Managing Scope Changes in SCRUM

Generation organization requires positive approaches to project management practices appropriate to the dynamic environments of the digital world. The growth of the software project as well as the demands for quicker cycle time to deliver has led many organizations toward Agile frameworks or more specifically to SCRUM. Compared to Waterfall models that use linear phases, SCRUM is flexible with a focus on cycles of work. This characteristic makes SCRUM particularly suitable for tasks where requirements can fluctuate often as SCRUM is all about change, not its disturbance.

However, this is a problem for which scope management is often a challenge when flexibility is introduced. Scope management deals with the processes used to identify and control the contents of the project, and what is excluded clearly from the beginning of the project. When it comes to the use of SCRUM in projects, it is explicit that scope change is fundamental because of the cyclic nature of development, change in status from the stakeholders, and the ever-changing marketplace. the scrum framework supports more regular interaction with the stakeholders through sprint review, sprint retrospective meetings, and continuous refining of the product backlog. This can result in alterations in the direction of the project or new functionalities being included which has the potential to produce the vice of scope, creep whereby adjustments go past the scope of the original project (Yahya, & Maidin, 2022, p.3(2)).

As Holmes Software Technologies steps into the new ERP solution development utilizing SCRUM, there are risks of looming scope, time, and cost issues. Keeping the scope of the project in control yet enabling the kind of flexibility that is attached to SCRUM will be important for the project. Managing flexibility and structure is especially important in more rigid business systems such as ERP implementation in that the success of the system is dependent on its ability to meet specific organizational needs while still maintaining the capacity to adapt to changes in the needs of the organization.

Figure 1: Scrum Methodology

Source: Tokay Korkut (2023)

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this report is to assess the management of scope changes in SCRUM projects and to respond to the issues that appear in connection with them. In the subsequent sections, we will discuss how tools, techniques, and best practices that are specifically relevant to SCRUM management can help project managers to better control scope. In doing so, we will cite academic sources, cases, and examples along with best practices to suggest how to keep control over scope and manage SCRUM’s flexibility at the same time. The following objectives guide the report:

To understand how scope is handled within SCRUM as compared with the procedural approaches of the Waterfall model (Thesing, Feldmann, & Burchardt, 2021, p.749(3)).
To explore common issues associated with management on change of scope within SCRUM projects and possible consequences from the perspective of timelines and budgets.
To provide recommendations on how to manage risks that accompany acts of scope changes to realize project outcomes.

2. Literature Review

SCRUM and Agile: A Paradigm Shift in Project Management

According to Pashchenko, (2024, p.2(3)), the use of Agile methodologies especially the SCRUM is a shift in the way projects are run especially in industries where much of the requirements are likely to change. Most of the conventional approaches to project management such as Waterfall are based on the principle that no requirements of a project are beyond its scope and a complete understanding of the project needs can be acquired before its launch. These methodologies are of the sequential, phased, and prescriptive type where changes to the scope once defined in the planning phase are not encouraged. Therefore, in Waterfall, any change in the scope baseline of a fixed document of project boundary is controlled by formal change control procedures which may be delaying and expensive.

But this model is not very effective when the objectives or the scope is ambiguous right from the beginning, or where the market expectations are radically shifting every once in a while. To address these challenges Agile methodologies were developed and Scrum is one of the institutes among them. SCRUM enhances an agile approach to project development with the use of iterative and incrementally developed processes. Developed by Scrum, work is sliced into smaller intervals in a process known as sprints, usually measuring between two and four weeks in duration. All the sprints produce a working increment of a product that can be viewed by stakeholders. At the end of each sprint, the project team meets for a sprint review and a sprint retrospective to allow the stakeholders to provide feedback for the next sprint (Pashchenko, (2024).

As per Thesing, Feldmann, & Burchardt, (2021, p.749(3)), This ongoing feedback loop means that the planning done at the high level can take place dynamically, allowing project teams to modify their goals and the objectives they are working on with real-time information. This flexibility makes SCRUM well-suitable for projects that could foresee experiencing a change in the requirement. However, it also brings the concern of how to contain project scope since any change is likely to lead to an out-of-hand, out-of-control condition known as scope creep.

Scope Management in SCRUM vs. Waterfall

By Baxter, & Turner, (2023, p. 1250(5)), The management of scope is one-way SCRUM and Waterfall are very opposite from each other. In Waterfall, the scope baseline is defined at the start of the project and is not altered until a change control process is implemented. Such procedures usually entail an evaluation of the effect, which scope variation has on the project duration, cost, and resource utilization. Any significant movements will likely lead to a change in the project implementation plan and new approval by the stakeholders involved.

On the other hand, SCRUM presupposes that the scope will change during the project implementation. The Product Backlog, which is a list of work that is even in progress, is the key to controlling the scope within the context of SCRUM. In contrast to having a static list of tasks that are to be implemented at the project’s outset, the team actively adjusts the backlog by adding new items, withdrawing existing items, or changing their priority according to the responses of stakeholders and business context. This process is called backlog refinement and it happens at all stages of the project’s implementation.

According to Senarath, (2021, p.5(2)), There are daily, two-week, two-month, or three-month sprints, and each sprint is to deliver a portion of the backlog of requirements but the size of the backlog is changeable with the feedback from the stakeholders or the changes of the market or business requirements. Despite this, the adaptive approach enables minor alterations as the project progresses, making it more effective in responding to and managing the entire project, however, it is worthwhile to note that the major disadvantage of this approach is that of scope creep which is defined as the expansion of the project's scope without authorized control mechanisms.

Challenges of Scope Creep in SCRUM

According to, Marnada, et al, (2022), p. 293(4), Common to SCRUM, the feedback and flexibility turns SCRUM into a more scope-susceptible system than conventional systems. Project scope normally refers to the boundary of what is to be incorporated into a project, within a project’s description, scope gradually increases progressively and slowly beyond the original plan, this is referred to as scope creep. This can occur in several ways:

1. Evolving Stakeholder Needs: Often, both the stakeholders themselves and other participants of the project may not be very clear about their needs at the onset of the project. Throughout the project, after stakeholders can observe the product development, they may ask for some enhancements or new alterations. However, the flexibility in SCRUM to adjust plans in a sprint is the same that enables the scope to grow beyond the defined project scope (Marnada, et al, 2022, p. 293(4)).

2. Frequent Changes: The importance of SCRUM is that it allows providing stakeholders’ feedback in a continuous delivery cycle since they get more chances to request changes. While this can be beneficial in attaining a better final product especially when it can afford a project team to have more time on certain aspects of the project, it is always a challenge to control a project scope. Additional modifications to their user stories or features’ priorities may lead to changing objectives that create confusion in the development team.

3. Impact on Time and Budget: Regular scope switches in the process lead to growth in development times and costs. With new features being introduced, the teams have to consider expanding their timeline or investing more cash into the project. This can stretch the project resources, especially if changes are initiated towards the end of the project cycle, therefore necessitating the redoing of part or the entire project (Marnada, et al, 2022, p. 293(4)).

Tools for Managing Scope in SCRUM

According to Grebi?, & Stojanovi?, (2021), p.41(2)), Several tools and techniques have been developed to help project managers handle scope changes in SCRUM projects:

1. User Stories: More often than not in SCRUM, requirements are captured as user stories which are a statement of a feature from the users’ perspective. User stories are meant to be brief and clear, but the description is meant to contain only enough information necessary for development. What SCRUM does for processes that deal with complex projects is that it breaks requirements down into applicable and achievable segments hence if there is a scope shift, it does not disrupt the entire progress of the project. User stories also enhance collaboration and shared understanding between recipients of the software and the team developing it (Babkin, et al, 2021, p.162(2)).

2. Backlog Grooming: A Product Backlog is a rather flexible table that contains descriptions of all works required for the project. Backlog grooming sessions involve going through the backlog of needed items and optimizing this backlog throughout the project. This way, it is possible to avoid the backlog’s overloading with a great number of low-priority tasks or tasks that have no sense to be completed now because it is already too late. It also minimizes an undesired occurrence of surprises in the form of backlog changes during a sprint (Grebi?, & Stojanovi?, 2021, p.41(2)).

3. Sprint Planning and Retrospectives: At the beginning of the sprint, a sprint planning meeting is conducted to decide which user stories will be incorporated in that particular sprint. The project team is constantly evaluating the finished work and at the end of a sprint, has a squeak and dinner session on what should be done better or at all. These standard points have time and again allowed a chance to set the boundaries with precautions that need to be taken to keep the project as per schedule. They also act as a meeting ground in case of possible scope increase with negative impact, but before it gets worse (Grebi?, & Stojanovi?, 2021, p.41(2)).

3. Discussion

Managing Scope Changes in SCRUM: Flexibility vs. Control

Flexibility is one of the main benefits of SCRUM, which can be explained by a focus on some specific elements. While in the traditional approach, the scope of the project is predetermined and closed at the beginning of the project implementation, SCRUM provides feedback and the possibility of change using Cycles. That is especially useful when it is difficult to define exactly what clients and their representatives need at the beginning of a project, or if the market is highly volatile. However, this flexibility also creates some threats as will be explained further in this paper. Inexperienced project managers allow the scope of the project to slip out of their fingers at worst, leading to the deterioration of the project in terms of time, cost, and quality and most importantly demoralized team members (Baxter, & Turner, 2023, p. 1250(5)).

To deal with these changes, it would be logical to strike a medium and not let the project become too flexible that it strays off the objectives and goals. It can be said that the main aspect of ensuring that the project is not overloaded with too many features is determined by the team’s efficiency in managing scope, backlog, and stakeholders’ interaction all through the project’s life cycle.

Scope Changes In scrum then, the Product Owner is strictly responsible for changes in the scope process. The Priority and creation of the Product Backlog is the realm of the Product Owner, who is the sole point of contact for the development team. They are forced to determine which user stories should be tackled in a specific sprint taking into consideration the stakeholders’ expectations and the general welfare of the project and available resources.

When it comes to prioritization, the Product Owner needs to discuss with stakeholders that some changes should be implemented over others and vice versa, low priority items should not take up a lot of development time. This involves the definition of the project business needs and requires good communication to manage stakeholders’ expectations. To prevent excess scope and therefore the potential for scope creep, the Product Owner can make sure that the backlog remains obvious and that it does not get tangled and complicated (Baxter, & Turner, 2023, p. 1250(5)).

Techniques for Prioritizing Scope Changes

One of the most effective techniques for managing scope changes in SCRUM is the MoSCoW method, a prioritization framework that divides user stories into four categories:

Must have: Primary requirements to which the actual delivery must necessarily conform for the project to be considered successful. These are the high-priority items, they should be implemented in this release of the product.

Should have: Enhancements are the most valuable features that have a value that is at least relatively high but is not strictly necessary for successful project completion. They are categorized as the “want” things and they can be sacrificed, but not before all the “need” things:

Could have: It implies those attributes which although considered desirable are not essential for operations. These may be added in where possible due to time and other resource constraints but are not critical for project delivery (Leong, et al, 2023, p.4(3)).

Won’t have: That which will not be seen and realized with the current release. These items are deliberately stripped of the scope to avoid an expansion of the scope of the study.

The key advantage of this division is that the team can provide the most necessary features of the products to the users at the first stage even if it is necessary to make some changes in the project scope. Using MoSCoW for prioritization is clear, it organizes the priorities and avoids exaggerated scope from the beginning.

Figure 2: Scrum: Agile Framework

Source: Infinity (2024).

Sprint Reviews: A Key Tool for Managing Scope

The primary instrument for dealing with this issue in the SCRUM process model is called the Sprint Review. Particularly, at the end of each sprint, the team demonstrates the created result to the stakeholders, who can make recommendations for modification. Such a regular smell feedback loop is valuable because it gives assurance that the problem of scope changes is efficiently recognized and can be solved in the next sprint. The Sprint Review also serves as a confirmation of the specific course within the project, and that the project is on the right track in case changes are needed (Babkin, et al, 2021, p.162(2)).

Using feedback from stakeholders at several intervals helps the team notice issues that require modification while still being relevant to business goals and objectives. To keep transparency, it is therefore required to conduct a sprint review, where everyone: the stakeholders, and the development team, can see what has been done and can discuss the possible changes on the fly.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, SCRUM is a powerful unified process that provides a very flexible and adaptive approach to the management of the development of new software and can be used that is especially in those conditions where the requirements for the change are expected. SCRUM being an iterative method and the feedback from the stakeholders an integral part of the method, means that teams can adapt the amounts and types of deliverables throughout the project life cycle. This proves to be very helpful at the same time poses some disadvantages, especially in managing scope since there are high risks that are associated with the change in requirements of a project, which normally leads to shifting of the entire scope of the project, hence resulting to time and cost overruns.

The role of priorities, backlog grooming, and stakeholders in managing scope changes in SCRUM Specifically, the following recommendations for managing scope changes in the SCRUM project are proposed. Moscow, definition of done, and scrum review are several techniques that assist the project in working towards the most vital objectives while promoting flexibility to embrace changes. Maintaining discipline regarding the backlog and how much detailed work can be completed during sprint planning helps prevent projects from getting thrown off course by trying to constantly change the scope of the project (Senarath, 2021, p.5(2)).

The key

When the appropriate level of flexibility and control over the project scope has been chosen, project managers will be able to control change effectively, and thereby deliver scrum projects of high quality on time and within budget. The strategies mentioned in this report will be significant as Holmes Software Technologies shifts to the subsequent phases of ERP solution development.

References

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Managing Scope Changes in SCRUM Projects: Flexibility vs. Control

Table of Contents

1. Introduction