An overview of key Scrum concepts, roles, terms, and processes within the Scrum Framework
6 min readOct 13, 2024
Scrum Process
- Scrum organizes product development into short iterations called Sprints. Each Sprint is a time-boxed effort, usually lasting 1–4 weeks, during which the Scrum team executes, reviews, and delivers value incrementally towards the end goal.
- Scrum emphasizes iterative development, where each Sprint results in a potentially releasable product increment. The goal is continuous improvement through adaptive planning and regular feedback.
2. Task Size
- Tasks can vary in size but should always be manageable within the duration of a Sprint. Large tasks, known as Epics, should be broken down into smaller, more manageable User Stories.
- By limiting task size, teams reduce complexity and ensure progress within the defined Sprint time-box. Breaking Epics into multiple User Stories helps teams maintain focus and achieve incremental progress, making it easier to track and complete work.
3. Task Assignment
- Team members self-assign tasks by pulling from the Sprint Backlog, which contains tasks planned for the Sprint.
- This practice of self-organization empowers teams, fostering ownership and accountability for task completion.
4. New Tasks in Sprint
- Once a Sprint starts, no new tasks can be added until the next Sprint begins.
- This rule enforces the stability of the Sprint and encourages focus on completing committed tasks, minimizing scope creep and distractions. It ensures the team stays aligned with the Sprint Goal, allowing them to focus solely on delivering the intended value within the Sprint.
5. Scrum Roles
- Product Owner (PO): Represents the client’s interests, prioritizes the Product Backlog, and ensures that the team works on the most valuable tasks. The core responsibility is communication. The key skills include strong communication abilities, a deep understanding of all types of user requirements, and the ability to clearly convey these requirements to developers to ensure that the product being built aligns with user needs and business objectives.
- Developers: A cross-functional group responsible for delivering value by organizing itself around the Sprint goal. Their core responsibility is delivering value. Developers work collaboratively to design, build, and test the product increments, ensuring that the functionality meets the Product Owner’s requirements and adheres to the team’s Definition of Done.
- Scrum Master (SM): Facilitates the Scrum process, ensuring that the Scrum framework is applied effectively and that obstacles are removed. Their core responsibility is the Scrum application. The Scrum Master acts as a coach for the team, helping them improve processes, promoting collaboration, and ensuring that the team remains focused on achieving the Sprint goal while adhering to Scrum principles. The clear division of roles in Scrum helps streamline responsibility, communication, and team efficiency, ensuring focus on delivering value within Sprint.
6. Sprints (Iterations)
- Scrum iterations are called Sprints, typically lasting between 1–4 weeks. Each Sprint ends with a Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective meetings. The Sprint length is short enough to allow for adaptability but long enough to produce meaningful progress. Regular reviews foster continuous improvement.
- The purpose of the Sprint is to deliver a potentially shippable product increment while working toward a clearly defined Sprint Goal, which provides the team with a focused objective to achieve by the end of the Sprint.
7. Estimation
- Teams estimate task sizes during Sprint Planning, using either hours or Story Points to measure effort. Story Points are a relative measure used in Agile to estimate the effort required to complete tasks, focusing on complexity and uncertainty rather than just time.
- Estimating task sizes helps the team understand the scope of work for the upcoming Sprint, facilitates better planning, and allows for a more accurate assessment of capacity and progress throughout the Sprint.
8. Scrum Events (Meetings)
- Sprint: A time-boxed iteration (1–4 weeks) in which the Scrum team develops a potentially releasable product increment.
- Sprint Planning: An 8-hour session where the PO and Scrum Team define the goals and work for the upcoming Sprint.
- Daily Scrum: A 15-minute daily standup where team members discuss progress and obstacles.
- Sprint Review: A 4-hour meeting for stakeholders and team members to review what was accomplished during the Sprint and gather feedback.
- Sprint Retrospective: A 3-hour session where the Scrum team reflects on the Sprint and identifies ways to improve the process.
These time-boxed Scrum events (meetings) are designed to improve communication, accountability, and adaptability, aligning the team with the Sprint goals and ensuring incremental progress.
9. Scrum Board
Scrum board typically consists of four sections:
- Product Backlog: User Stories prioritized for future Sprints.
- Sprint Backlog: Tasks planned for the current Sprint.
- Doing: Tasks in progress.
- Done: Completed tasks.
A visual representation of the board helps track progress, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the Sprint.
10. Scrum Terms
- Product Backlog: The first column on the board holding prioritized features or epics. The PO is responsible for managing and curating this list.
- Sprint Backlog: The second column contains tasks planned for the current Sprint, managed by the Scrum team.
- User Story: A short description of a feature from a client’s perspective (e.g., “As a [user], I want to [action], so that [benefit]”). Learn User Stories.
- Epic: A large feature or task that requires multiple Sprints to complete. Typically broken down into smaller User Stories. (Also included in the USM course)
- Story Point: A unit used to estimate the effort or time required to complete a task.
- Burndown Chart: A graphical representation showing how much work remains in the Sprint over time, helping to visualize progress. (Learn more)
Learn more Scrum terms in the Scrum Glossary. These terms are essential to understanding Scrum’s workflow and how progress is tracked and managed.
11. Scope Limits
- The scope of work the team can commit to is constrained by the Sprint duration.
- Scrum’s time-boxing feature ensures that work remains focused, helping teams avoid overcommitting or under-delivering during a Sprint.
- This limitation encourages the team to prioritize their work effectively, ensuring that they deliver high-quality increments that align with the Sprint Goal while maintaining a sustainable pace.
12. Prioritization
- The Product Backlog is used to prioritize work, ensuring the team focuses on high-value items first.
- Regular backlog grooming sessions help the PO refine priorities, adjusting to changes in stakeholder needs or project scope.
- This process ensures that the team consistently delivers the most valuable features and enhancements, maximizing the return on investment and aligning development efforts with business objectives.
13. Resources
- Scrum Master Starter Kit — Your all-in-one guide to becoming a certified Scrum Master. Includes comprehensive study materials, practice tests, workshops, and expert tips. Master Scrum fundamentals and excel in your Agile career.
- User Story Minicourse — Unlock the power of user stories to boost productivity, streamline development, and deliver real value to your users.
- User Requirements Course — Extract and articulate user requirements with precision,
- resulting in superior and innovative products that drive user satisfaction
- Agile and Scrum Blueprint — Instantly access the tools, skills, and confidence for a successful transition — no experience needed! Secure your future in this high-demand field with our beginner-friendly Course.
14. Aboth the author — Need more info?
Hi, I’m Dejan Majkic, an experienced IT professional with over 70 certificates from renowned institutions like Scrum.org and SAFe. I have a Master’s in Computer Science and Information Technologies and have worked in various roles across private and public sector companies, including founding several startups. More info about me.
Do you need more information about what would be a good fit for you? Please write me an email with your concerns.
Dejan Majkic | MA in CS&IT
Scrum Master | Product Owner | Teacher
dejan{at}whatisscrum.org
www.whatisscrum.org
