Introduction to Scrum

The concept of scrum came to the IT world from sports, or more precisely from rugby. At the moment, this is one of the more flexible and effective methodologies in software development and support. The Scrum methodology , which is built on the principles of time management, emphasizes quality control of the development process. The essence of the Scrum methodology is that one large task is divided into several small tasks, which are completed one after another in short periods of time.

Distribution of roles in Scrum

Let's look at the structure of the methodology in more detail. So, the main component here is the Scrum team (usually consisting of 7-9 people). This is a group of specialists in various fields, for example, java programmers, testers, analysts, etc. The team is fully involved in product development and is responsible for the result as a whole. There is a product owner (product owner) - a customer or his representative who is interested in a high-quality final product. This person knows how the product should look and work, so he prioritizes tasks for the team. The main difference between a product owner is that he does not work in a team, but with it. A Scrum Master is an experienced employee, a kind of team leader in a team. He organizes other team members, helps them understand unclear issues, holds meetings, and ensures compliance with the Scrum principles. The main point here is that a master is not a synonym for a boss. No, the Scrum Master does not hand out tasks and does not make any final decisions. All this is done by the team members, and the master only supports them.

How Scrum works

The entire software development process is divided into small time periods - sprints. The duration of a sprint can be from a week to a month. At the beginning of each sprint, at a meeting held by the product owner, tasks are set. Next comes the planning. The team selects the most pressing tasks, evaluates what the participants will be able to accomplish within the given time frame, and distributes tasks among the participants. Every working day begins with a scrum (meeting). Each team member answers 3 questions: “What have I already done?”, “What will I do today?”, “What can prevent the task from being completed?” Through these meetings, participants evaluate progress and resolve any difficulties that arise in a timely manner. There is also a closing meeting at the end of the sprint, where each participant reports on their progress or what prevented them from completing certain tasks. Basically they answer 2 questions: “What was done well in the last sprint?”, “What needs to be improved in the next one?”

Pros and cons of the Scrum methodology

The advantages of this methodology are its flexibility and adaptability. You can always change something in a product, add another feature. Scrum is very convenient when the customer himself does not fully know what he wants. Also, this methodology is perfect for large projects that require a quick start with minimal functionality. Thus, it turns out to release the program with the main functions, and with each subsequent sprint add new ones to it. Another advantage of Scrum is the independence and self-organization of each project participant. You can save on a manager and divide the money between team members. But in this case, quite a lot of attention is paid to personnel selection. And the most unpleasant disadvantage of this methodology is uncertainty. The number of sprints is unlimited, so it is difficult to set an end date on a project. Therefore, Scrum is not suitable for projects in which only the final result without intermediate values ​​is important, for example, for government orders or the work of support teams. The self-organization and flexibility of a Java programmer in Scrum is, of course, good, but where would we be without knowledge and practical skills? Do you feel like you're missing it? Then solve problems faster on javarush.ru !