Bootstrap Scrum
Contents
Mission
The Bootstrap Scrum subgroup exists to advance bootstrapped organizations -- and individuals -- on their unique path of business success through adoption of Scrum and other agile software/system development methods. Bootstrap Scrum will make resources available to the bootstrap community including:
- presentations,
- free classes,
- peer coaching, and
- low or no-cost training
Lead
What is Scrum?
Scrum is a project management process pioneered by Ken Schwaber as a means to reliably produce high-quality software in the face of rapid, constant change. Scrum is one unique flavor of a type of software and product development processes collectively termed "agile". More on Scrum
Why Should You Care?
Traditional project management methods (inherited from civil engineering and heavily influenced by Fredrick Taylor's theory of scientific management) utilize a process model that RESISTS change; a model that is WRONG for most startups.
Why is it a Bad Fit?
The "defined" process model (called so by industrial process theorists; also referred to as "waterfall" or "relay race appraoch") seeks to reliably produce high-quality, repeatable output through a systematic "defined"process (analyze req | design soln | build soln | test | deploy). This model is faulty for software development (and most creative product development work) because it:
- assumes we can "nail down" requirements up front
- resists change and discovery (no place for feedback in the process model)
- often fails to maintain appropriate contact with the customer or market
- denies that build/construction influences solution design
- treats testing (quality assurance) as an afterthought by putting it at theend of the line
Why is Scrum a Better Fit?
Scrum utilizes an "empirical" process model (again, from industrial process theory) that acknowledges:
- product development is a discovery process (it's simply note possible to know everything upfront)
- construction inevitably influences design
- contact with the customer and/or market allows us to exert more influence(and understand the needs of better)
- an iterative approach is going to enable the best design solution and teamcapabilities to emerge
Scrum has been successfully implemented all over the world since 1993. Ithas been used in thousands of projects, including large scale endeavors atFidelity Investments, IDXSystems, TransCanada Pipelines, Microsoft, CahnersPublishing and hundreds of other organizations.
Values of the Agile Manifesto
We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
