There’s no denying that Scrum is one of the most effective approaches to managing software development in the best possible manner. Scrum can be defined as a  framework for development that essentially streamlines the practices & procedures that assist in managing the activities behind software development. 

In the IT industry, the overall success rate of Scrum is very high. But, that shouldn’t give you the impression that it can work for all types of project development. That is the reason why we’re going to analyze whether Scrum is only good for software development or can be used for other developmental projects. 

A Little Bit About Scrum’s History

Scrum can be defined as a popular framework for products that includes team roles, and a collection of rituals & values – all used in collaboration with each other to create work products on an iterative basis. 

Scrum was described as a rugby-style product development where one team continuously moves forward by passing the ball forwards & backward. But, the concept was outlined and implemented first in 1995 when two software developers, namely Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, carried forward the original Scrum planning in their own respective software companies. And that’s how the Scrum concept was born and became mainstream. 

Can Scrum Be Utilized For Developmental Projects Other Than Software?

When most technology companies usually think of Scrum, they mostly tend to think about how this framework can improve the overall efficiency of their software developmental skills. 

Even though Scrum was initially created to assist technical teams release & efficiently building products, Scrum can also be utilized in improving the work output of any profession or team. 

The above-mentioned analysis makes sense because the concept of Scrum is derived originally from manufacturing – which is not just limited to software development. This is because Scrum’s basic idea was to encourage teams to work together in a better way so that the output could be of higher quality. 

Therefore, the methodology of Scrum can be applied to company management, marketers, lead generators, sales team, and the like. 

Ways Through Which Scrum Can Help Any Profession Or Team

1. Understanding the task structure

By using Scrum, you can quickly break down complex tasks into manageable ones. Therefore, when you want to reach a specific goal, you’ll need to think about the specific actions that are required for the same. Such a stance will encourage you and your team to revise & review those actions in detail before planning to work on them. Even though the final goal is to reach the objective, the steps that are required to achieve it should be the main focus. 

2. Controlling your team

Unless you didn’t know, Scrum has always encouraged transparency. However, it doesn’t promote micro-management. You should have complete faith in your team because your team exactly knows what to do and what not to do. At the same time, every team member should know what the other is doing and that’s what you call transparency. 

In a Scrum team, there’s no boss or manager because it has always promoted autonomy within the team.

3. Providing clear end goals

The end goals that your team will be creating should have significance. For example, if you’re planning to publish an e-book by 31st January 2021, you need to mention the clear specifics of what components you want to be completed. This is because publishing an ebook only comes after the draft has been created and the same has been reviewed. 

So, instead of saying just ‘publish’, you can specifically state that ‘drafting, reviewing and publishing should be done by 31st January 2021. That’s what Scrum is about – bringing specific goals to the table.

4. Staying organized

A good team organization is built upon effective tracking and communication of each team member. Scrum promotes the laying of a logical road map so that tasks can be done seamlessly. It should be realized that staying on top of your tasks is the ultimate way to success. 

5. Staying focused & flexible

Although Scrum comes with its own set of rules, you must remember that it’s a component of the Agile methodology. The process is designed in such a manner that it is made to deliver products at a faster rate. Therefore, Sprints should be made for the unexpected with provisions for any difficulties. Figuring out the ideal possibilities to solve challenges and reach the end goal is the best way to handle the Scrum procedure.

Methods To Adapt The Usage Of Scrum Beyond Just Software Development

There’s nothing unique about Scrum such that it can only be utilized by Software Developers. Scrum can also be used similarly by the other teams in your organization, such as management, sales, marketing, and so on. The following set of practices can help your non-software development teams to utilize Scrum perfectly:

1. The length of the Sprint

Since technical development such as software is based on successive iterations or versions, Scrum teams use Sprint which is a maximum of 30 days.

2.The product(s) that is/are worked upon

When you talk about software development, it’s quite easy to define what the product should be. But, when you talk about marketing and sales, the same can be challenging to define. 

That’s why ‘product’ in this sense means the goals or objectives that your team will be working on and the outcome of their activities. In other words, the product in this case simply means the result or end goal.

3. The members of the project acting as a team

Just like during software development, all developers have to work in tandem with each other. Similarly, in a non-technical environment, the equivalent testers and developers should be identified, so that they can work as a single team. It can be challenging to do such a task but it’s quite possible. Forming a team is paramount to accomplishing the Scrum framework.

The Points To Keep In Mind

Even though we have covered all the positive effects of Scrum, it should be perceived that it cannot solve all the aspects of managing a product. For instance, Scrum is not utilized in large investment products such as shipbuilding and construction. 

This is because, in large investment products, multiple teams are working at the same time, along with a Product Manager. Therefore, traditional Waterfall methods are better applicable than Scrum in this case. 

But, the interesting thing is that – even inside larger projects, you can use the Scrum Framework to complete some smaller ranges of tasks. For example, in the shipbuilding industry, especially when the schedules are delayed, finishing works such as interiors and air-conditioning can be carried out effortlessly with the help of the Scrum Framework. 

Besides, you must remember that Scrum procedures always rely on the full-on availability of specialists throughout the product development lifecycle. 

But, when waterfalling procedures are used, once the role of the above-mentioned specialists is completed, their contribution becomes rather occasional, so that their absence doesn’t become critical to the attainment of the goal. Moreover, in large projects, it takes an extended time to communicate across different specializations and functions, especially in companies where methods are highly complex. 

Times like these are when Scrum techniques turn out to be inefficient in large-sized organizations where Product Iterations cannot be churned out quickly. That’s why Product Managers are better off utilizing a hybrid model of Scrum along with waterfall processes. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s always crucial to first perform a deep dive into a certain methodology and thereby understand its success rates in various scenarios before planning to implement it.