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Blog AuthorNarasimha Reddy Bommaka
PublishedDec 24, 2024
Views2,027
Read Time20 mins
Table of Content
In software development, the Agile methodology has been dominating for the last two decades as it emphasises collaboration, flexibility, and market needs with customer satisfaction. In comparison with other traditional methods, it has emerged as a fast-moving development method with the aim of delivering high-quality with small and iterative updates while adapting changes added with feedback.
In the shades of Agile, Scrum is one such framework that provides an adaptable system for managing and executing software development projects. Agile software development with Scrum framework requires implementation and application of each basic and fundamental in delivering effective and efficient products.
In this article, I will help you with a detailed understanding of the core concepts of Agile and Scrum, as well as its principles, values, roles, artefacts, and events. In addition, you will have knowledge regarding how it transforms the process of software development with a focus on effective and efficient delivery.
In the software industry, Agile and Scrum are the two fundamental and related practices that revolutionised the software development process and delivery. Agile software development with Scrum creates a flexible and collaborative environment that aims to deliver effective and efficient results to satisfy customer expectations. With the assistance of both Agile best practices and Scrum framework, the software development team can adapt to change for continuous growth and high-quality delivery.
Agile, as the name suggests, is a philosophy that is quick and done with ease. Hence, Agile methodology is a set of principles and strategies focusing on gradual, flexible, and adaptable value with a collaborative approach. To produce high-quality work, maintain continuous improvement, and create inclusiveness, it emerged as a saviour.
Traditional project management methods, such as the waterfall method, have been effectively overpowered by the Agile methodology in response to challenges and limitations posed by them. Agile is not a procedure that fits everywhere but a mindset that can be effectively applied in numerous ways, considering certain aspects, such as team, project, market demand, need, and customer response.
The Agile Manifesto is a foundational document that contains instructions for implementing Agile methodology, especially in software development. It was developed in 2001 by a group of software developers to find efficient and effective ways to develop software through flexibility, collaboration, and adaptability.
To implement Agile in any software development process, the manifesto encapsulates 4 key values and 12 guiding principles. Its fundamentals primarily focus on development practices that include interaction, collaboration, and smooth transition. Moreover, the Scrum framework principles and values are based on Agile’s core manifesto.
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With the rise of Agile, it has become popular in the software industry, offering numerous advantages. It became ideal as it provides dynamic, evolving, and rapid environments for flexible, collaborative, and iterative developments. Hence, adopting Agile in software development has some key benefits that are listed below:
Gain competitive leverage with quick functional development.
Continuous testing to reduce risk and enhance software development quality.
Reassess and readjust with a flexible and adaptable approach.
Foster transparency and improve communication.
High-efficient with quick resolution capabilities.
Scrum in Agile software development is a framework that offers the implementation of Agile manifesto principles and values. During the course of software development, Scrum follows certain aspects, such as defining roles, specifying events, and guiding teams with artefacts for time-specified iterations to deliver small and functional parts.
From planning to product development, Scrum provides all the essential sources to deliver effective and efficient work. Like Agile, it has too gained popularity because of its emphasis on Agile principles and values. It is implemented on those projects that require flexibility, simplification, collaboration, and continuous improvement without disrupting the project result.
It finds its origin way back in the 1990s, as developed by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland for continuous development and quick delivery. Keeping the limitations of traditional project management in mind, Scrum was created, and its name came from the game "Rugby," where players work together to push the ball forward to secure the win.
Likewise, in the field of software development, it has gained popularity since its inception in the market to manage projects effectively. Regardless of the size and complexity, the Scrum framework can be applied to produce high-quality software by breaking it into smaller chunks and manageable parts for quick and efficient development in a short time.
Scrum in Agile software development has become a must-go-to framework for many top companies and software development teams because of its effectiveness and rapid delivery. Software development is a tiring, lengthy, and expensive process and requires too much focus to avoid any undesirable or unforeseen situation. There comes the role of Scrum in software development and an ideal choice with the following why factors:
It offers a smooth transition from traditional methods to Scrum with the ability to adapt to change, hence making it a flexible framework.
It provides a customer-centric approach with the Product Owner and Scrum Master to ensure the highest-priority features are added during the product development.
It identifies the issue early through regular reviews and retrospectives and offers a chance to fix it before it becomes an extensive problem.
It assigns roles with clarity of responsibility and encapsulates Scrum tools to track work progress.
It focuses on continuous improvement with Scrum artefacts to meet customer needs.
In addition, there are certainly more factors that are included in the Scrum framework to make software development smooth and simplified, regardless of its size and complexity. Let’s understand those aspects in brief.
In the Scrum framework, if a project has to be developed, then every aspect has to be discussed within the Scrum team. In a Scrum team, there are three primary Scrum roles, each with its own functions and purpose to execute. These roles are Scrum Master, Product Owner, and the Development Team. In addition, there is a stakeholder, not a member of the Scrum team, but who owns the product and provides all resources required for software development.
Let’s understand the key roles in brief.
A Scrum Master in Scrum in Agile software development is a person with multiple responsibilities and duties to handle at a time. During the development process, a certified Scrum Master acts as a coach, facilitator, mediator, and problem-resolver to ensure the Scrum process is followed and other various factors are implemented and adhered to.
In the Scrum team, the product owner is a key member who is responsible for managing the backlog and increasing product value. However, there are numerous duties that a PO performs, that are:
Defines product requirements.
Aware the team of the needs and goals of stakeholders.
Set priorities and make decisions on behalf of stakeholders for product functionality and release.
With Sprint review and retrospectives, the PO can accept and send for changes required as per market needs.
Agile software development with Scrum requires a self-organising development team that does the real work of software development with coding and also ensures the delivery of the product increment. The development team's key duties are:
Develop, make decisions on design, and test the developed product.
Participate in Scrum events and artworks to meet the goals defined by the PO.
Inspect regularly to ensure quality and maintain the acceptance criteria with a self-organising approach.
Agile software development with Scrum requires a set of key documents or tools that further help the Scrum team manage the task management and development process. Such documents or tools are known as Scrum Artifacts, and they provide transparency and involve team understanding of the work. In the Scrum framework, the main Scrum artefacts promoting collaboration and shared progress are:
Scrum in Agile software development requires various strategies and planning at each step to fulfil the product according to customer needs. Hence, to meet the market's expectations, the product owner defines the product scope with a prioritised list of work called the product backlog.
Similar to the product backlog, which the product owner manages, the sprint backlog is managed by the development team to execute the list of tasks or operations during the sprint, defined in the product backlog in the Agile software development with Scrum.
The product increment of Scrum in Agile software development is the combination of all executed product backlogs, including the current and previous sprints. It represents the software development project progress report and achieves the definition of done (DoD) with the incremental process.
Stakeholders have a vision or idea that must undergo planning, execution, and review to become a reality. Therefore, Scrum in Agile software development has a structure that performs meetings and activities to bring that idea to life. These meetings and activities are called Scrum events that ensure collaboration, adaptability, and flexibility for continuous improvement. 5 key Scrum events that need to be implemented to deliver high-quality work are:
The complicated and large Agile software development with Scrum requires fragmentation into several time-boxed tasks to be done within a period known as a sprint. The time for each sprint is fixed and ranges from 1 to 4 weeks.
Before the commencement of Sprint, the development team holds a meeting to decide what to deliver according to the requirement, which is called Sprint Planning.
The daily scrum or stand-ups become essential for the development team to synchronise the work and work progress, and it hardly takes more than 15 minutes, unconcerned with the sprint size.
After the completion of each sprint, the team meets to discuss the aspects, gather feedback, and inspect the product increment for delivering high-quality work. And it takes up to 4 hours for a month's short sprint.
The Scrum team meets and discusses various aspects of the sprint, including what went well, what to do next, and more. This is called Sprint Retrospective, and it takes up to 3 hours based on the size of the sprint.
Agile software development with Scrum requires implementing several factors, such as deciding Scrum events, preparing Scrum artwork, assigning Scrum roles, and others. However, implementing all these factors in one place is impossible without the help of Scrum tools. Scrum tools are key factors for efficient project management, especially in software development.
It tracks progress, ensures transparency, and facilitates collaboration to manage the workloads and achieve success. Some Scrum tools are JIRA, Trello, ASANA, ClickUp, and Monday.com, and others are extensively used to manage projects.
Both Agile and Scrum are interrelated but function differently. Agile is a broader term, whereas Scrum in Agile Software Development is the application of Agile principles and values. Agile drives its principles from the Agile Manifesto, whereas Scrum follows those 12 guiding principles and 4 core values for flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration. Hence, this is how both of them are related; let’s understand how to implement both to achieve success.
Also Read: Importance of Certified Scrum Master
Implementing Scrum in Agile Software Development to achieve success becomes crucial for any complex and dynamic project. Scrum frameworks foster its principles and values to deliver the optimal product. And to achieve an effective and efficient product, you need to understand the steps for implementation. Here are steps through which you can achieve success in Agile software development with Scrum.
At first, embrace Agile methodology, understand the Scrum framework, and come across the fundamentals and terminologies in detail.
Build a Scrum team with cross-functional abilities, hence empowering the team to make decisions.
Set a prioritised list using product backlog and define a vision for the Scrum team to achieve success.
Hold sprint planning and also ensure that daily stand-ups or Scrum are conducted to identify obstacles and challenges.
Inspect and review the progress regularly to boost transparency and provide feedback for continuous improvement using Sprint retrospectives.
Implementing Scrum in Agile Software Development caters to numerous benefits to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility that are listed below:
Agile software development with Scrum becomes crucial as it delivers products quickly regardless of the size and nature of the project, i.e., complex or simple.
It offers the highest-grade quality of work by adhering to Agile principles and values.
Fostering transparency by enhancing communication and collaboration with the cross-functional Scrum team.
By providing flexibility and adaptability, team members can adopt the Scrum framework smoothly and adjust priorities when required.
Scrum identifies and resolves the risks involved, promoting continuous improvement for increased productivity.
Held accountability and boosted team morale with encouragement and empowerment of development team members by self-organising.
Complicated and large Agile software development with Scrum is preferred over the traditional method because of its structured framework. The Scrum framework provides flexibility and adaptability, which are the two most important things required to manage the complicated nature of projects.
It breaks large or complex projects into simple and manageable pieces that are further integrated to complete the project quickly and efficiently. It offers various methods to execute complex projects, such as Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Scrum of scrums, and more.
Also Read: Scrum Master Learning path
In this article, you've gained a comprehensive understanding of Agile software development with Scrum, including its principles and values, as well as other important aspects. These aspects include how Scrum leverages Agile to deliver an effective and efficient software development journey, regardless of project complexity and size, using Scrum fundamentals.
These fundamentals involve Scrum roles, events, and artefacts for a collaborative and adaptable approach. To foster a Scrum framework efficiently, you need to become a certified Scrum Master (CSM) to guide, facilitate, mediate, and resolve team problems.
To become a CSM, you must get a CSM certification from an authorised certified scrum master certification provider, such as Scrum Alliance. Gaining a CSM certificate can help you build skills and acquire knowledge.
The CSM certification will also provide you with global recognition and access to numerous resources and support from the Agile community to build a career and earn high salaries. As the organisation has been transforming to an Agile system, the demand for CSM is at its highest; hence, it is the right time to enrol in CSM courses.
If you need more information on CSM courses, please let us know. You can check out our course information in the CSM section.
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