1. Assemble a Suitable Team

The basic prerequisite for the successful and, above all, sustainable implementation of SCRUM in the company is a team that works well together and becomes increasingly efficient through retrospectives during the project. The goal is to put together a team that acts independently and self-organizes. The first step is to identify a suitable SCRUM Master, a reliable Product Owner, and a team of qualified developers. Ideally, the members of this interdisciplinary team complement each other in their knowledge, expertise, and experiences to cover all required competencies in the best possible way.

2. Clarify Acceptance Criteria

In addition to good sprint planning, it is also recommended to define exact acceptance criteria for both the final product and the individual tasks. These are determined at the beginning of the project by the SCRUM Master together with the team. To avoid misunderstandings later on, it is essential to define and develop a common understanding of the term “done”. In other words, when exactly is a task considered completed or the product finished.

3. Build and Organize the Product Backlog

The Product Backlog forms the basis for every SCRUM project and is the responsibility of the Product Owner. Initially, all known requirements for the future product are recorded here and sorted according to their priority. Throughout the project, it develops dynamically and is continuously expanded to include relevant features, optimizations, or bug fixes for future sprints and releases.
A complete, well-sorted, and, above all, correctly prioritized Product Backlog facilitates the subsequent planning and execution of the sprints.

The SCRUM Process at a Glance

4. Plan the Sprints Precisely

At the beginning of a sprint, the goals are jointly set and defined. For this purpose, the individual items of the Product Backlog are considered to decide which of them will be worked on in the sprint. The respective Sprint Backlog results from this selected set of tasks and requirements. The Sprint Backlog is by no means static but is rather adjusted by the team to the current project or sprint progress.
Depending on how well-coordinated and attuned the team already is, the sprint planning at the beginning of the project may still be somewhat imprecise. However, with each new sprint, the planning should continuously improve.

5. Conduct Daily Stand-ups

The so-called Stand-up Meetings are an important component of every SCRUM project. They promote the agile character of the SCRUM method as they are very efficient and particularly goal-oriented. Within a maximum of 15 minutes, team members inform each other about their progress, further planning, as well as the obstacles they have encountered or the challenges they had to overcome. If the stand-ups are consistently conducted daily, all team members are informed about the progress of others at all times and can support each other early on if problems arise.

Practical tips for introducing agile project management using the SCRUM approach

6. Be Open to Iteration and Continuous Improvement

One of the basic principles of the SCRUM approach is iteration. Instead of comprehensive advance planning as is common in classical project management methods, here a step-by-step approach is taken within the framework of sprints. This approach may require a certain rethinking for team members if they have not yet gained experience with agile methods. However, it allows for high flexibility and permits adjustments. By holding regular sprint retrospectives, feedback is continuously collected, which is incorporated into the next development cycles for further product optimization.

Conclusion

The transition from traditional project management to an agile SCRUM approach is a change process that requires careful planning. Through consistent adherence to and implementation of status meetings, a constant flow of information within the team is guaranteed, and all members are involved in the process at all times. This approach creates transparency and, combined with the high degree of self-determination, further motivates the team. In addition to a well-structured way of working, it is also important to establish an appropriate mindset among team members to lay the foundations for successful implementation of SCRUM in the company.