How Scrum Can Help To Reduce Risks In Projects – Risk Mitigation In Scrum

Every project in scrum, irrespective of its size and scale, is subjected to certain risks. The risks may be minor in nature, in which case they could be easily solved. Alternatively, they could be of larger magnitude, and would really tax the experience levels of the scrum master as well as the product owner to resolve them. Catering to risks is one of the main reasons why managements and “C” level executives opt for scrum methodology. Actually most people interpret risks in a negative way. It is interesting to know that risks can be negative as well as positive in nature, depending upon the outcome they result in. Risks, which result in a positive manner, are termed as “opportunities” while those that negatively affect the project are known as “threats”. In a simple language, a risk can be understood as a particular situation, unknown about what kind of result it will deliver when it is conceived, and which can result into an advantageous situation, or it could adversely affect the project working as well as the result the particular project is fundamentally supposed to deliver. Risk management is an inherent part of scrum methodology.
 

Minimizing risks (threats) using scrum methodology
While positive risks, or opportunities, are inadvertently welcomed, it is the risks, which create a negative effect in the ongoing project, or threats, which are of concern to scrum enforcers. Scrum helps to minimize risks in several ways:
 

1. Flexibility exhibited by scrum reduces business-environment-related risks 

Unlike traditional development methodologies, scrum is highly flexible, and possesses the capability to add or modify the project related requirements at any time during the project life cycle. It helps the management to respond in a positive manner to threats as and when they arise. The management can easily cater to unforeseen circumstances when they arise. It is very easy to remove the user stories from the product backlog and replace them with new ones. The product owner can add new stories whenever required as per the wishes of the stakeholders. Moreover, if a particular set of requirements becomes obsolete or useless in terms of its functionality, it can be removed from the product backlog, and its development can be curtailed. This is not possible in a Waterfall method.
 

2. Constant and regular feedback reduce expectations-related risks
The entire project development is carried out in sprints. Each sprint is preceded by a daily scrum meeting. Scrum provides plenty of opportunities to avail feedback regarding exactly how much development has been successfully completed until date, and how much of it is still pending. The scrum board reflects the changes as and when they occur in real time, so the management is always kept informed about which user stories are currently being processed for development. Stakeholders can verify the work delivered at the end of the sprint, and if they are not satisfied, they hold the right to reject it. The investors are never caught off guard owing to miscommunication. They can always check up the development status and act accordingly.
 

3. Team ownership helps to reduce estimation related risks
The team creates proper and effective estimates making use of prior development related experience. Sprint retrospectives help to identify potential pitfalls likely to occur again in the future while sprint planning helps to include proper user stories for time bound and acceptable development. Team ownership helps to reduce estimation related risks. 
 

4. Increased transparency reduces non-detection risks
Scrum advocates transparency. Everything and each activity carried out by the scrum team is made public as soon as possible. As a result, any risk, if it arises, is detected early by the concerned person, and the person is supposed to take up further course of action to remove the risk. Risks are detected and communicated early, and this leads to better risk handling as well as risk mitigation.
 

5. Iterative development reduces investment-related risks  
The delivery value is continuously presented when scrum is implemented. The basic advantage of scrum is that functionality is delivered in stages after the sprint is completed, which generally takes from 2 weeks to 1 month depending upon how long the sprint lasts. This is not possible in case of waterfall methods since the results are derived in the final stage of the product development cycle. It then becomes too late to respond to the development, and to introduce new changes because the entire project is completed by that time. Scrum helps to reduce investment related risks.
 

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An Overview Regarding Scrum Methodology

An introduction to Scrum methodology
For majority of the software developers, Agile scrum methodology does not require any prior introduction. It is widely known that Agile is a comparatively new addition in the field of project management, and was primarily developed to overcome the drawbacks offered by traditional developmental methodologies such as the Waterfall method, which included a linear approach while executing projects. Typically, traditional methods support a top-to-bottom approach of segregating the entire project into main development activities, and tackling them one after another in a sequential method. The Scrum methodology offers a more flexible and dynamic approach of splitting up the entire project into individually executable project parts known as “Sprints”. Each sprint is processed or developed by many team members, who put in efforts to develop an entirely finished and shippable product at the end of the particular sprint. 

The main advantage of the Scrum methodology is that it increases the interaction between the “Product owner” and the team members. Increased client participation (or the Product Owner) leads to enhanced development experience, an advantage that is uniquely offered by Scrum and not other development methodologies. Another advantage offered by Scrum is the highly reduced turnaround time. Each sprint may typically last from one to four weeks, at the end of which a shippable product is delivered. The client is made aware about the development carried out at the end of the sprint by the team members. In many cases, the client can assume the role of the product owner and brief the scrum master regarding the development required. Typically, the sprints are numbered from zero, and proceed as “Sprint 1”, “Sprint 2”, etc. The client can determine the cost effectiveness of each sprint.
 

How the Scrum method works
The Scrum methodology involves three types of roles:
 

Product Owner
In Scrum methodology, the product owner is the most important entity, since the person is responsible for the entire project undertaken and executed by the team. The product owner also represents the client’s interests, and is responsible for providing the vision as well as the idea regarding the product development and life cycle. The person has the authority to decide how the project should proceed, and when the sprints should be terminated if required. It is the product owner who faces the music if the project goes haywire, or fails to complete in time. In many ways, the person acts as a liaison between the product development team and the client, and is required to strike the correct balance between the client interests and demands, and what the development team is capable of offering. The product owner is also responsible for providing all the answers for everything connected with the project.
 

Scrum Master
The main role of a scrum master is to ensure that the sprints carried by the team members properly follow the scrum methodology. The scrum master does not manage the team directly or indirectly. Rather, the person helps the team to remain productive, and removes any impediments occurring during the development process and while carrying out the sprint activity. The scrum master also ensures that the status and completion status are made available to the product owner as and when required.  Another important role of the scrum master is to advise the product owner regarding how to maximize the ROI for the client.
 

Team Members
The fundamental “unit” of the Scrum methodology, the team members combine to form a “sprint” team. Each team member is responsible for carrying out the work and contributes to the sprinting process. Therefore, each sprint consists of some sort of contribution and involvement by the team member. Generally, the teams contain up to seven members. Each team member specialises in a particular discipline of work, or a specialty. Typically, a team may consist of software engineers, programmers, architects, QA experts, analysts, UI designers, and testers. The team members unanimously decide how the particular sprint should be completed. They have the autonomy to decide upon the process employed in the sprint, but are responsible to satisfy the sprint related requirements in totality.
 

Find out more, and download our free QuickScrum tool which can help you in implementing scrum in an effective and profitable way!