sustainable pace improves the Scrum Team’s focus and consistency.

In order for a Scrum Team to be successful, they should be:

Cohesive – They should work together as a tight-knit collaborative team, supportive of one another and fostering trust among team members.
Focused – Scrum Teams are focused on creating value and achieving the Product Goal.
Cross-functional – The team consists of individuals with the diverse set of skills and experience needed to accomplish their goals.
Self-managing – They are empowered by the organization to determine how to do their work without being directed.
Non-hierarchical – They act as one team, with no sub-teams or organisational hierarchy.
Accountable – The entire team is accountable for the success in creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint.

Scrum Events

Sprint

Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into value.

A Scrum sprint is a time-boxed period during an ongoing development cycle where a specific set of features or capabilities are worked on. They are fixed length events of one month or less to create consistency. During that time, the Scrum team’s main goal is to provide a product increment — a version of the product that includes the features and backlog items prioritised and completed during the sprint.

Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.

All the work necessary to achieve the Product Goal, including Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective, happen within Sprints.

During the Sprint:

No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal.
Quality does not decrease.
The Product Backlog is refined as needed. And,
Scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned.

Sprints enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of progress toward a Product Goal at least every calendar month. When a Sprint’s horizon is too long the Sprint Goal may become invalid, complexity may rise, and risk may increase. Shorter Sprints can be employed to generate more learning cycles and limit risk of cost and effort to a smaller time frame. Each Sprint may be considered a short project.

Various practices exist to forecast progress, like burn-downs, burn-ups, or cumulative flows. While proven useful, these do not replace the importance of empiricism. In complex environments, what will happen is unknown. Only what has already happened may be used for forward-looking decision making.

A Sprint could be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.

What to do before a Scrum Sprint?

The Scrum sprint process can be challenging if it is not managed well. So what are the necessary steps needed to make the sprint process a success? Here are three important steps for getting started:
1. Create, maintain, and prioritize the backlog on an ongoing basis.
The product owner is responsible for maintaining the product backlog. The goal is to ensure that essential product functionalities are given the highest priority. This also ensures that there is no confusion about which features will be implemented during each sprint cycle.
2. Consider the Scrum team’s capacity during the sprint planning phase.
The Scrum team shouldn’t take on more than they can handle during each sprint. So, before defining the sprint goal and finalizing the sprint backlog, the Scrum team should be transparent about their capacity and take care not to over-commit.
3. Apply Agile Scrum principles and values.
Agile Scrum principles and values serve as important guidelines that ensure that the sprint produces the best possible product. Ideally, a Scrum master helps facilitate the proper execution of Agile Scrum principles and values. This empowers the team to self-organise successfully and navigate through challenges and changes. When the team applies the right principles, they face fewer obstacles and
work at their best capacity.

Sprint Planning

Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the Sprint. This resulting plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team.

The Product Owner ensures that attendees are prepared to discuss the most important Product Backlog items and how they map to the Product Goal. The Scrum Team may also invite other people to attend Sprint Planning to provide advice.

When Developers select the PBIs for the Sprint, they consider:

The Product Backlog, including the Product Goal.
The Team’s assessment of their capacity, based on their past performance in previous Sprints.
The Definition of Done.
The current Increment. And
Any process improvement suggestions that emerged during the team’s Sprint Retrospectives.

Sprint Planning addresses the following topics:

Topic One: Why is this Sprint valuable?
1. The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint.
2. The whole Scrum Team then collaborates to define a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders. The Sprint Goal must be finalized prior to the end of Sprint Planning.

Topic Two: What can be Done this Sprint?
1. Through discussion with the Product Owner, the Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint. The Scrum Team may refine these items during this process, which increases understanding and confidence.
2. Selecting how much can be completed within a Sprint may be challenging. However, the more the Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity, and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts.
3. Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity, and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts.

Topic Three: How will the chosen work get done?
1. For each selected Product Backlog item, the Developers plan the work necessary to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This is often done by decomposing Product Backlog items into smaller work items of one day or less. How this is done is at the sole discretion of the Developers. No one else tells them how to turn Product Backlog items into Increments of value.
2. The Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus the plan for delivering them are together referred to as the Sprint Backlog.

The Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus the plan for delivering them are together referred to as the Sprint Backlog.

Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.

Daily Scrum

The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.

To reduce complexity, it is held at the same time and place every working day of the Sprint. If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as Developers.

The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. This creates focus and improves self-management.

Daily Scrums improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick decision-making, and consequently eliminate the need for other meetings.

The Daily Scrum is not the only time Developers are allowed to adjust their plan. They often meet throughout the day for more detailed discussions about adapting or re-planning the rest of the Sprint’s work.

Questions that should be asked during Daily Scrum:

What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
Are there any impediments in your way?
What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?

Sprint Review

The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.

During the event, the Scrum Team and stakeholders review what was accomplished in the Sprint and what has changed in their environment. Based on this information, attendees collaborate on what to do next. The Product Backlog may also be adjusted to meet new opportunities. The Sprint Review is a working session and the Scrum Team should avoid limiting it to a presentation.

The Sprint Review is the second to last event of the Sprint and is timeboxed to a maximum of four hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter. The Sprint Review may include the following elements and more:

Attendees include the Scrum Team and key stakeholders invited by the Product Owner.
Members of the Scrum Team explain what Product Backlog items have been “Done” and what has not been “Done”.
The Developers discuss what went well during the Sprint, what problems it ran into, and how those problems were solved.
The Developers demonstrate the work that it has “Done” and answers questions about the Increment.
The Product Owner discusses the Product Backlog as it stands. He or she projects likely target and delivery dates based on progress to date (if needed).
The entire group collaborates on what to do next, so that the Sprint Review provides valuable input to subsequent Sprint Planning.
Review of how the marketplace or potential use of the product might have changed what is the most valuable thing to do next. And,
Review of the timeline, budget, potential capabilities, and marketplace for the next anticipated releases of functionality and capability of the product.

The result of the Sprint Review is a revised Product Backlog that defines the probable Product Backlog items for the next Sprint. The Product Backlog may also be adjusted overall to meet new opportunities.

Sprint Retrospective

The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness.

The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done. Inspected elements often vary with the domain of work.

Assumptions that led them astray are identified and their origins explored. The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved.

The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness. The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as possible. They may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.

The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint. It is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.

Scrum Artefacts

Each artefact contains information important to a Scrum Team and their stakeholders. This information details the product being developed, the actions needed to produce it and other information relevant to create value. These artefacts provide the team with a minimal set of materials to plan, execute, and review the Sprint.

Each artefact has a “commitment” which describes the goal for the artefact. Commitments provide clear objectives against which progress can be measured.

Artefacts and their commitments are designed to maximize transparency of this key information so that everyone inspecting them has the same understanding and a basis for adaptation.

Product Backlog	Sprint Backlog
Anything that’s needed to accomplish the project vision	Anything that’s needed to fulfil the sprint goal
Product Owner owns the Product Backlog	Development Teams own the Sprint Backlog
Contains requirements, defects	Subset of Product Backolg items defined as priority by Product Owner
Product Backlog refinement meeting is to refine the items in the Product Backlog	Sprint Planning meeting is to refine the itmes in the Sprint Backlog

A product is a vehicle to deliver value. It has a clear boundary, known stakeholders, well defined users or customers. A product could be a service, a physical product, or something more abstract.

The Product Goal is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. They must fulfil (or abandon) one objective before taking on the next.

Artefact	Commitment
Product Backlog	Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against. The Product Goal is in the Product Backlog. The rest of the Product Backlog emerges to define “what” will fulfill the Product Goal.
Sprint Backlog	The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint. The Sprint Goal also creates coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together rather than on separate initiatives. The Sprint Goal is created during the Sprint Planning event and then added to the Sprint Backlog. As the Developers work during the Sprint, they keep the Sprint Goal in mind. If the work turns out to be different than they expected, they collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint without affecting the Sprint Goal.
Increment	Definition of Done