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Is Scrum Of Any Real Use To Teams?
Scrum methodology

Is Scrum Of Any Real Use To Teams?

By Trina M.
Scrum methodology
It’s that easy & useful

You are no big shot project manager with a plethora of fancy certifications. You do not understand the brouhaha about the PRINCE or the Waterfall model. Simply contemplating the jargon makes you woozy.

So let me ask you…can the exalted SCRUM ever be of use to you? Or are you forever relegated to the woods seeing happy PMs discuss SCRUM and agile, throwing pitying glances your way?

If this is you, then read on. Because the disparity is going to disappear and things are about to change!

But before we proceed any further, a little house-keeping is in order. This article is the second installment of the Management Monday series “How to be an agile project manager”.

 

 

SCRUM IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:

The sad part of the hype around SCRUM is the fact that it has needlessly complicated a beautifully logical and robust way of managing a project and seeing returns in the midst of chaos and changes.

To dispel some myths, let’s take a quick look at SCRUM and strip it of its intimidating rep.

  • SCRUM is a way to continuously build upon a basic foundation so that the end product (or let’s call it deliverable because SCRUM is great for developing ideas and methods as well) satisfies the product owner (the client) and the stakeholders (the people who have invested money in your venture and thus are affected by the outcome of each project you undertake)

 

  • A SCRUM team comprises of the:
  1. Product owner/client – Who commissions your company the project in question, gives you a list of features needed in the deliverable and collaborates with you to decide the trajectory of the progress of the project.
  2. The Scrum Master – An accountability partner! That’s the simplest way to describe the role of a Master. He or she is an individual who acts as the conscience and judgment of the team, keeping an eye on the work done and suggesting strategies to overcome obstacles. The SCRUM master in most cases is an experienced individual with vast industry knowledge.
  3. The Development Team – Development doesn’t necessarily mean squiggly code. Even if you are an ad agency with dedicated teams for each account, it is likely to “develop” creative assets like campaign copy and images all day long. The development team may have a designated leader or as in most cases may function independently, staying accountable to the SCRUM master.

 

  • The SCRUM approach is extremely thoughtful and a great mix of team work, unstilted collaboration and discipline. It’s like allowing a group of kids to run wild in a well-padded room devoid of sharp objects and toxic substances. The natural flow and spontaneity of the kids are not hampered. But they are protected from all foreseen dangers and possible injuries. Similarly the Development Team takes the initiative, innovates on the fly and brain storms without the restriction of a “detailed to the minute” project plan. But at the same time the end deliverable is very well defined and their actions are closely monitored for effectiveness by the SCRUM master.

 

It’s starting to look like fair game now right?

 

 

HOW SCRUM MAKES YOU POWERFUL: FOR THE LAYMAN

Well, why would you waste even 60 seconds consuming information that may potentially be worthless to you? We at Workzone value your time and assure you than in 60 seconds more you will walk away with at least one epiphany regarding the management of your in-house projects.

SCRUM has been inflated with research and literature till it resembles preliminary rocket science. The truth couldn’t be more different. SCRUM as a method is intuitive. Its basic premise is something any logical, experienced individual faced with the issue of delayed projects and deliverable failures can derive empirically.

  • SCRUM is especially useful for companies which juggle several clients and accounts. Each account can be awarded a dedicated team and an experienced SCRUM master who can collect progress reports from the team lead, collate them, guide the team and present the findings to the management.

 

  • SCRUM is agile in nature. Simply put, it allows teams flexibility and thus gives them the permission to exercise their knowledge and intelligence. Project Management is not an alien discipline. At its core it is very much the fruit of the wanderer-hunter -gatherer human mind.

 

  • SCRUM works on the tenet of moderated independence. Teams work within well-defined boundaries but are not chained to a rigid project plan that ticks away like a bomb set for failure. As more and more trend changes sweep the market, no industry can afford to stubbornly stick to tried and tested.

 

  • Last but not the least, SCRUM is forgiving. Since the client is in on the development process and his feedback is incorporated at the end of each iterative cycle (sprint), it is very easy to spot a project that can’t deliver an end product par expectation. It means that the client can pull back with minimum financial damage and you can enjoy the same luxury with respect to time and efforts.

 

It doesn’t matter which industry you hail from or the department you are heading, organized thinking and canny management of resources is an essential skill. SCRUM is a framework (mind you not a methodology) which can help you accomplish just that. Nothing more and nothing less!

Next week we wrap up our agile series with a project management cheat sheet you can’t afford to miss.

 

 

Image credit: Freedigitalphotos.net