Scrum was originally designed for software development teams, but it has since spread to many other fields, including marketing and Project Management. 

In this post, we’ll explain the basics every Scrum newbie needs to know, including what Scrum methodology is and how to implement it. 

What is Scrum Methodology 

According to Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, who developed Scrum and the Scrum Guide, Scrum is defined as a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value. 

Scrum is an agile project management methodology and is the most widely used Agile methodology in the world of software development. It focuses on developing new software capability through 2 to 4 week sprints. During the sprints, the Scrum team focuses on developing the most important features first in order to come up with a potentially shippable product. Considering the customer feedback and stakeholder requirements, the rest of the features will be worked on during the subsequent sprints. 

The Scrum methodology promotes teamwork, accountability, clear common goals, and continuous improvement of the product as well as that of the team, and the working environment. 

It’s ideally used in projects with requirements that change frequently. Scrum is both iterative and incremental and helps deliver functional products more frequently. 

Benefits of the Scrum methodology include: 

Faster development of quality products 

Increased return on investment and lower costs 

Decrease in time to market 

Increased customer satisfaction 

More motivated, productive and happier employees 

Reduced risk rate 

Now that we know what Scrum methodology is and why it’s beneficial, let’s look at the different components of Scrum. These include Scrum roles, events, and artefacts. 

Scrum Roles 

Scrum roles include the Scrum master, product owner, and the development team. Together they make up the Scrum team, which is cross-functional and self-organising. This means their decisions are not controlled by anyone outside the team. 

Product Owner 

This is the project’s key stakeholder. He or she is accountable for managing the product backlog. The product owner is also responsible for maximising the value of the product, which the development team is working on. 

Scrum Master 

While the Scrum Master doesn’t have authority over the development team, he or she should make sure that the team adheres to the Scrum theory, rules, and values. The Scrum Master acts as a servant leader to the development team and the product owner. A facilitator, the Scrum Master helps the Scrum team do their best. 

Development Team 

The development team, being self-organising and cross-functional, has all the skills necessary to deliver a “potentially releasable increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint”. The team members hold no titles, and no one, including the Scrum Master, tells them “how to turn Product Backlog into increments of potentially releasable functionality.” 

Scrum Artifacts 

There are 3 Scrum artefacts, and they are there to help improve the transparency of important information that the Scrum team and stakeholders need to know. These are:

Product Backlog 

Sprint Backlog 

Increment 

Sprint Retrospective 

Sprint Retrospective refers to the final meeting in the Sprint where the Scrum team gets together to discuss what went well or wrong with regard to people, processes, relationships, and tools, and how to improve themselves to perform better during the next Sprint. 

How to Implement Scrum in Your Organisation Effectively with SAFe ®, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and other tools. 

You should now understand what Scrum is, its purpose, and its components. So, let's take a look at the Scrum process or how to actually put Scrum into action using Microsoft Dynamics 356 and other tools. 

Stand Up Meetings 

The daily stand-up is a brief meeting held every day to discuss progress and identify roadblocks of the project. It involves the core team: Product Owners, Developers, and the Scrum Master. The term "stand-up" refers to the fact that if attendees participate while standing, the meeting should be kept brief.  A standup meeting is analogous to a sports team's huddle for software teams. The team huddles before each play, just like in (American) football and rugby. The huddle serves a strategic purpose by keeping the team informed, connected, and calibrated throughout the game. It's even known as the daily scrum, and it emphasises "we" to keep everyone up to date on the team's landscape and progress. 

Daily Stand Up Template: 

What did I work on yesterday? This is where individuals in teams share what they have worked on. 

What am I working on today? This is where they share what they will be doing. 

What issues are blocking me? Here the teams or individuals talk about their blockers or why they are not able to complete a task. 

Individually, it's critical to arrive at the stand-up meeting prepared. It keeps the energy of the stand-up high and everyone engaged. 

How to schedule meetings as a Scrum Master with the Microsoft Teams app. 

Select Schedule a meeting Schedule a meeting button in a chat (below the box where you type a new message) to book a meeting with the people in the chat. 

Go to the Calendar Meetings button on the left side of the app and select New Meeting in the top right corner. 

Select a range of time in the calendar. A scheduling form will pop open. 

The scheduling form is where you'll give your meeting a title, invite people, and add meeting details. Use the Scheduling Assistant to find a time that works for everyone. 

When you're finished filling out the details, click Save. The scheduling form will be closed, and an invitation will be sent to everyone's Outlook inbox. Microsoft Teams and Azure DevOps are effective tools for managing teams working remotely. 

Sprint planning with Azure DevOps or Task Planner 

As a scrum master, there comes a time for sprint planning. This is where the team will discuss what needs to be done, create the product backlog, and define the length of the Sprint and its goal. 

Using Microsoft Teams or Azure DevOps, you can swiftly create a high-level schedule of your sprint. This can be used to allocate time for the tasks at hand, assign tasks to individual team members, track progress, and keep everyone informed of the deadlines.  This uses KANBAN approach to help teams plan, track, and deliver products on time. 

Creating the Product Backlog 

The product backlog consists of a wishlist of user stories to be completed during the sprint or all the requirements of changes that need to be made to the product. It can be used as an effective way for the team to communicate what they are working on and planning to do next. 

You can use sticky notes and a whiteboard here, or a tool like Microsoft Task Planner or Azure DevOps, which allows everyone, including external stakeholders, to collaborate in real-time and also keep things backed up in the cloud. 

Ready to Start Your First Scrum Project? 

We hope this guide has helped you internalise what Scrum methodology. You can visit our training page to read more and take a course with us.