Software development and Agile methodology: discovering Scrum

Scrum: what it is?

Scrum, the most popular and used framework of the Agile methodology, is often associated with the world of software development as it works very well for innovative and complex product projects, precisely because it is based on incremental and iterative processes.
The scrum process is an easily adaptable, flexible and effective framework whose main purpose is to ensure that customers get value through the creation of a project as it succeeds in meeting needs by creating transparency in communication, collective responsibility and progress

Scrum: how does it work

Through an iterative and incremental approach, the result is achieved through the continuous repetition of a sequence of operations that allow you to approach the goal step by step. Basically, before moving on to the next step, every change to the software is tested in order to immediately identify any failure and quickly change course in case of error.

In addition to this, there is also a need for feedback on empirical testing, so that there is always evidence of the gap between results and expectations. Usually defined as ceremonies, meetings are divided into 5 steps:

• Sprint planning: organization of work seen as iterative development
• Daily Stand Up: morning alignment of the team
• Sprint Retrospective: continuous improvements
• Sprint review: presentation of the work done close to publication
• Refinement: analysis and search solutions

Scrum: advantages for customers

Reduced time-to-market

Using Scrum methodology has been shown to enable the development team to deliver the Minimun Viable Product to the customer 30% to 40% faster than traditional methods, primarily due to incremental delivery of value. In fact, there is no need to wait for the entire project to be complete before releasing it to the market.

Lowers the risk of failure

Collaboration between development teams and stakeholders is another factor that limits the danger of failure: since each software progress is directly tested, it is possible to collect feedback from interested users, immediately identifying any issues and always verifying customer expectations as well.

Higher return on investment

Decreased time-to-market is the main reason why scrum projects realize a higher return on investment (ROI). Because revenue and various targeted benefits arrive sooner, a faster buildup means a higher total return over time.
Regular feedback through sprint reviews directly from stakeholders, including customers, allows for early course corrections, which is less costly and time-consuming than later steps in the process.