Is Scrum a Standard or Framework or a Methodology?
A Standard is something which needs to be followed right from the beginning to end and which strictly communicates on what needs to be done. Standard mandates us to have certain things in place without which the compliance is not seen and we don’t get a certification . Eg: ISO
Framework is a collection of best practices which is structured in a way organizations use to obtain into the path of process improvement. Step by Step practices are put in place so as to bring about a mature delivery organization. Framework/Model says what needs to be done. It doesn’t say how it needs to be done and it is left to the person implementing the mode/framework to use the best way and take it forward. Eg: CMMI , ITIL
Methodology is a collection of practices , procedures , methods which are done tailored depending upon the project , framework followed by the organization and try to bring in delivery excellence.
Now, Keeping the above in mind – What could we say about Scrum ??
Its not a Standard since it doesn’t mandate a project team to follow specific steps irrespective of the technology / customer / geography and doesn’t have a kind of checklist to verify if they have been accomplished.
Its not a Methodology because,
- It doesn’t say who defines the Sprint Goal. But it says Sprint goal needs to be defined.
- It doesn’t say who selects to be the Scrum Master , but it definitely recommends a person to take the responsibility of a Scrum Master.
- It doesn’t mandate on a specific Sprint Length and a specific role , but recommends on having one depending upon the team dynamics.
Overall , it isnt prescriptive but definitely it shows the team a roadmap which could be followed. (It would be experience and common sense which could guide the team to its end objective). Long Story Short, Scrum is a Framework – It’s a collection of best practices which has to be applied to your projects not necessarily the same way.
and and and, Agile is a Concept(Normal English word) and frameworks like Scrum have evolved from these concepts.
Tipsy little box 