S crum is an agile project management method used to improve the efficiency of teams in software development and other complex projects. It was first introduced in 1995 and since then it has gained a lot of popularity in the software industry and many other industries.
The main principles of Scrum are:
- Iterative and incremental approach: The project is divided into short, time-limited iterations, called sprints. Each sprint should produce an increment of functional product.
- Scrum Team: The team consists of three main roles – Scrum Master, Product Owner and Development Team. The Scrum Master ensures that the team does not create obstacles and follows the Scrum rules, the Product Owner represents the interests of the customer and is responsible for the creation and management of the product backlog, and the Development Team performs the work and produces the product increment.
- Scrum Meetings: These are short, regular meetings that keep the team informed and focused on solving specific issues. These include Daily Scrum (a daily scheduled meeting where teams are informed about progress, schedule and obstacles), Sprint Planning (planning each sprint), Sprint Review (retrospective) and Sprint Retrospective (assessing and improving the process).
- Product Backlog: A list of tasks and product requirements to be fulfilled. The Product Owner is responsible for managing the backlog, prioritizing it and ensuring it is up-to-date and understandable for the team.
- Product Increment: After each sprint, the team should present an incremental product. This is a functional and potentially additional version of the product that is constantly being expanded and improved.
Scrum enables flexible project management with an emphasis on customer value, risk and team satisfaction. It is suitable for projects that have unclear or changing requirements and require fast and flexible adaptation.
