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SCRUM

Scrum is an agile framework designed to generate value for complex products, enabling teams to develop, deliver, and maintain a set of items iteratively and incrementally to create a final product or deliver a project. It is characterized by short development cycles called sprints, close collaboration among team members, and continuous adaptation to changes.

Scrum500

Scrum Team​

A Product Owner ( PO ) within an organization is responsible for overseeing the development of a product or project—mainly related to digital domains, such as a learning model. The Product Owner is in charge of a Product Backlog - a list containing a set of User Stories (i.e. phrases that express a need according to project stakeholders, such as « As a ... I must / need... » ) -. User stories represent the breakdown of the development of a product or project. A user story can be expressed by any stakeholder ( a future user, a developer, an external expert, a member of the Scrum Team... ).

The Product Owner helps define / identify the values and context of the user stories. They are responsible for prioritizing them to ensure coordination of the various tasks. A user story can be an explicitly expressed task or a need / problem that the Dev Team will translate into one or more sub-tasks to be completed. The tasks are carried out by the Dev Team, consisting of internal and / or external experts. The Dev Team's tasks are completed within a specific timeframe - a four-week sprint -.

The team also includes a Scrum Master ( SM ), whose responsibility is to ensure that the Scrum framework is properly applied and integrated into the organization. They primarily help resolve issues and ensure the proper execution of Scrum events.

The Scrum Master and Product Owner can be part of the Dev Team.

Sprint Planning​

The Scrum Team, composed of the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Dev Team, together define the Sprint Planning, which involves launching a four-week phase to complete one or more increments of the product / project. Each sprint has a specific goal ( Sprint Goal ) defined by the Scrum Team, which also identifies how to evaluate the achievement of this goal. This element is fundamental as it provides clear direction to the team and can serve as a decision-making aid during the sprint.

Sprint Planning is also when the Dev Team creates the sprint backlog ( Sprint Backlog ), selecting prioritized user stories from the Product Backlog by the Product Owner and breaking them down into tasks or even daily sub-tasks. The goal of the Dev Team is to transform the tasks from the Product Backlog into valuable items. For each task, they ensure that a clear definition of what constitutes a completed and validated task ( Definition Of Done - DOD ) exists.

Sprint Planning ( the planning of the four weeks ) is a meeting limited to a maximum of 8 hours for a four-week sprint. Sprint Planning kicks off the sprint. It begins with the Product Owner presenting the prioritized user stories and explaining their value. The Scrum Team discusses the user stories to clarify needs and estimate the work required. Then, the Dev Team breaks down the user stories or tasks into sub-tasks and identifies dependencies.

Daily Scrum​

Every day, the Dev Team meets for 15 minutes in a mini-meeting called Daily Scrum - if the Product Owner and Scrum Master are part of the Dev Team, they participate in this capacity ; otherwise, their presence is not mandatory, but they may join -. The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place every working day of the sprint. The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to plan the day's work to progress towards the goal, improve communication, and identify potential obstacles. Each member of the Dev Team explains what they did the previous day to reach the sprint goal, what they plan to do today, and if there are any blockages. The Scrum Master ensures that Daily Scrums are respected and will intervene in case of blockages to facilitate progress.

The Daily Scrum is also an opportunity for the Dev Team to adapt the Sprint Backlog as needed. The Product Owner cannot interfere with the Sprint Backlog - they are responsible for the Product Backlog, not the sprint - but they may be consulted by the Dev Team if there are impacts on the Product Backlog.

Sprint Review​

After four weeks of sprinting, the Scrum Team and project stakeholders meet for the Sprint Review. The result - the increment produced during the sprint (completed features and deliverables) - is presented, along with the progress towards the goal. If necessary, future adaptations are discussed. The Product Backlog may be adjusted by the Product Owner in collaboration with the Dev Team and stakeholders. The Sprint Review is not just a results presentation meeting but a collaborative work session with all stakeholders. The Sprint Review is the second-to-last event of a sprint and is always limited to a maximum of four hours.

Sprint Retrospective​

The Sprint Retrospective is the event that concludes the sprint. It is a meeting of up to 3 hours between the Scrum Team members, organized to identify opportunities to improve the quality and effectiveness of the sprint. Issues encountered are discussed, and the causes and how these issues were resolved ( or not ) are also addressed.

Artifacts​

An artifact is a tangible element that represents work or value and ensures full transparency of key elements. There are three artifacts in Scrum :

  • The product goal of the Product Backlog ;
  • The sprint goal of the Sprint Backlog ;
  • The definition of done for the increment ;

Product Backlog​

The Product Backlog is the sole source of work for the Scrum Team and includes, as previously discussed, an ordered list of User Stories that ensures the product's improvement. The Product Backlog is refined by the Dev Team ( e.g. breaking down User Stories into tasks and sub-tasks ), which adds details such as a description, order, size, etc. ( attributes vary depending on the domain ). The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog and prioritization, but it is the developers ( including the Product Owner and Scrum Master, if they are part of the team ) who are responsible for resizing tasks.

The product goal describes progress or evolution of the product and helps the Scrum Team clarify sprint planning.

Sprint Backlog​

The Sprint Backlog identifies the reasons for selecting Product Backlog items chosen for the sprint. It answers the question « why » but, more importantly, defines the action plan to achieve the increment and, therefore, answers the question « how ». The Dev Team is responsible for the Sprint Backlog, which is detailed to correspond to daily work. The Sprint Backlog is updated and adapted throughout the sprint.

The sprint goal is a commitment made by the developers to achieve the expected result defined during Sprint Planning and is an element of the Sprint Backlog. If developers encounter problems completing part of the Sprint Backlog, the sprint scope may be negotiated with the Product Owner, but the goal remains unchanged.

Increment​

An increment is an item from the Product Backlog that meets the Definition Of Done ( DOD ).

Each increment represents progress toward the product goal and is the result of a sprint presented to the Dev Team and stakeholders during the Sprint Review. However, a single sprint can include multiple increments, and an increment can be delivered before the end of the sprint. An increment is considered such as soon as it meets the definition of done.

This definition formally describes the state of completion of an increment by satisfying quality measures. If not, the item is not presented during the Sprint Review and is returned to the Product Backlog to be addressed in a future sprint. It is also possible that certain aspects of this increment will be reviewed.