Working according to the scrum methodology

Scrum is an organized way of working to quickly and productively realize a project. This is done in a team; usually between 4 and 8 people. Through Scrum you work flexibly and you are open to new insights. At the beginning, goals are set that must be achieved. These goals can be anything. From designing a car, to developing a new strategy and to developing new software.

The roles of the scrum methodology

1. Scrum team (a self-organizing team, each with its own specialty)
2. Product owner (a committed client for the product)
3. Scrum master. (a committed team leader who allows the team to perform optimally)
4. Stakeholders (Persons who are involved in the project and have a say during the review of the product)

The course of the scrum session

1. Sprint planning (parts of the project will be worked out in a short period of time)
2. Stand up (each day the team takes 15 minutes to discuss the progress of the project and to see if anything is encountered.
3. Review (The delivery and presentation of the product, and any feedback from stakeholders)
4. Retrospective (The team looks at how it performed and how the process can be improved)

What do you determine in advance of the scrum session

1. All features and requirements that the product must meet
2. All tasks that need to be completed to make the product a success
3. All criteria to determine whether the product has passed at the end of the sprint

How do you work during the scrum session

• You use a board on which you create three categories: To do, busy and done. For example, on this board you use post-its that you take from one category to the next. For example, you grab a post-i from to do, paste it to busy when you're working on it, and paste it to done when you've finished the task.
• You constantly reflect on what you are doing, and what the ideal solutions are to make the product succeed. Do you come up with a better idea than previously determined? Then you move on to the better idea. Nothing is set in stone. With your team you work towards the ideal product, and that product gradually develops.

The pitfalls of the scrum methodology

As usual, there are never just benefits. Working in scrum also has its pitfalls:

• By being so focused on getting a product finished quickly, the eye for quality and sustainability can be lost. When you are constantly updating your product, there is less room to test the product properly. Then 'coming up with new ideas' may become more important than delivering a product that essentially works well.
• The idea that each time someone else is the leader works very well in a very close-knit team. However, when a leader joins from another department, or with a different type of function, it can cause friction. The most important thing is that a feeling and synergy is created in the team. Achieving that synergy can be tricky when not everyone is on the team in the same way.

These pitfalls can of course be avoided. When you have mastered scrum working, it can be an extremely effective means to achieve better and faster results with projects.