Scrum – Our default framework for agility and success
Many hands make light work, and that’s why we use Scrum as our primary software development methodology.
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What’s Scrum?
Stated simply, Scrum is all about using the collective over the individual to make complex tasks easy, and expedite the way in which software is developed.
It’s like an assembly line for software development.
Instead of thrusting the entire project onto the shoulders of just one or two developers, Fogsoft asks a whole team of smart, hard-working people to take on a little bit of the load.
Why Scrum?
As a company, we believe in collaboration over compartmentalization. That a team fluidly moving in harmony together can accomplish more than isolated individuals working quietly on their own.
At Fogsoft, Scrum is how ideas get shared, concepts stay cutting-edge, and the customer’s best-interest is always kept center stage. You see, Scrum makes key information and project progress totally transparent to both our client and our team. That transparency means we don’t have to wait until the entire project is “finished” to make adjustments or improvements.
Scrum Methodology is a big reason we can consistently out-perform our competition, and why the final product we deliver always lives up to expectation.
Costs stay down
Quality stays high
Delivery timelines are kept
How Scrum Actually Works
At this point, you probably “get” that Scrum is a team-first methodology…but how does it actually work? Scrum takes a project and breaks the development process into a series of steps, or “sprints” as they’re more commonly called.
These sprints are compartmentalized into tidy windows (usually two to four weeks) to ensure your project keeps rolling towards completion in a timely manner.
At the conclusion of each sprint, some aspect of your project is coded, tested, optimized, and ready for integration into the broader product.
The Flow of the Fogsoft Sprint
Step 1: The Backlog
The Fogsoft Sprint starts with a planning meeting where our employees can sit down to discuss your objectives, desired outcomes, and plan out how many “sprints” your project will take.
During this meeting, the Product Owner crafts what’s called a “Product Backlog”, basically your product or project “wish list”. A collection of priorities that need to be built in a specific order to complete your project within your timeline and budget.
Step 2: The Sprint
As your project gets rolling, our team will select a certain number of items from the “Product Backlog” and use those items as the basis for the first Sprint.
Depending on what our team has selected from the Product Backlog, the Sprint can last anywhere from two weeks to four weeks.
Step 3: The Daily Scrum
Every day, before getting underway with our work, the Fogsoft team will sit down for a 15-20 minute meeting we call the Daily Scrum to assess our progress with the Sprint, and make adjustments as necessary.
The Daily Scrum is where the ScrumMaster has an opportunity to check-in, and remind everyone of your goals and objectives.
Step 4: The Finish Line
At the end of each Sprint, you’ll have an opportunity to sit down with our team for a review of the work completed thus far. This is your chance to evaluate our progress, assess the quality of what has been developed to-date.
Our team will also hold an internal meeting at the conclusion of each Sprint to review the good and the bad of the development process thus far, as well as any potential obstacles that might be coming down the line in future Sprints.
These meetings are a critical piece of the Scrum feedback loop, and a big reason why we can practice software development with so much agility. The feedback allows us to critique functionality, make adjustments, and even add supplemental assignments to the product backlog.
Step 5: The Next Sprint
There’s no rest for the weary, and as soon as one Sprint finishes, another one begins.
Our team will select another batch of items from the product backlog and begin the next phase (Sprint) of your project.
And this is precisely why our customers love and appreciate that we use the Scrum methodology—the work never stops. We are constantly moving forward carrying our customers a successful launch as quickly as possible.
Who Are the Key People in a Scrum?
Although Scrum is a team-first methodology, it’s not without leaders. At Fogsoft, we use a ScrumMaster and a Product Owner as human funnels to ensure every employee’s thoughts and ideas flow in the right direction, on the way to delivering your winning result.
The ScrumMaster
The first, the ScrumMaster, is effectively the captain of the team. The one person who can ensure progress, no matter how big or small, is always happening. The ScrumMaster makes sure the rest of the Fogsoft team is using Scrum methodology in the most effective way possible.
The Product Owner
The second, the Product Owner, is the person who ensures the flow is being channeled properly toward your objectives. Think of the Product Owner as a representative of your company, someone dedicated to thinking in terms of you, and your desired outcomes.
So, while there may not be an official “manager” assigning specific roles and responsibilities in Scrum, the ScrumMaster and Product Owner are there to gently guide the group in the right direction.
The Agility of Scrum
Speaking of serving the customer’s best-interest, we realize that your project parameters might need to change, and change quickly.
When that happens, the ability to rapidly adapt to your new needs is essential for project success. No framework or methodology is better suited for agile response than Scrum.
Whether the change is sparked by you, your customers, or your industry, Scrum is how Fogsoft focuses on the variables within our control to find solutions that meet your shifting needs.
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