Scrum is a framework for organizing, planning, and executing complex projects. It empowers people, teams, and organizations to generate value by allowing them to adapt to changing requirements as they work.<\/p>\n
The term ‘scrum’ originates from rugby, where players join together in a tight, organized formation to achieve a common goal. The analogy was first used in a 1986 Harvard Business Review paper by Takeuchi and Nonaka, who compared high-performing, cross-functional teams to this rugby formation.<\/p>\n
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The process often starts with a\u00a0product roadmap<\/a>\u00a0outlining the big-picture outcomes. This is then broken down into a product backlog of features and requirements. Teams work in 1\u20134 week sprints to tackle a portion of the backlog, creating a usable product increment at the end of each cycle. This continues until the final product is complete.<\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"Scrum vs. agile: what\u2019s the difference?","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" People often confuse\u00a0agile and scrum<\/a>, but they aren’t the same thing. While both focus on continuous improvement, they operate on different scales.<\/p>\n That’s what sets scrum apart. It\u2019s a prescriptive framework that provides a clear blueprint for putting agile principles into practice. And the methodology works-according to the 17th State of Agile report, over 80% of agile teams use scrum or a scrum hybrid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"The 3 pillars of scrum theory: A foundation of empiricism","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" The theory behind scrum rests on empiricism-the idea that knowledge comes from experience and decisions should be based on what is observed. This is supported by\u00a0three key pillars<\/a>: transparency, inspection, and adaptation.<\/p>\n These pillars encourage lean thinking by reducing wasted effort and keeping teams focused on the essentials.<\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"The 5 scrum values that drive success","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" In addition to the three pillars, scrum is guided by five core values. When embodied by the scrum team, these values build trust and reinforce the empirical approach.<\/p>\n A\u00a0scrum team<\/a>\u00a0is a small, nimble unit of 10 or fewer people. The team is cross-functional, meaning it has all the skills necessary to create value each sprint without depending on others outside the team. Within this unit, there are three specific accountabilities.<\/p>\n The product owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the scrum team. They do this by managing the product backlog, which includes creating and clearly communicating backlog items, ordering them, and ensuring the backlog is transparent and understood. The product owner represents the stakeholders and is the voice of the customer.<\/p>\n The\u00a0scrum master<\/a>\u00a0is a servant-leader who ensures the team adheres to scrum theory, practices, and rules. They help the team and the wider organization understand and enact scrum, and they are accountable for the team’s effectiveness. This involves removing impediments to the team’s progress and facilitating scrum events as needed.<\/p>\n The developers are the people in the scrum team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable increment each Scrum sprint<\/a>. The specific skills needed by the developers are often broad and will vary with the domain of work. They are accountable for creating a plan for the sprint (the sprint backlog), instilling quality, and adapting their plan each day toward the sprint goal. For more on building a strong team, check out our guide to managing a development team<\/a>.<\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"The 5 scrum events: Structuring the sprint","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" Scrum uses prescribed events, sometimes called\u00a0scrum ceremonies<\/a>, to create regularity and minimize the need for meetings not defined in scrum. All events are time-boxed, meaning they have a maximum duration. These events enable the pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.<\/p>\n The sprint is the heartbeat of scrum, where ideas are turned into value. It’s a fixed-length event of one month or less to create consistency. A new\u00a0sprint<\/a>\u00a0starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous one. All the work necessary to achieve the product goal, including sprint planning, daily scrums, the sprint review, and the sprint retrospective, happens within sprints.<\/p>\n Sprint planning<\/a>\u00a0initiates the sprint by laying out the work to be performed. The scrum team collaborates to define a sprint goal and selects items from the product backlog to include in the current sprint. The resulting plan is the sprint backlog.<\/p>\n The daily scrum is a 15-minute event for the developers of the scrum team. It is held every day of the sprint to inspect progress toward the sprint goal and adapt the sprint backlog as necessary. This is one of the most common\u00a0scrum meetings<\/a>\u00a0and helps improve communication, identify impediments, and promote quick decision-making.<\/p>\n The purpose of the\u00a0sprint review<\/a>\u00a0is 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. This is not a status meeting but a working session to get feedback and foster collaboration.<\/p>\n The\u00a0sprint retrospective<\/a>\u00a0is an opportunity for the scrum team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next sprint. The team discusses what went well, what problems it ran into, and how those problems were (or were not) solved. It’s the key to continuous improvement.<\/p>\n Scrum\u2019s artifacts represent work or value. They are designed to maximize the transparency of key information so that everyone inspecting them has the same basis for adaptation. For a deeper dive, you can read about how to get the most from your\u00a0scrum artifacts<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0product backlog<\/a>\u00a0is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the scrum team. The product owner is responsible for the product backlog, including its content, availability, and ordering.<\/p>\n The\u00a0sprint backlog<\/a>\u00a0is composed of the sprint goal (the why), the set of product backlog items selected for the sprint (the what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the increment (the how). It is a plan by and for the developers, providing a visible, real-time picture of the work they plan to accomplish during the sprint.<\/p>\n The increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the product goal. Each increment is additive to all prior increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all increments work together. To provide value, the increment must be usable. Multiple increments may be created within a sprint, and the sum of the increments is presented at the sprint review.<\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"Common scrum challenges (and how to overcome them with a flexible tool)","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" While scrum is a powerful framework, teams often face challenges during implementation. Here are a few common hurdles and how a flexible platform can help you overcome them.<\/p>\n Struggling with visibility and rigid processes? See how monday dev provides the flexibility and real-time insights your team needs.<\/p>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"Why `monday dev` is the ultimate flexible scrum tool","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":" To truly succeed with the scrum methodology, you need a platform that adapts to your team, not the other way around. While tools like Jira can be rigid, monday dev is built for flexibility, visibility, and seamless\u00a0collaboration<\/a>.<\/p>\n On monday.com, you can design your ideal\u00a0workflow<\/a>. Whether you use a\u00a0scrum board<\/a>, Kanban, or a hybrid\u00a0scrumban<\/a>\u00a0approach, you can customize everything to fit your process. Toggle between views like a\u00a0Gantt chart<\/a>\u00a0for timelines or a table for deep dives.<\/p>\n Our platform connects with the tools your developers already use, including GitHub, GitLab, and even offers a powerful\u00a0JIRA<\/a>\u00a0integration for teams transitioning to a more flexible solution. Automations handle the manual work, like notifying team members of status changes or updating items when a pull request is merged. You can even use AI Blocks to automatically summarize sprint retrospective notes and suggest action items, saving valuable time.<\/p>\n With monday dev, you get a single source of truth that bridges the gap between engineering, product, and business leaders, ensuring everyone is aligned and moving at full speed.<\/p>\n The scrum methodology provides the structure teams need to tackle complex projects with agility and focus. By embracing its roles, events, artifacts, and values, your team can create a rhythm of continuous improvement and consistently deliver value. But to make it work, you need a platform that supports your unique process.<\/p>\n Ready to run scrum your way? Stop fighting rigid tools and build the flexible, transparent workflows your team deserves.<\/p>\nTry monday dev<\/a>\n\n
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The product owner<\/h3>\n
The scrum master<\/h3>\n
The developers<\/h3>\n
The sprint<\/h3>\n
Sprint planning<\/h3>\n
Daily scrum<\/h3>\n
Sprint review<\/h3>\n
Sprint retrospective<\/h3>\n
![\"Sprint](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/monday-blogs\/fl_lossy,f_auto,q_auto\/wp-blog\/2021\/10\/Sprint-retrospective.png\")
<\/h3>\n"}]},{"main_heading":"The 3 scrum artifacts: Making work visible","content_block":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","content":"Product backlog<\/h3>\n
Sprint backlog<\/h3>\n
The increment<\/h3>\n
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![\"task](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/monday-blogs\/fl_lossy,f_auto,q_auto\/wp-blog\/2020\/12\/image-9-33.png\")
<\/p>\nRun scrum your way with a flexible framework<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n