HI5029: Project Management - SCRUM Approach

HI5029

IS Project Management

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Introduction

This report aims to respond to clients questions about the fact that the SCRUM project has an even higher probability of suffering from more scope that is significant changes than other project types. Since it is an Agile system, changes to the scope are expected to happen more often in the SCRUM process. This paper will seek to identify how scope changes are managed in SCRUM projects, discuss the problems that arise from such changes and recommend ways to manage scope effectively in SCRUM projects. Considering the literature review and critical evaluation for this report, the following sections will outline a clear understanding of scope management in SCRUM projects and effective recommendations for scope change management. The objectives of this report are threefold: first, to clarify the differences between other methodologies like Waterfall and Kanban; second, to analyze problems connected with scope change in SCRUM projects; and third to describe possible solutions in the literature. This analysis is important for project managers and project teams who want to achieve successful projects keep a handle on scope, and satisfy all stakeholders.

SCRUM is a process of operation located in the Agile approach characterized by regulars in sprints, feedback, and more such elements. While Waterfall is a very structured approach to project management, SCRUM offers far more freedom and can be highly efficient when it comes to highly uncertain projects that may require frequent changes along the way. The main disadvantage that can come through this flexibility is increasing the number of scope changes, the difficulties of which are already known to be a problem for project teams (Fuentes Del Burgo, Pérez & Ángel, 2022, p.2(3)). If not well controlled, scope leads to scope increase or scope creep when the project entails more than what was initially intended to do and hence must be completed which results in more work, delays and possible failure of the project. Thus, efficient scope management is particularly important for the work of SCRUM teams.

This conceptual paper will first provide a literature review that will pit SCRUM against other project management methodologies with special regard to scope management. It will then go further and describe how scope change is managed within the SCRUM project explaining the use of such things as product backlogs, sprint planning and review meetings. The report will also analyze the issues related to managing scope changes in SCRUM projects, for example, the balance between change vs time. Finally, yet importantly this report will address how to manage scope changes in SCRUM projects based on the discoveries and analysis from the literature review and analysis session. Briefly, because of presenting the concept of scope management in SCRUM projects outlined in this report, project managers and participating teams should be in a better position to systematically deal with the outstanding issues of SCRUM projects and accomplish their project goals in the right way.

Literature review

Comparison with Other Methodologies

According to Leong, et al., (2023, p.5(1)) SCRUM being an Agile approach to project management is compared at times with the Waterfall approach to project management and other Agile approaches including Kanban. The SCRUM approach is an ideal one for projects that are iterative and incremental in nature, which may mean more chances for scope creep. Waterfall is a sequential methodology and hence implementing changes to the scope becomes difficult once a project is under way. This section will also source literature that calls attention to such differences concerning the implications on scope management. For instance, (Leong, et al., 2023) provide a study where a comparison between Agile and planned approaches is made the authors argue that Agile such as SCRUM is more appropriate for environments that have much uncertainty and changing requirements. Serrador and Pinto also revealed that Agile frameworks, of which SCRUM can be considered a part can be more effective in terms of customer satisfaction because Agile is highly flexible and easily adaptable to change. However, this flexibility can also introduce difficulties in defining and controlling scope changes as presented in the next sections of the paper.

Linear and sequential, Waterfall remains one of the most frequently compared methodologies with Agile methodology, for instance Saeeda, et al., (2020, p.7 (4)) the SCRUM. Because each phase of the work in Waterfall must be done sequentially, it is hard to integrate a change once the project is initiated. While this is also advantageous as implemented in projects that have set specifications and low variabilities, it becomes a disadvantage in a project that has many.

Volatility and flexible application of requirements. However, as per the Spiegler, Heinecke, & Wagner, (2021, p.5 (3)) implementing the project SCRUM has the advantage of being more progressive since it involves iterations and feedback on the results at every stage of the project. Hence, this flexibility extends to the definition of project scope and appears more often in large projects, thus being a problem for project teams.

Kanban is another agile framework, which, similar to SCRUM, aims to facilitate most of the processes underway in an organization. Although there are main similarities between the two methodologies such as adaption and improvement, they have different ways to work. Kanban is aimed at managing work visually at the same time, it suggests constraining work in progress, and increasing flow; SCRUM is aimed at completing work in iterations, providing continuous feedback, and cooperation. Incorporating the change of scope is achievable in both methodologies, although, the approach to it is markedly different. This section will therefore discuss literature that looks at a comparison of SCRUM with Kanban and other methodologies, in terms of the management of scope and potential effects for project teams.

Scope Change Management

One of the significant issues for the Agile and SCRUM projects is the scope change management. The SCRUM literature suggests that since SCRUM promotes the use of iterative development, with feedback in the form of sprint reviews, it is inherently effective when addressing changes in scope. Nevertheless, such flexibility can cause problems of scope increase if there is no proper control over the execution of the project. In this section, different articles analyzing how SCRUM teams operate on the scope changes will be discussed together with the tools that are product backlogs, sprint planning and review meetings for managing and prioritizing the changes. According to Verwijs & Russo, (2023, p.9(2)) the SCRUM process alongside various processes of dealing with change of scope being as; product backlog and sprint review.

Another control mechanism associated with scope changes in SCRUM includes Sprint reviews and retrospectives. At the end of each sprint, the team highlights the work done during a particular sprint to the stakeholders, and they can make recommendations. They are then placed in the product backlog where the team performs backward planning and brings out priorities for the following sprint. Sprint review meetings, which last every four weeks, help the team evaluate their performance and then perhaps find ways of improving the results. These simple checks and parades are useful in that they assist the team in controlling scope and improving its work on an ongoing basis.

Challenges in Managing Scope Changes

However, there are some issues when it comes to the SCRUM approach to managing scope changes. Fluctuations can cause interference with work for added team members, lead to problems with resource allocation, affect time, and cost estimates for a project. Some of the problems that SCRUM teams usually experience include; how to meet the many requirements of a project while at the same time considering flexibility in meeting project deadlines. The paper will briefly analyze these problems to come up with the best ways of solving them. For instance, a survey by VersionOne pointed out that dealing with shifting demand is an emerging issue for agile groups.

Another challenge of scope management of SCRUM projects is the resources that are used in a given project Liu, Wang & Xiao, (2021, p.3 (2)). One is the resource flapping problems, in that due to the frequent changes, the team may need to assign resources for new priorities. This may lead to extra expenses and probable program failure. To address this challenge, it is crucial to have a concept that entails resource flexibility for reallocation for any arising need. Stakeholder engagement can also facilitate smooth and proper disbursal and expenditure of resources and the general management of costs about project requirements.

Effective Strategies for Scope Management in SCRUM

This paper argues that proper management of scope is vital in the delivery of SCRUM projects. As per Reiff & Schlegal, (2022, p.8 (3)), also provides a list of measures that might be helpful for SCRUM teams to keep the management of project scope under control. These are some of them to keep a well-prioritized product backlog, conduct sprint review and retrospective meetings and co-ordinate effectively with stakeholders to determine that the change is good with the project goal. For effective scope management strategies to ensure the success of SCRUM projects.

One of the main challenges in managing scope changes in SCRUM projects is maintaining a balance between accommodating changes and meeting project deadlines. Frequent changes can disrupt the team’s workflow and lead to delays, making it difficult to deliver the project on time. To mitigate this challenge, it is important to have a clear product vision and prioritize changes based on their impact on the project’s goals.

Effective scope management is crucial for the success of SCRUM projects. The literature suggests several strategies that can help SCRUM teams maintain control over project scope. These include maintaining a well-prioritized product backlog, conducting regular sprint reviews and retrospectives, and fostering close collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that changes are aligned with project goals. According to Shafiee, et al., (2023, p.11 (5)), discuss several papers that offer information on the picture and the efficiency of those strategies in implementing scope changes.

One of the best practices that assure effective control of scope changes in SCRUM projects is to ensure proper management of the product backlog. The product backlog should show items in prioritized order and the items higher in the list should be more important for the project. Since the backlog is the working list for the product owner, it becomes the duty of the product owner to keep the backlog updated and its contents in synch with the vision of the project.

The other way of managing scope change in SCRUM projects is to define responsibility within the SCRUM team and the scrum of the scrum team. Any changes to scope are to be managed by the product owner, SCRUM master and the rest of the development team. As per this Liu, Wang & Xiao, (2021, p.7 (1)) the duties of the development team include putting into practice the change and the achievement of the project goal. When the roles and responsibilities are well defined in a project, it becomes easy to address issues of scope creep so that the project does not go off track.

Discussion

In the discussion section, the selected references will be critically evaluated and how they help to explain the management of scope in SCRUM projects. As part of the findings, the paper will identify the techniques that would be used in managing scope change, the difficulties accompanying scope change management and the successful tactics in the management process. This section will therefore offer an assessment of the topic by integrating the findings from the literature review and highlight principle insights that may be useful in formulating the best approach to addressing scope changes in SCRUM projects.

The discussion on how it stands up to other methodologies points out that the scalability of SCRUM leads to the change of the scope more often. However, with this flexibility comes the need for a sound scope management approach to adequately minimize the threats of scope creep and thus feasibility of the project. Because of the cyclic nature and flexibility of SCRUM in terms of feedback and adaptability, it is proposed for projects with high levels of uncertainty and fluctuating requirements based on the literature review. However, this same flexibility can be problematic for project teams for example when a project is in progress and new requirements are disclosed, how does one balance between addressing the newly disclosed requirements and ensuring the project is completed at its planned time.

The techniques that are being used to address scope change governance in the context of SCRUM projects are; Prioritized product backlog, sprint review and retrospective meetings and Stakeholder engagement. These methods are useful to be able to give feedback and because of feedback to be able, to make changes if needed.

This discussion also reveals the necessity to have procedures and mechanisms in dealing with scope changes for firms IT SCRUM projects. The scope change is hence managed through the product backlog, and the sprint reviews and retrospectives as fundamental communication facilities. Stakeholder engagement is also a necessity to achieve the objectives that pertain to changes when communicating and collaborating often with the stakeholders. When these methodologies are adopted, SCRUM teams can retain a handle on project scopes and guarantee successful project outcomes.

Conclusion

Finally, this report has reviewed the likelihood of the occurrence of scope changes when using SCRUM projects against other approaches to project management. The literature review and critical analysis have pointed out that SCRUM is rather flexible and can easily be adjusted it is this flexibility that can cause more frequent scope changes. Of course, there are effective methods for scope management, such as the periodization of change backlog, constant review of sprints, and the inclusion of key stakeholders in the process. These strategies help SCRUM teams retain control over project scope to complete projects.

We have to do a literature search to find at least ten academic research papers that are related to this topic, critically evaluate these references and steadily build the quality of the literature review by the end of the semester. The knowledge of the interrelationships presented in this analysis helps project managers and teams to navigate through the organization and complete successful projects while keeping control over project scope and being responsive to stakeholder’s expectations.

In other words, SCRUM openness can be considered an advantage for a project with significant levels of uncertainty and ever-evolving needs in terms of requirements. However, this flexibility often calls for proper management of the project scope to avoid a scope increase that is disastrous to the project. To deal with the scope changes and deliver the project successfully, the SCRUM teams should of course have a well-prioritized product backlog, use the sprint review and retrospective session, engage stakeholders effectively and define the right roles and responsibilities for every member of the team. The present research aims to analyze the concept of scope management in SCRUM projects and provides recommendations to manage scope changes efficiently.

References

1. Fuentes Del Burgo, J., Pérez, S. & Ángel, M. 2022 ‘Comparative analysis of the board tool in the agile methodologies scrum, kanban and scrumban in software projects’ In 26 th International Congress on Project Management and Engineering Terrassa. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joaquin-Fuentes-Del-Burgo/publication/364302850_Comparative_analysis_of_the_board_tool_in_the_agile_methodologies_Scrum_Kanban_and_Scrumban_in_software_projects/links/634447019cb4fe44f319a058/Comparative-analysis-of-the-board-tool-in-the-agile-methodologies-Scrum-Kanban-and-Scrumban-in-software-projects.pdf

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3. Leong, J., May Yee, K., Baitsegi, O., Palanisamy, L. & Ramasamy, R.K. 2023 ‘Hybrid project management between traditional software development lifecycle and agile based product development for future sustainability’ Sustainability, 15(2), p.1121. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/2/1121

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6. Reiff, J. & Schlegel, D. 2022 ‘Hybrid project management–a systematic literature review’ International journal of information systems and project management, 10(2), pp.45-63. https://aisel.aisnet.org/ijispm/vol10/iss2/4/

7. Saeeda, H., Dong, J., Wang, Y. & Abid, M.A. 2020 ‘A proposed framework for improved software requirements elicitation process in SCRUM: Implementation by a real?life Norway?based IT project’ Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 32(7), p.e2247. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smr.2247

8. Shafiee, S., Wautelet, Y., Poelmans, S. & Heng, S. 2023 ‘An empirical evaluation of scrum training’s suitability for the model-driven development of knowledge-intensive software systems’ Data & Knowledge Engineering, 146, p.102195. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169023X23000551

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10. Verwijs, C. & Russo, D. 2023 ‘A theory of scrum team effectiveness’ ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 32(3), pp.1-51. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3571849