What is Scrum in Agile? Are They the Same Concept?

By: Hajime Estanislao, PMP, CSM; Editor: Dr. Michael J. Shick, MSPM, PMP, CSM

Are you confused about which framework or methodology to use to keep your projects on track and adaptable to changing requirements and stakeholder demands? Traditional project management methods might not be enough, leaving teams frustrated and projects derailed. Some solutions can transform your project management approach and lead you to success.

The Scrum Framework and Agile Principles provide just that. These solutions address complex and uncertain modern projects, ensuring your team is focused, motivated, and aligned with your goals.

You will enhance your team’s productivity, deliver high-quality products consistently, and respond to changes swiftly by learning and implementing the Scrum Framework and Agile Principles. You can achieve these outcomes and become equipped with the tools to create a dynamic and resilient project environment and collaboratively improve project team members to contribute to your success.

Don’t let your projects fall victim to outdated approaches. Embrace the Scrum Framework and Agile Principles to elevate your project management adaptability. Dive into this article to understand the Scrum core values and discover how these methodologies transform your approach to project management.

What is the Scrum Framework?

The Scrum Framework is a lightweight set of concepts for managing and completing projects. It emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and iterative progress toward a well-defined goal. Scrum breaks down projects into small, manageable increments within Sprints, which last between two to four weeks.

During each Sprint, cross-functional teams collaborate to deliver a potentially shippable product increment (called a Minimum Viable Product), ensuring continuous improvement and adaptability throughout the project lifecycle. Through open communication, regular feedback, and a focus on delivering value, the Scrum Framework helps teams navigate and respond to changing requirements and priorities.

How is the Scrum Framework Advocating the Agile Principles?

The Agile Principles outlined in the Agile Manifesto guide software development teams to deliver high-quality products efficiently and effectively. These principles emphasize customer collaboration, responsiveness to change, and the continuous delivery of valuable software. The Scrum Framework embodies these principles through its structure, roles, events, and artifacts, integrating Agile values into every aspect of the development process.

Always remember that the Agile Manifesto contributes to the goal of delivering products in software development; however, the thinking should not be limited by the constraint that agile is only for software and information technology. Let the principles of the Agile Methodology reflect the flexibility and transform its application to other industries’ needs.

How Scrum Advocates Agile Principles

Customer Satisfaction

Scrum ensures early and continuous delivery of valuable software through iterative Sprints. The Product Owner works closely with stakeholders to prioritize and refine the Product Backlog, ensuring that the most beneficial features are prioritized.

Embracing Change

Scrum welcomes changing requirements even late in development by allowing adjustments to the Product Backlog at any time. The flexible nature of Sprints enables agile teams to adapt to new information and evolving customer needs.

Frequent Delivery

Scrum teams frequently deliver working software, typically at the end of each Sprint, lasting two to four weeks. This regular delivery cycle aligns with the Agile principle of frequent, short releases.

Collaboration

Daily Scrum meetings facilitate constant communication between businesspeople and developers. The Scrum Master ensures that the team collaborates effectively, breaking down silos and promoting a unified approach to problem-solving.

Motivated Individuals

Scrum builds projects around motivated individuals by cultivating a culture of commitment, respect, and support. The Scrum Master and Product Owner provide the environment and resources needed for the Development Team to succeed.

Face-to-Face Conversation

While Scrum teams may work remotely, the framework emphasizes the importance of daily face-to-face (or virtual) conversations during the Daily Scrum. It ensures clarity and effective communication.

Working Software

The primary measure of progress in Scrum is the delivery of incremental aspects of project requirements. It starts with a potentially shippable product increment delivered at the end of each Sprint. It focuses on working software emphasizing tangible progress.

Sustainable Development

Scrum promotes sustainable and agile development by maintaining a consistent Sprint cadence. Teams are encouraged to work sustainably, avoiding burnout and ensuring long-term productivity.

Technical Excellence

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design is integral to Scrum. Regular Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives provide opportunities to assess and improve the product and the process.

Simplicity

Scrum advocates simplicity by prioritizing the most valuable work and avoiding unnecessary complexity. The Product Backlog is continuously refined to ensure the inclusion of essential features.

Self-Organizing Teams

Scrum empowers Development Teams to be self-organizing. Teams decide how best to accomplish their work, fostering innovation and ownership of the process.

Continuous Improvement

At regular intervals, particularly during Sprint Retrospectives, the Scrum Team reflects on its performance and identifies ways to improve. This continuous improvement cycle ensures that the agile scrum team becomes more effective.

Scrum Values

Commitment – Scrum Team members commit to achieving the goals identified in the Sprint Planning and contributing to the overall project success.
Focus – Teams focus on the work of the Sprint and the goals of the Scrum Team.
Openness – Transparency is vital in Scrum; teams and stakeholders must be open about all aspects of the work and challenges.
Respect – Scrum Team members respect each other’s skills and contributions, building towards a collaborative environment.
Courage – Team members dare to take on tough challenges and make necessary decisions.

Reasons You Need to Know the Scrum Values and Agile Principles

Understanding the Scrum Values and Agile principles is foundational for project managers. These concepts foster a productive and collaborative team culture and enable teams to adapt swiftly to changing requirements, ensuring the continuous delivery of high-quality products. By mastering these principles, project managers and Scrum Masters can lead their teams more effectively, drive innovation, and achieve project outcomes.

Enhances Team Collaboration – Knowledge of these values and principles promotes a culture of openness, respect, and teamwork, which is critical for successful project delivery.
Facilitates Adaptability – Embracing change and focusing on iterative progress allows project managers to better respond to evolving customer needs and market conditions.
Improves Quality – Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design ensures the delivery of high-quality products.
Ensures Customer Satisfaction – Regular delivery of valuable software and close collaboration with stakeholders lead to higher customer satisfaction.
Promotes Sustainable Practices – Adhering to these values and principles helps maintain a sustainable pace of work, preventing burnout and ensuring long-term productivity.
Drives Continuous Improvement – Regular reflection and adaptation enable teams to improve processes and outcomes.
Builds Trust – Commitment, transparency, and respect within the team build trust, enhancing overall project success.
Supports Effective Decision-Making – With a clear understanding of these principles, project managers can make informed decisions that align with agile methodologies and project goals.

Understand the Scrum Core Values

The Scrum Framework is supported by the five values that guide the behavior and decisions of Scrum teams. These values are essential for a collaborative and productive environment, ensuring teams can work together to achieve their goals.

Commitment

Commitment in Scrum means that team members are dedicated to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team. Each member takes responsibility for their tasks; on the other hand, the Scrum project team works diligently to complete them within the agreed-upon time frame:

A team member commits to completing a specific feature during the Sprint and consistently communicates progress and any challenges, ensuring the team can address issues promptly.
The entire team commits to the Sprint Goal with a focus of their efforts on delivering a cohesive product increment, which enhances overall project success and stakeholder satisfaction.

Focus

Focus on Scrum is about dedicating all efforts to the Sprint Goal and the tasks. This value ensures that the team concentrates on what is important and avoids distractions:

During a Sprint, the team prioritizes tasks that directly contribute to the Sprint Goal, avoiding unrelated activities that could dilute their efforts and delay progress.
Project managers schedule Daily Scrums to keep the team aligned and focused, allowing quick adjustments and maintaining momentum toward the Sprint objectives.

Openness

Openness in Scrum encourages transparency and honesty among team members and stakeholders. It involves sharing information, progress, and challenges openly to build and sustain trust and effective collaboration:

Team members openly discuss any obstacles they face during the Daily Scrum, allowing the team to collaborate and find solutions while maintaining progress.
The Product Owner regularly updates stakeholders on the status, providing clear insights into progress and any changes, ensuring alignment and trust.

Respect

Respect in Scrum is about recognizing and valuing each team member’s contributions and perspectives. It involves treating everyone with dignity and promoting a supportive and inclusive environment:

Team members listen actively during meetings, valuing inputs and leveraging diverse perspectives to enhance decision-making and innovation.
Project managers acknowledge team members’ efforts and achievements, boosting morale and encouraging a positive and collaborative team culture.

Courage

Courage in Scrum involves taking steps and making tough decisions when necessary. It requires team members to tackle challenging tasks and speak up when they identify issues or opportunities for improvement:

A team member identifies a potential risk that could affect the success and dares to raise it with the team, leading to proactive mitigation strategies.
The Scrum Master encourages the team to experiment with a new technology or process despite initial uncertainties, fostering innovation and continuous improvement.

Key Considerations for Successfully Transforming Your Project Management Capabilities

Successfully transforming your project management capabilities requires a thoughtful approach beyond adopting new methodologies. It is relevant to tailor-fit and customize the Scrum Framework and Agile practices to fit the unique organizational and project needs. It involves understanding specific challenges and team goals and adapting the framework to address them effectively.

Remember, one size does not fit all; flexibility and adaptability are pillars to ensuring that the chosen methodologies enhance, rather than hinder, your project outcomes.

Expanding your toolkit is another aspect of transformation. While Scrum provides a robust framework, integrating other Agile methodologies, tools, and techniques can offer additional benefits. For instance, incorporating Kanban for visualizing workflow, Lean for optimizing processes, or Extreme Programming (XP) for improving software quality can complement Scrum practices and provide a more comprehensive approach to project management. A diverse toolkit allows you to tackle a broader range of challenges and improves your ability to deliver value consistently.

The ultimate goal is project excellence. This involves building, promoting, and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging innovation, and maintaining a relentless focus on delivering value to customers.

By embracing the core values of Scrum: commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage, and aligning them with Agile principles, you can create a high-performing agile team that meets project expectations. Strive for excellence by continuously reflecting on your practices, seeking feedback, and making incremental improvements to drive success.

Taking it to the Next Level: Going Adaptive!

To elevate your project management capabilities, consider adopting an adaptive approach that goes beyond the traditional scope of the Scrum Framework, Agile software development methodologies, or traditional project management techniques. Adaptive project management emphasizes flexibility, continuous learning, and responsiveness to change, making it particularly effective in environments with high uncertainty or evolving requirements.

One way to do this is to integrate real-time data and feedback loops into your project management processes. This involves using analytics and monitoring tools to track project progress, identify potential issues early, and make informed decisions promptly. Leverage data-driven insights to adjust your plans and strategies dynamically, ensuring that your projects remain on track and aligned with stakeholder expectations.

Always promote and cultivate a culture of experimentation and innovation. Encourage your team to try new approaches, learn from failures, and iterate quickly. It enhances problem-solving capabilities and drives continuous improvement and innovation.

Regularly reviewing and refining your project management practices based on lessons learned will make your team agile, resilient, and capable of thriving in a changing environment.

Final Thoughts: The Lightweight Framework for Everyone

The Scrum Framework and Agile Principles offer a powerful, lightweight approach to managing and delivering projects. Although the two concepts are similar, they are not the same.

Understand the two concepts and start implementing them. Guided by the Scrum Values and Agile Principles, you are encouraged to deliver project requirements with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, adaptability, and continuous improvement. It ensures that teams can respond effectively to changing requirements and deliver high-quality products consistently.

Learning and embracing these methodologies enhances your project management capabilities and drives innovation, efficiency, and excellence in your projects. Whether you are a new or experienced project manager, mastering the Scrum Framework and Agile Principles equips you with the tools and mindset needed to navigate challenges and achieve outstanding results.