Anyone who frequently carries out complex projects has certainly heard of Scrum. Scrum is a tool from agile project management that was originally used in software development. Today, Scrum has a raison d'être in every professional field. But it requires a certain know-how and discipline, because only those who stick to the individual predefined steps and roles will be able to work successfully with Scrum in the end.

Scrum in a Nutshell – Simply explained for beginners

You may have heard the term Scrum before. Roughly speaking, it is a method for approaching, planning, structuring and implementing projects in a meaningful way, learning from each project step and deriving meaningful actions from it.

Scrum is based on the premise that a project can be better implemented if it is divided into several steps (so-called sprints), which always last exactly 4 weeks.

In Scrum, there are a total of 3 process participants: the product owner, with a clear product vision, the Scrum master, who takes over the coordination and management tasks, ensures the correct process, but is not authorised to give instructions, and the project team for the implementation of the individual project steps within the sprints.

The following product development activities take place within the sprint:

1. In order to plan the work in a sprint, Scrum has an event called sprint planning.
   Sprint planning deals with 2 central questions:
   What do we want to create in this sprint?
   How concretely will this work be implemented?
   The product owner is responsible for the product and sorts all requirements into a so-called product backlog. This is a list of all current requirements for the project and which steps are to be implemented.
2. Within the sprint planning, the development team looks at the list and estimates how many elements it can achieve. They also consider how they can implement these requirements in concrete terms. This results in the development team's product backlog.
3. Then a sprint goal is set with the product owner to help keep the focus.
4. While the development team is doing the work, they meet daily at the same time each day for the Daily Scrum to clarify the following questions about the sprint goal:
   What did I do yesterday for the sprint goal?
   What will I do today to achieve the sprint goal?
   Where do I see the sprint goal at risk?
   It is important and makes sense to document the progress made
5. When the sprint comes to an end, the next step is the product increment. This refers to a partial product of what is being developed. This is presented to the customer, users or other participants. This event is called a sprint review.

Process review is the be-all and end-all of Scrum

After each sprint, the team looks together at how the previous sprint went and what improvement measures the individual participants can come up with. In order to keep the focus on several ideas for improvement and not to overwhelm the team members, one measure is determined that is then taken to the next sprint.

Is Scrum complicated?

As you can see, Scrum involves some important steps, rules and also a certain number of team members. Since Scrum is a complex construct, in large companies there are usually employees specifically employed as Scrum Masters who are only responsible for monitoring the process. Freelancers are also often used here, who have the advantage of a neutral view of what is happening.

Once the process has been internalised and the team is well-rehearsed, Scrum is basically not complicated. Nevertheless, the time it takes to train all participants should not be underestimated. In addition, a large portion of discipline is required to ensure that the process leads to success.

The advantages and disadvantages of Scrum

If you are not sure whether Scrum is suitable for you and your team, a look at the advantages and disadvantages of Scrum will certainly help you:

The advantages of Scrum

• Once the process is internalised it works easily and quickly
• There is a clear allocation of roles
• High transparency
• Thanks to the sprint review and regular agreements, Scrum can still be flexibly adapted to every product and allows for permanent learning (continuous improvement process).
• Scrum is a particularly structured approach
• It can be used individually

The disadvantages of Scrum

• The strict distribution of roles can lead to role conflicts
• There is no guarantee of success
• Conflicts may arise within the plan if goals are not achieved
• High communication and coordination costs
• Potential incompatibility with existing company structures

Is Scrum worthwhile for my team?

That can't be said as a general rule. Even though the preliminary work should not be underestimated, you should give it a try. If Scrum is not suitable for your project or team, you can at least adapt some elements of it and use them for your project planning in the future. And maybe you will discover hidden talents of your employees or colleagues in the process.