The 2020 edition of the Scrum Guide, written by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, is an essential reference for the Scrum framework, widely adopted in Agile project management. Scrum is based on empiricism and Lean thinking, designed to solve complex problems while creating high-value products. Regularly updated since its first version in 2010, this guide defines the fundamental elements of Scrum, as well as its theories, practices, and values.

Purpose and importance of the Scrum Guide

Scrum was born in the 1990s to meet the growing need for flexible and iterative approaches in software development. Since then, its use has expanded to other sectors requiring adaptive solutions to complex problems. The guide clarifies that every element of Scrum serves a specific and essential purpose. Removing or modifying these elements compromises the effectiveness of the framework, potentially rendering Scrum ineffective.

The Scrum Guide emphasizes the importance of maintaining the fundamental principles that have made Scrum successful, even as its use spreads to many areas beyond software development.

Key elements of Scrum

1. The theory of Scrum

Scrum is based on three pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. It is an empirical process, relying on learning from experience and making informed decisions. The Scrum framework allows teams to better understand uncertainty and change. Lean thinking, which aims to eliminate waste and focus on the essentials, is also a major component.

2. The Scrum team

The Scrum team is a small, self-organizing, and cross-functional team composed of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and Developers. This structure ensures that the team has all the necessary skills to deliver a product increment during each Sprint. There are no sub-teams or hierarchies, and the team collectively focuses on a single objective, the Product Goal. Scrum teams should remain small (less than 10 people) to promote communication and productivity. If a team becomes too large, it should split into several coherent Scrum teams sharing the same goal.

3. The values of Scrum

The success of Scrum relies on five fundamental values: commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage. These values guide the team’s behavior, ensuring they remain focused on delivering value while supporting its members and fostering an open and respectful work environment.

4. Scrum events

Scrum is structured around a series of time-boxed events designed to create regularity in inspection and adaptation. These events include:

• The Sprint: A fixed-length iteration of one month or less, during which a potentially releasable increment is created.
• Sprint planning: The event where the Scrum team collaborates to define the Sprint Goal and plan the work to be accomplished.
• Daily Scrum: A 15-minute daily meeting for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust the plan if necessary.
• Sprint review: An event to inspect the results of the Sprint and collaborate with stakeholders on future adaptations.
• Sprint retrospective: A session where the Scrum team reflects on the past Sprint and identifies improvements for upcoming Sprints.

5. Scrum artifacts

The guide identifies three main artifacts in Scrum, each designed to maximize information transparency:

• Product backlog: An ordered list of everything needed to improve the product, constantly evolving as new information is discovered.
• Sprint backlog: The plan for the Sprint, including selected Product Backlog items and the steps needed to deliver them.
• Increment: The result of the work completed during the Sprint, which adds to previous increments.

Each artifact is associated with a commitment: the Product Goal for the Product Backlog, the Sprint Goal for the Sprint Backlog, and the Definition of Done for the Increment. These commitments ensure that the Scrum team remains aligned and focused on delivering value.efinition of Done) pour l’incrément. Ces engagements garantissent que l’équipe Scrum reste alignée et concentrée sur la livraison de valeur.

6. Roles in Scrum

There are three specific roles in Scrum, each with distinct responsibilities:

• Developers: Responsible for turning Product Backlog items into usable increments and ensuring adherence to the Definition of Done.
• Product owner: Responsible for maximizing product value by managing the Product Backlog and ensuring clarity of goals and backlog items.
• Scrum Master: Ensures that Scrum is understood and applied by coaching the team, removing impediments, and facilitating Scrum events.

Conclusion

The Scrum Guide presents Scrum as a framework that is simple to understand but difficult to master. Its deliberately incomplete nature allows teams to add their own practices and adapt it to different contexts while respecting its fundamental principles. Scrum is not a prescriptive process; it is a framework that supports creative problem-solving, adaptation, and continuous improvement. Adopting Scrum requires a commitment to its values and principles to reap its full benefits.

As Scrum evolves, the Scrum Guide remains an essential reference for understanding and applying this framework in various sectors and types of projects. Its emphasis on empiricism, Lean thinking, and the values of transparency, inspection, and adaptation make it a solid foundation for effectively managing complex work environments.