Scrum For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2

The First Steps

IN THIS CHAPTER

Quantifying the benefits of scrum

Empowering product owner accountability

Creating your product goal

Enabling scrum master accountability

Following common practices

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

— PARKINSON’S LAW

Scrum is simple in concept yet often difficult in application. Changing 70 years’ worth of the project management paradigm is challenging. Still, achieving a 30 to 40 percent time-to-market increase and 30 to 70 percent cost savings are realistic. Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of scrum, has documented 1,000-percent performance improvements by using scrum. Given that potential, it’s worthwhile to get out of your comfort zone and start dealing with the organizational dysfunctions that are holding you back.

Empirical process controls are best used when the outcomes are uncertain and the environment is dynamic, complex, and requires innovation. Applying scrum in such a context takes an open mind — something ...