Scrum
Iterative agile framework with sprints, roles, and ceremonies.
Scrum is a lightweight framework for managing complex product development, originated by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber and presented publicly at OOPSLA 1995, drawing inspiration from Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka's 1986 'New New Product Development Game' (Harvard Business Review) which used the rugby term 'scrum' for cross-functional product teams. Scrum prescribes three roles: Product Owner (manages product backlog and value priorities), Scrum Master (facilitates the framework and removes impediments), and Developers (the cross-functional team that builds increments). The work proceeds in time-boxed Sprints (typically 1-4 weeks) producing a potentially shippable Increment at the end. Five events structure the cadence: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and the Sprint itself. Three artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment. The Scrum Guide (Schwaber and Sutherland, multiple revisions, 2010 onward) is the canonical reference. Scrum has become the most widely-adopted agile framework, with substantial commercial certification ecosystem (Scrum.org, Scrum Alliance, Scaled Agile) — and substantial commercialization that critics argue has distorted the framework's original intent.
Core components
- Three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers
- Time-boxed Sprints (typically 1-4 weeks)
- Five events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, Sprint
- Three artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment
- Definition of Done
- Empirical process control (transparency, inspection, adaptation)
- Scrum Values (commitment, focus, openness, respect, courage)
- Increment as potentially shippable product
Primary use case
Software product development, particularly in teams of 3-9 developers; widely-adopted agile framework in technology industry; foundation for many scaled-agile approaches (SAFe, LeSS); basis for Scrum Master and Product Owner certification industry; reference framework in agile coaching and consulting.
Common criticisms
- Commercial certification industry has produced widespread implementations that critics (including Schwaber himself) argue contradict the framework's intent — particularly the use of Scrum as command-and-control disguise rather than empowering self-organization
- Scrum events become ritual rather than functional in many organizations
- Sprint cadence can fragment work that benefits from longer continuous flow (the case for Kanban over Scrum)
- 'Scrum but' anti-patterns (we do Scrum but skip retrospectives, etc.) widespread
- framework's silence on engineering practices means teams often adopt Scrum ceremonies without TDD, CI/CD, or refactoring discipline
- Scrum Master role is often misunderstood as project manager
- cross-functional team requirement is rarely fully satisfied
- pre-Snowbird Scrum and current commercial Scrum differ substantially.
Lineage
- Parent of
- Scrumban, SAFe, LeSS, Spotify Model
- Siblings
- Extreme Programming, The Agile Manifesto, Scrumban, SAFe, LeSS, Spotify Model