Scrum methodology, this approach is the ideal model for full team interaction. It entails regular monitoring of the work process, which allows you to assess the effectiveness of your efforts, determine the best course of action, and solve problems with less effort. At the same time, flexibility is the foundation of scrum planning. You can always introduce new ideas and make necessary changes.
Scrum is required for work planning, workflow system organisation, responsibility development, and team self-organization. The methodology allows for easy adaptation to changing environmental factors and continuous learning.
Scrum is an ideal approach for implementing an idea in software development because it allows for the creation of work without a specific step-by-step plan at the outset. The team gradually eliminates uncertainty, selects a course of further work, and assesses the benefits of its efforts. Unlike the waterfall development method, the process is faster, less expensive, and easily adaptable to customer needs.
If you decide to use Scrum, you will need a special service that allows you to track the progress of tasks during a sprint. Jira, and Trello are the most popular.
In any of them you can:
- Set tasks for the current sprint;
- Change their statuses;
- Distribute tasks among people;
- Write comments to tasks;
- Visualize the progress of the sprint, etc.
However, in addition to tools, it is critical to train employees. If the organisation as a whole has a lot of bureaucracy, micromanagement, and hard leadership, implementing Agile principles in one team will not work. After all, time will be spent on lengthy departmental coordination and report preparation, and senior managers will strive to constantly regulate teamwork and intervene in minor processes. As a result, before implementing a new work method, ensure that the organisation as a whole is ready for it. Otherwise, there will be no discernible difference between Scrum work and non-Scrum work.
Test the new methodology on one of your products if you have several. And it's even better if it's not the one that accounts for majority of your profit. If you switch to new work standards suddenly, something will undoubtedly go wrong at first. And you probably don't want to hurt the company's bottom line.
Is Scrum appropriate for you?
Scrum is not required for companies that create a typical product with no uncertainties. After all, the overall goal of this methodology is to collect feedback, continuously improve processes, and make product changes. Because it is unknown how the final users will perceive it in the early stages. And if everything is predictable and understandable, there is no reason to waste time and money introducing a new method that involves rather specific processes.
This methodology is appropriate for teams that are ready to collaborate on the product and take responsibility, rather than waiting for the boss to ask if the task is complete. Scrum will be easier to implement if the company already practises soft leadership. It would be difficult to provide a list of specific areas where Scrum is advised to be used. It was previously used primarily in information technology, but it is now used in marketing, education, retail, and among other industries.
Scrum can be difficult to learn, especially if the development team is used to the traditional waterfall model. The new team must select a scrum master and become acquainted with the world of short iterations, daily scrum meetings, and sprint reviews. This has the potential to be a major upheaval.
However, the long-term benefits outweigh the inconvenience of learning new principles. Scrum has been used successfully to develop complex hardware and software in a wide range of industries and vertical markets. This is a compelling case for implementing the methodology within the organisation.
