The Scrum approach is a general agile method but its focus is on managing iterative development rather than specific agile practices.
• There are three phases in Scrum.
– The initial phase is an outline planning phase where you establish the general objectives for the project and design the software architecture.
– This is followed by a series of sprint cycles, where each cycle develops an increment of the system.
– The project closure phase wraps up the project, completes required documentation such as system help frames and user manuals and assesses the lessons learned from the project.
The Sprint cycle –
• Sprints are fixed length, normally 2–4 weeks. They correspond to the development of a release of the system in XP.
• The starting point for planning is the product backlog, which is the list of work to be done on the project.
• The selection phase involves all of the project team who work with the customer to select the features and functionality to be developed during the sprint.
• Once these are agreed, the team organize themselves to develop the software. During this stage the team is isolated from the customer and the organization, with all communications channeled through the so-called ‘Scrum master’.
• The role of the Scrum master is to protect the development team from external distractions.
• At the end of the sprint, the work done is reviewed and presented to stakeholders. The next sprint cycle then begins.
Scrum benefits –
• The product is broken down into a set of manageable and understandable chunks.
• Unstable requirements do not hold up progress.
• The whole team have visibility of everything and consequently team communication is improved.
• Customers see on-time delivery of increments and gain feedback on how the product works.
• Trust between customers and developers is established and a positive culture is created in which everyone expects the project to succeed.
In Scrum, Team will have daily Stand-up meeting (Small meeting, not more than 15 min)
Here, Each participant answers 3 questions:
1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What will you do today?
3. What will you do today?
These are not status sessions for the manager. They are team member commitments in front of the team