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The Scrum Framework

The Scrum Framework is an Agile framework within which various Agile methodologies can be both employed and deployed.

Co-created by Dr. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, Scrum serves as a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products and is defined by Scrum Roles, Events, Artifacts, and the Rules that bind them together.

• Introduction to the Scrum Framework
• Scrum Framework: Roles and Responsibilities
o The Scrum Master
o The Scrum Product Owner
o The Scrum Development Team
• Scrum Framework: The Sprint
• Scrum Framework: Events
o Sprint Planning
o Daily Scrum
o Sprint Review
o Sprint Retrospective
• Scrum Framework: Artifacts
o Product Backlog
o Sprint Backlog
o Increment
o Definition of Done
• Additional Resources

Introduction to the Scrum Framework

The Scrum framework has mostly been employed by software developers for product development and has proven itself to be a robust and reliable Agile project management methodology.

Although Scrum has gained the most traction in the technology sector, it is not exclusive to software development, and Scrum tools and techniques can easily be adapted to suit a wide variety of industries and sectors.

If you’re interested in how Scrum came to be, and how it integrates into Agile, visit one of the following resources for more in-depth information and richer insights;

• The Origins of Scrum and Agile
• Scrum and the Agile Manifesto
• A brief overview of Scrum

If you’d prefer to attend a course or event that introduces Agile and Scrum, visit;

• Introduction to Agile and Scrum

Scrum Framework: Roles and Responsibilities

A Scrum Team usually consists of three (3) to nine (9) members who work together in short bursts of highly-productive activity, which are called Sprints.

Unlike traditional project management methodology, Scrum does not require a project manager, task manager, team leader or product manager.

Instead, Scrum integrates all of the above elements into three (3) primary roles, which are known as a Scrum Team.

The Scrum Master

One of the most dynamic and progressive roles within the Scrum Framework, the Scrum Master is the guardian of Scrum Values and the glue that binds the Scrum Team through, and within, the Scrum Implementation.

We have a comprehensive guide to the Scrum Master role, but for the purpose of this overview, let’s establish two (2) of the more definitive elements of the Scrum Master Role.

The protector of the Scrum Team

  • The primary role of the Scrum Master is to protect the Development Team from distractions and remove any impediments or obstacles that could derail the team achieving their Sprint Goal.
  • Each project has a variety of stakeholders, and the Scrum Master needs to ensure that the Development Team can focus exclusively on the tasks agreed to for the Sprint without interference or distraction from a Scrum Product Owner who might be overstepping boundaries, or over-zealous project stakeholders.

The protector of Scrum

  • The secondary role of the Scrum Master is to protect Scrum. As the Scrum expert, a Scrum Master should know the Scrum Framework like the back of their hand, and lead both the Scrum Product Owner and Development Team through Scrum efficiently, and effectively.
  • To lead effectively, a Scrum Master needs to coach the Scrum Team throughout the cycle and guide them to the most valuable outcomes achievable in a successful Scrum implementation and application.

For a richer understanding of the Scrum Master role, and how to become an effective Scrum leader, visit the following resources below;
• Personality Traits of an Excellent Scrum Master
• Growing Great Scrum Masters
• The Scrum Master beyond technical lead

If you are interested in becoming a Certified Scrum Master, you can find out more about Agile Centre’s Certified Scrum Master Course and Certification programme on;

• Certified Scrum Master Course

The Scrum Product Owner

The Scrum Product Owner is ultimately the person held responsible, and accountable, for the product achieving its goals and objectives. In short, the success of the product.

We have a comprehensive guide to the Product Owner Role, but for the purpose of this Scrum Framework Overview, we’ll focus on two (2) of the most definitive elements of the Scrum Product Owner Role.

Scrum Product Owner as the custodian of the Product Vision

  • The Scrum Product Owner works closely with project stakeholders to understand the value of the ‘product’ relative to specific business objectives, and how the product can best achieve those broader business goals and objectives.
  • The Scrum Product Owner is ultimately the ‘face’ of the project and works hard to act as an expert guide to both the Scrum Master and the Development Team in delivering the highest value product possible.

Scrum Product Owner as the custodian of the Product Backlog.

  • The Product Owner leads the Development Team by setting priorities for items on the backlog, and determining what work delivers the most value to the product, and by extension, the end-user of that product.
  • The Product Owner knows precisely what the product and project needs are, why each of those components is both valuable and significant, and needs to balance the delivery of a successful product without crossing boundaries and attempting to dictate the Development Team’s specific tasks.

To better understand the Scrum Product Owner role, as well as what separates Good from Great Product Owners, visit one of the resources below;

• A simple method for breaking down a Product Backlog into tasks
• Premature Estimation
• Criteria Driven Estimation

If you’re interested in becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), you can find out more about Agile Centre’s Certified Scrum Product Owner Course and Certification programme on;

• Certified Scrum Product Owner Course

The Development Team


Within a software development environment, the Development Team would consist of Software Architects, Software Testers, Software Developers, and other related software professionals.

As above, Scrum is not limited to software development environments and as such, the Development Team could take the form of graphic designers and web developers within an advertising agency, a team of writers and photographers within a publishing environment, and so forth.

The team work collectively and collaboratively toward their goals, and are wholly autonomous in how they achieve their goals and objectives.

The work to be done by the Development Team is determined by the Product Owner whilst the Scrum Master is a servant leader that guides them through the process, provides support, and actively removes impediments to the team’s success throughout the Sprint.

This level of independence and autonomy is the foundation of Scrum and aims to create positive, self-organising, and self-managing teams that are highly productive, engaged, and capable of delivering the highest value product in alignment with both their expertise and potential.

If you’d like to gain a deeper understanding of Scrum Development Teams, and how to optimise performance based on specific circumstance and context, you’ll find useful resources below

• The Productivity Myth
• Acceptance Testing
• Teams without a goal go nowhere

If you’re interested in achieving Scrum certification for software development, you can find out more about Agile Centre’s Certified Scrum Developer Course and Certification programme on;

• Certified Scrum Developer Course

Scrum Framework: The Sprint

A Sprint lies at the heart of Scrum and represents a time-box of one month, or less, during which the Development Team will complete a useable and potentially releasable product increment.

A Sprint has a fixed and often consistent duration throughout the development effort with each Sprint being followed, immediately, by another Sprint upon its conclusion.

For more information and richer understanding of Sprints, the rules that govern them, and how to get the most value out of your Sprint, read or view the following resources;

• Sprint: The heartbeat of Scrum
• Sprint Burndown Charts: Grapes of progress or Watermelon Surprise?
• Stop, Reflect, Resume

Scrum Framework: Events

Scrum Theory is founded on ‘empirical process control theory’, also known as ‘empiricism’.

Three (3) pillars uphold every implementation of Empirical Process Control: (1) Transparency, (2) Inspection, and (3) Adaptation.

For this reason, prescribed events are used in Scrum to create opportunities for inspection and adaptation, to build consistency through frequency, and to optimise each meeting to assist the Scrum Team achieve its collective goals and objectives.

Scrum Events also ensure a minimal need for meetings that fall outside the Scrum Framework, and are not defined in Scrum. Scrum prescribes the following four (4) formal events;

  • Sprint Planning
  • Daily Scrum
  • Sprint Review
  • Sprint Retrospective

In addition to following the links above, you can gain a deeper understanding of each of these events in the following articles and videos;

• Letting go in Retrospectives
• Plans and Planning
• Incident Retrospectives

Scrum Framework: Artifacts

Scrum Artifacts are specifically designed to optimise transparency of key information so that everybody has the same understanding of the artifact.
In essence, a shared language in which the Scrum Team is collectively fluent.

Scrum Artifacts represent work to be done, in-progress, or ‘done’. Artifacts can also represent a value to provide transparency, as well as additional opportunities for inspection and adaption by the Scrum Team and Agile leadership.

Scrum defines the following four (3) artifacts;
• Product Backlog
• Sprint Backlog
• Increment

If you’d like more in-depth information and/or richer insights into how Scrum Artifacts are created, implemented, and optimised, you’ll find the following resources valuable;

• Is valuable shippable?
• Improving effectiveness of team boards
• Ways for a group to reach a decision

If you’re interested in attending a course that can help you better analyse and define user stories to inform backlog items, you can find out more about Agile Centre’s Course below;

• Agile Analysis and User Stories

Additional Resources

We’re passionate about Agile and Scrum, and would love to guide you through your Agile Journey.

We’ve compiled a list of resources below if you’re someone who prefers doing research in your own time, however, if you’d prefer to speak to one of our Agile guru’s, contact us on +44 203 916 5811 or email team@agilecentre.com and we’ll get right back to you.

• Agility
o What do Agile and Electricity have in common
o No framework will save you
o What’s in a name?
o Toyota Kata: Managing people for Improvement
o Agile Work Spaces
• Enterprise and Large Scale Scrum
o Enterprise Scrum as a language of choices
o Enterprise Scrum and how it supports Business Agility
o LeSS is More
o The road LeSS travelled
o My journey to Certified Enterprise Coach
• Scrum Teams
o What role do team members play in the Scrum Team
o The importance of ownership
o Setting the Agenda
o Beware Planning Poker
o Understanding the Mission
• Scrum Coaching
o How to visualise a team’s thinking on a spider’s web
o Culture Shock
o Role Retrospectives
o Starting to understand Comfort Zones
o How to plan a workshop
• Scrum Resources
o The Scrum Guide
o The Scrum Alliance
o Scrum: The art of doing twice the work in half the time

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