Scrum: How Organization Keeps Coders CodingOctober 25th, 2023

At TrueCoders, you'll learn the skills you need to code. But something that gets overlooked is how you'll be coding when you're on the job.

That's where the Scrum Framework comes in. It sounds like something a pirate would drink, but Scrum is actually a task management framework for getting things done.

Scrum has been a staple in the software engineering world for decades – and TrueCoders helps you master it.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is an Agile project management framework designed for managing and completing complex projects. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber initially created it in the early 1990s to improve software development, but has since been applied to a wide range of industries and projects. Some other industries that utilize Scrum are:

• Marketing and Advertising
• Manufacturing
• Healthcare and Research
• Finance and Banking
• Construction
• Engineering

And the name? Not a pirate drink. It comes from the rugby term denoting when the game restarts after a stoppage. The idea behind the name was to convey the importance of teamwork, communication, and adaptability.

The Team

When a group tackles a project using the Scrum framework, they take on specific roles to facilitate Scrum's pipeline.

Here's the general Scrum team makeup:

• Product Owner: The Product Owner represents the needs of the stakeholders and ensures that the Scrum Team is working on the highest priority features and functionality. They create and manage the Product Backlog while working with the team to clarify requirements and ensure that the workflow aligns with the overall project vision.
• Development Team: The Development Team is responsible for delivering a potentially shippable product at the end of each Sprint. The team is typically composed of cross-functional members with different skills and expertise, such as developers, testers, designers, etc. The Development Team self-organizes and collaborates to deliver the product identified in the Sprint Backlog, which is a subset of items from the Product Backlog that the team commits to completing during the current Sprint (more on Sprints in a bit).
• Scrum Master: The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring that the Scrum framework is followed, facilitating Scrum events, and helping the team work effectively and efficiently. They are not a manager but rather a facilitator who works to remove any obstacles that could derail the team. The Scrum Master also helps the team continually improve by facilitating retrospectives at the end of Sprints.

The Game Plan

Scrum follows a very regimented, burst-fire form of project management to keep momentum and deliver results at brisk intervals.

Here's the general flow of a Scrum project:

• Creating a Product Backlog: The Scrum team creates a prioritized list of features and requirements for the product. This may be for the entire product or just a portion of it.
• Sprint Planning: The Scrum team selects a set of features from the Product Backlog to work on during the next sprint. A Sprint is a fixed period of typically two to four weeks. During Sprint Planning, the team also defines the current Sprint's goal and creates a Sprint Backlog, which is a list of tasks to be completed during the Sprint.
• Daily Stand-up: The team holds a daily stand-up meeting where each member gives a brief update on their progress, what they plan to do next, and any obstacles they face.
• Sprint Execution: The development team works on the tasks in the Sprint Backlog, intending to complete all of the tasks by the end of the Sprint. The team collaborates closely during this time to keep everything on track.
• Sprint Review/Retrospective: At the end of the Sprint, the team holds a meeting to demonstrate the working software that was completed during the Sprint to stakeholders/customers. The team also discusses what worked well and what can be improved.
• Product Backlog Refinement: Throughout the project, the Product Owner and development team continue to refine the Product Backlog by adding, removing, or re-prioritizing features and requirements based on feedback and changing business needs.

This process repeats until the project is fully complete.

Scrum Mastery

You need to complete a Scrum Master course and pass a certification exam to officially hold the title of Scrum Master. There are multiple places to attain a certificate, such as Scrum.org. These exams typically cover topics like the Scrum framework, roles and responsibilities, Scrum events and artifacts, and how to apply Scrum in a real-world setting.

The key word here is "officially." Certification isn't required to work as a Scrum Master, and many organizations hire Scrum Masters based on their experience and knowledge rather than certification status. But, if you do decide to get certified, your TrueCoders knowledge will go a long way in preparing you for the task.

Coding Skills / Life Skills

Understanding and utilizing the Scrum framework will help you build up your leadership and teamwork skills, making you a valuable asset to any organization.

And don't forget – this is a skill that keeps on giving. Even if you don't go down a coding path after graduating from TrueCoders, the organizational knowledge that the Scrum framework instills in you can boost your abilities in dozens of fields.

So contact us today and start building up that life-changing toolkit.