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The creators of the Scrum method of Agile software development have introduced a new version of The Scrum Guide.
Scrum.org, an organization focused on improving software delivery through training, certification assessments and community, with Scrum Inc., a leading Scrum training and consulting provider, have updated The Scrum Guide, according to Scrum co-creators Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. The Scrum Guide is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products.
Scrum is an iterative and incremental Agile software development framework for managing product development. In Scrum, development teams work as a unit to reach a common goal. Scrum enables teams to organize by co-location or close online collaboration, as well as daily face-to-face communication among all team members and disciplines in a project.
Schwaber and Sutherland introduced the new version of The Scrum Guide during a Webcast on July 6. More than 4,000 Scrum practitioners from around the world registered for the Webinar announcing the changes, as the Scrum Guide has been translated into 28 different languages.
The Scrum Guide now includes a section on Scrum values, which are courage, focus, commitment, respect and openness. This is the first update to The Scrum Guide since July 2013.
“When the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect are embodied and lived by the Scrum team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation come to life,” Schwaber said in a statement. “We added these values to The Scrum Guide because successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living these five values.”
Schwaber told eWEEK there is a consistent outpouring of feedback from the community of Scrum practitioners around the world on The Scrum Guide User Voice Website, where users can suggest changes or updates to the guide and these suggestions are then voted on by the community.
“By far the most popular request on the site was for the inclusion of Scrum values, and while Jeff and I are the key holders to any and all changes to the guide – which hasn’t been updated since 2013 – we also agreed it was time to make the Scrum values an official part of The Scrum Guide,” he said.
This update to The Scrum Guide officially recognizes the significance these values have to any Scrum team, Schwaber noted.
Meanwhile, nothing has been changed in terms of the Scrum framework itself, he said.
“In fact, we feel strongly that The Scrum Guide should remain the minimal statement of what you need to get Scrum to work—period—which is why you won’t find any sections on add-on frameworks in the guide,” Schwaber said. “However, the values are truly the lifeblood of Scrum and—while already upheld in the global community for the most part—we agreed that it was time to officially include them in the guide.”
Indeed, for Scrum teams to be effective, the values must be upheld, creating a professional working environment, Schwaber said.
“Without commitment, teams will fail,” he said. “Without openness and respect, problems and mistakes will derail a sprint. It’s our hope that these values will resonate within Scrum teams who will evaluate how they are upholding these values and, if not, course correct.”
Development teams will see improved performance and morale as a result of implementing the Scrum values, the co-creators noted.