What is meant by Scrum? What are principles of scrum?

You must have heard about the scrum being a very popular and good agile software development process. In this article we shall be discussing about the scrum and the principles it follows in short. 

"The scrum under the context of the agile development has been defined as an iterative and incremental method that follows agile principles and rules for the management of the software products and projects and applications".

Stages through a Scrum Process

Before we discuss more about the scrum methodology let us see what all are the various stages that are followed through a scrum process:

1. Product back log items
2. Sprint back log
3. Sprint (from a few weeks to months)
4. Working increment of the software

Roles involved in Scrum Methodology

- The scrum methodology was developed as an approach that would support commercial product development with increased speed and flexibility.

- Earlier, the scrum methodology was known as the rugby approach. 

- The scrum follows a set of methods and involves some predefined roles. 

- First we shall mention the predefined roles involved in the scrum:

1. The development Team: The scrum development team has been recognized as a self organizing and cross functional team that is responsible for the actual analysis, implementation, design and testing etc.
2. The Product Owner: In the scrum development the customer is said to be the rightful owner of the software product. But, in some cases this role may represent all the business people and the stake holders.
3. The Scrum Master: As the role itself suggests, the scrum master is responsible for:

 (i)   ensuring that the scrum discipline is maintained throughout the process,

(ii)  protecting the development team against the disruption,

(iii) removing the impediments and so on.

- Unlike the other agile software development methodologies, the scrum iterations have got a name which is “sprint”. 

- Many sprints or iterations together make up a complete scrum cycle. 

- The above mentioned three roles are known as the core roles of the scrum development.

- There are certain other roles that are called the ancillary roles and have been mentioned below:

1. Managers: They are held responsible for the management of the development environment.
2. Stake holders: It includes the customers and the vendors also. Stake holders include all the people for whom the project is developed. They have direct involvement in the development of the software project.

- The above mentioned ancillary roles have got no formal role in the development process as to say. 

Over the years the scrum has been effectively put in use for the development and management of the software projects that have to be developed according to the agile principles. 

The scrum has also been a centre for most of the controversy because of its proposed conventional ideas about the traditional project management practices. 

What are certain artifacts associated with scrum?

- Scrum practices come in to play when it becomes difficult to move ahead with the other development methodologies. 

- The scrum has come to represent an overall new approach radical in nature for the planning and management of the projects. 

- It has brought the operation properties and the certainties and the decision making authority all at the same level. 

- Following the principles of the agile manifesto, for the scrum development also daily scrum meetings are held known as the daily stand ups. 

- There are certain artifacts associated with the scrum development as mentioned below:

1. Sprint burn down chart: This chart represents the progress made in a particular sprint against the length of the sprint.
2. Product back log: This log consists of the high level requirements that have been prioritized by the customer.
3. Sprint back log: This log consists of the tasks that have been prioritized by the development team and have to be completed in that particular sprint.