Size and structure
Development Teams should contain 3-9 members to maintain effective communication and agility. Smaller teams may lack necessary skills, whilst larger teams create communication overhead and coordination challenges. Teams remain stable throughout projects to build relationships and working effectiveness. Structure is flat without sub-teams or hierarchies. All members share collective responsibility for Sprint success and product quality.
Product Owner
The Product Owner maximises product value by managing the Product Backlog and representing stakeholder interests. Responsible for defining product vision, prioritising features, writing acceptance criteria, and making scope decisions. They collaborate closely with stakeholders and Development Teams whilst maintaining sole authority over backlog content. Success requires strong business acumen, communication skills, decision-making ability, and deep product knowledge.
Product vision
Product vision provides strategic direction and purpose, inspiring teams and stakeholders whilst guiding decision-making. A compelling vision articulates the product’s ultimate goal, target audience, key benefits, and competitive differentiation. It should be clear, concise, achievable, and aligned with organisational objectives. The Product Owner communicates and refines the vision continuously, ensuring all work contributes towards the overarching product goals.
Agile Manifesto
The Agile Manifesto, created in 2001, establishes four core values: individuals over processes, working software over documentation, customer collaboration over contracts, and responding to change over plans. Twelve supporting principles emphasise customer satisfaction through early delivery, welcoming changing requirements, frequent collaboration, motivated teams, face-to-face communication, working software measures, sustainable development, technical excellence, and self-organising teams.
History of Agile
Agile methodology emerged in the 1990s as a response to rigid, documentation-heavy software development processes. The 2001 Agile Manifesto, signed by seventeen developers, prioritised individuals over processes, working software over documentation, customer collaboration over contracts, and responding to change over plans. This revolutionary approach transformed software development, emphasising iterative delivery, team collaboration, and adaptability to changing requirements throughout projects.
Why organizations choose Agile
Organisations adopt Agile to accelerate time-to-market, improve customer satisfaction, and increase adaptability to changing market conditions. Agile enables faster feedback loops, reduces project risk through iterative delivery, enhances team collaboration, and provides greater visibility into progress. Companies benefit from improved quality, reduced waste, increased innovation, better stakeholder engagement, and the ability to pivot quickly based on market demands.
Empirical process control
Empirical process control forms Scrum’s foundation, managing complex work through experimentation rather than predefined processes. This approach acknowledges that software development is unpredictable, requiring frequent inspection and adaptation. Teams make decisions based on observed outcomes rather than theoretical plans, enabling continuous learning and improvement. Empiricism emphasises transparency, regular inspection points, and the courage to adapt based on evidence and experience.
Transparency
Transparency in Scrum ensures all team members and stakeholders have visibility into work progress, challenges, and decisions. This includes open communication about impediments, clear Definition of Done, visible progress tracking, and honest reporting during ceremonies. Transparency builds trust, enables informed decision-making, facilitates early problem detection, and creates accountability. It requires psychological safety and organisational support for honest communication.
Inspection
Inspection involves regularly examining Scrum artifacts and progress towards Sprint Goals to detect variances and problems early. Key inspection points include Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives. Effective inspection requires transparency, skilled inspectors, and sufficient frequency without impeding work. Teams inspect their work, processes, and team dynamics to identify improvement opportunities and ensure alignment with objectives.
Adaptation
Adaptation occurs when inspection reveals deviations from acceptable limits or improvement opportunities. Teams must adjust their process, work, or Definition of Done based on inspection findings. Successful adaptation requires empowerment to make changes, organisational support, and courage to implement improvements. The Scrum framework provides multiple adaptation opportunities through ceremonies, enabling teams to respond effectively to changing circumstances and continuously improve performance.