What is Scrum Project Management?
Project success requires more than just good project management. The ultimate success or failure of a project depends on the way they are managed and led. To ensure that your project is a success, project managers need to choose a suitable project management methodology. Scrum Project Management is the right methodology for projects that deliver high-quality products in the shortest amount of time while continuously adapting to change. “Sprint” are short iterations that take place in scrum project management. Scrum project management is an agile methodology that involves collaborating with cross-functional teams.
- Choosing the right project management methodology will maximize efficiency and will get the most out of the project team.
- Before you choose the well-suited methodology, you need to consider not only the size of your team but also their experience and what worked and didn’t work in the past.
Scrum Project Management Methodology
Scrum is one of the most popular agile-based project management methodology and it’s used to develop complex systems and products. To better understand scrum project management you need to keep in mind that Agile is not really a framework or even a software; Agile a set of principles that support the continuous evolution of project methods – one of those methods is scrum.
- The main application of scrum is done in the development of complex systems and products.
- Scrum project management is mainly based on the “do, check and adapt” principle to ensure optimum productivity and results in greater control over any risks that may arise.
- The main idea behind scrum project management is that you give end-users exactly what they want.
Sprint Project Management
When talking about scrum project management, it is almost impossible not to refer to sprints. Sprint may be referred as “continuous feedback and iterations” and it is defined as: “A period of time to complete and review a certain task or activity”.
- The sprint project management begins with a meeting where the customer and the project team discuss the work that needs to be completed.
- At this point, the project team will need to determine how much time they need to complete the work while the customer needs to point out the type of work that needs to be completed.
Understanding Sprint Duration
Sprint in project management is meant to be short but regular cycles of no more than four weeks for which a significant product increment is expected to be presented.
- While every sprint duration is different, they should be kept consistent.
- On most occasions, each sprint will usually last 30 days.
- Daily stand up meetings are held to ponder the project’s progress and to make decisions and face challenges.
- While the customer can attend these meetings, he can only observe them but never interfere.
Scrum project management is an important project management methodology, which is covered in the project management certification, postgraduate diploma in project management, and online Master’s degree in project management programs. AIMS designed these programs to develop project management expertise in professionals seeking career growth.
Key Benefits of Scrum Project Management
1. Everyone Know What To Do All The Time
In Scrum project management, team members know exactly what to do, and any question can be answered immediately during the next project management sprint.
2. Easy Integration Of Feedback From Customers
Since the scrum project management is flexible and agile, you can easily incorporate feedback from customers at any point.
3. Smaller Tasks
Most projects tend to include big tasks that are difficult to complete. When you use scrum project management, you can divide these into smaller tasks that are not only easier to manage but also to complete.
4. Continuous Testing
No matter what you are producing, you can test it during the creation phase.
Scrum Project Management VS Sprint
Scrum project management and sprint are closely related, however, they have distinct roles and characteristics, which are given below:
| Scrum VS. Sprint: What’s the Difference? | |
|---|---|
| Scrum project management is a methodology or framework. It embodies an iterative and incremental approach. | Sprint is a specific time-boxed period integral to the Scrum project management methodology, where certain milestones or tasks are accomplished. |
| Scrum is applied to the entire project. It encompasses specific roles, meetings, and outputs. | Sprint is an individual iteration that defines duration and goal. |
| The primary objective of the scrum project management methodology is to enhance team productivity and deliver high-quality products. | Sprint’s purpose is to break the scrum project into manageable chunks, which allows regular reviews, adjustments, and progress tracking. |
| Scrum project management is a consistent approach throughout a project’s lifecycle. | Sprints occur multiple times within the scrum based project. |
4 Stages of a Scrum Project Management Methodology
The Scrum Sprint process is divided into four key stages:
Stage 1: SPRINT PLANNING
- Sprint Planning is the inaugural stage where the Scrum project management team collaboratively decides on the work that will be accomplished during the sprint.
- The highest priority items from the product backlog are chosen, and the project manager determines how many they can complete within the sprint duration.
Stage 2: SPRINT EXECUTION
- This stage focuses on sprint execution and completion.
- Daily stand-up meetings are conducted to monitor progress on sprint and address any potential issues promptly.
Stage 3: SPRINT REVIEW
- This is the assessment phase at the end of the sprint where the team presents the completed work to the stakeholders.
- Feedback on sprint completion is collected, changes are suggested, and any incomplete tasks are returned to the product backlog for inclusion in future sprints.
Stage 4: SPRINT RETROSPECTIVE
- The final stage of the scrum project management phase involves a focus on continuous improvement, where the project team discusses: What went well, What could be improved, and How to implement potential enhancements in future sprints.
- This stage confirms the Scrum project management methodology’s commitment to incremental progress.
How to Implement the Scrum Project Management Methodology?
Implementing the Scrum project management management requires clear understanding and commitment from the entire project team. This methodology may be implemented using the following steps:
- Understand the Scrum Principles, such as roles, artifacts, and events.
- Assemble the Scrum Team, which typically consists of a Product Owner, a Scrum Master, and the Development Team.
- Product Owner Creates the Product Backlog, and prioritized list of functions, requirements, enhancements, and fixes for the product.
- Team Plans the Sprint and determines which items from the product backlog to work on during the sprint.
- Execute the Sprint decided in the sprint planning and conduct daily Scrum meetings to track progress and address any issues.
- Review the Sprint at the end of the sprint and adjust the product backlog if necessary.
- Team holds a Retrospective Meeting to discuss and analyze each important sprint.
It is also important to note that:
- In Scrum project management, each cycle brings a product increment to the project closer to its final goal.
- Scrum thrives on transparency, inspection, and adaptation, making it a powerful tool in sprint project management.
Examples of Scrum Project Management
EXAMPLE # 1: Software Development
- A tech company is working on a new mobile application.
- Role of project manager is to organize software development work into a backlog, prioritize tasks, and generate sprints.
- Progress at the end of each cycle is shared with stakeholders.
EXAMPLE # 2: Marketing Campaigns
- A marketing team at a retail company is launching a new product line.
- Project manager will split the campaign elements like advertisement design, copywriting, and multimedia content into sprints.
- Team members work in short sprints to quickly adapt to market responses and iterate their strategy for maximum impact.
Scrum Project Management Tools
Several tools are used to manage scrum project management. They include:
Wrapping Up
- By following the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, scrum project management teams can efficiently and timely deliver high-quality products.
- The flexibility and collaboration fostered by the scum methodology make it a popular choice for project management in various industries.
- Scrum Project Management and Sprint have revolutionized project management and helped projects with specific objectives achieve their goals more effectively.