Scrum Framework for Students and How it Can Minimize Project Risks

Looking into AGILE methods for your project? Why don’t you try SCRUM, one of the finest from the bunch? And along with way, we can help with the writing.
Scrum Framework for Students and How it Can Minimize Project Risks


Over the many years, people have come up with plenty of ideas to handle their workload better. Some of these methodologies work for particular business models, while others work in a universal context.

Such a methodology is SCRUM. No, it’s not an abbreviation for 5 different terms. Rather, it’s the short form of Scrummage, a formation of players in a game of Rugby. Essentially, during a restart of the play, the forwards from both teams interlock arms and push forward.

The ball is then thrown in the SCRUM, and all hell breaks loose to get possession of the ball. A somewhat similar methodology can also be used by students building a project from scratch.

In this post, we’re going to learn what SCRUM framework/methodology is and how it can help you minimize risks for your educational projects.

What is SCRUM & How Does it Work?

Well, to understand how to choose the best framework, you first need to understand how it works. So, how does the SCRUM framework for student projects work?

For any project to see the light of the day, it must complete a cycle of tasks. The planning, the building, the testing, and the deployment. No matter what kind of project you’re thinking of from whatever industry, it follows the same paradigm.

In most cases, what students do is stick to 1 phase at a time. They complete the planning phase and then move on to the building phase. It keeps going until the project is done.

It’s all fine until you and your team come across a problem. If the problem is with the planning phase, it voids all later progress at once. Doesn’t sound so promising, does it?

Moreover, going with traditional frameworks like Waterfall creates immense pressure on the team, limiting the efficiency even further.

The SCRUM approach, on the other hand, is designed to break the project down into smaller chunks. All of the phases of a project are broken down into weekly workload, and progressive for all phases goes on simultaneously.

As a result, you have a submittable or deployable product at the end of each week. Employing service that could help with the homework by EduBirdie into the mix to keep everything documented is a great idea. And as none of the phases are too far into the development, any issues or errors can easily be mitigated.

Each of the weeks is known as a “Sprint”. So, after the first week of work is done, you have Sprint 1. It’s a complete portion of the project that you can use right away. Following this formula, you may go through 3, 4, or even more sprints until you reach the maximum potential of the project.

It all works in harmony because the SCRUM framework gives you a very nice workflow where none of the individuals on your team are sitting idle at any point.

Speaking of the team, let’s take a look at the roles of your team members in a SCRUM context.

Roles in SCRUM

Assigning roles to your team is one of the most crucial steps of utilizing the framework. In the modern-day approach, there are 3 main roles. The product owner, the SCRUM Master, and the SCRUM team.

The product owner is the visionary of the group who designs the outcomes and assigns the requirements. Once the project is complete, it’s the product owner that gets the results. If it’s a student startup, the person who came up with the idea is the owner. In an academic context, the project supervisor or the teacher is the product owner.

Then, you have the SCRUM Master. Although he’s a key member of the team, he’s the one looking over the entire SCRUM process. It means assigning tasks to the team members, coming up with deadlines, and arranging resources to increase the efficiency of the team. It’s fine if the subordinate members are not aware of the SCRUM methodology and its values as long as the SCRUM Master abides by them.

Last but not least, you have the core team. Ideally, a SCRUM team should have 5 to 9 members, playing different roles based on what the project is all about. If it’s a software development project, the team may include multiple programmers, a quality assurance officer, a UX designer, and accountants to keep tabs on the finances.

It’s the team that takes care of the steps within a Sprint, following the workflow designed by the SCRUM Master.

Artifacts of SCRUM Framework

Now that you’re aware of the roles, we can move on to the artifacts of the frame. Remember, each component of the agile method is designed to complement each other. The artifacts, in this case, bridge the gap between the product owner and the SCRUM team by outlining the requirements in a very actionable manner.

The 3 main artifacts are product backlog, sprint backlog, and the Burndown chart. However, there are more artifacts to this framework, and which ones you follow will vary depending on the nature of your project.

The product backlog is simply a questionnaire answered by the Product Owner. It’s usually written in an “As a ………………… I need ………………….” manner to dial in the settings exactly how the owner wants it.

The sprint backlog is the list of tasks the team must complete to finish a sprint. It’s usually designed by the SCRUM Master based on the input from the product backlog.

The Burndown Chart is a matrix of required tasks and completed tasks. It starts out high but eventually comes down to 0 as the SCRUM team “burns” through the task list.

Pros & Cons of Scrum

It’s obvious that all frameworks have their drawbacks. SCRUM is no different. Let’s try to list the pros and cons before we part ways.

Pros

  • The project deliverables become easier to construct
  • Efficient use of time, money, and other resources
  • Large projects are broken down into meaningful sprints
  • Room to fix any errors way earlier thanks to constant feedback from the product owner
  • Adoptable to any given scenario, both academic and commercial aspects

Cons

  • If the team is not efficient, the chances of failure go up
  • Consistent meetings can sometimes result in frustrations
  • Not suitable for large teams (more than 10 members)

Wrapping Up

If you were not sure how to choose the best framework before, it should be easy to decide now. SCRUM is one of the best AGILE frameworks of our time, and it can effectively help students minimize the risks for the project on each segment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How useful is Scrum for students?
Scrum is designed to break down a project into smaller pieces. All project phases are broken down into a weekly workload and progressive for all phases occurs simultaneously. As a result, at the end of each week, you have a product to submit or deploy.



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