Scrum vs Traditional Project Management

	Scrum	Traditional PM
Emphasis is on	People	Processes
Documentation	Minimal	Comprehensive
Process style	Iterative	Linear
Upfront planning	Low	High
Prioritization of Requirements	Based on Business Value and regularly updated	Fixed in Project Plan
Quality assurance	Customer Centric	Process Centric
Management Style	Decentralized	Centralized
Change	Updates to Productized Product Backlog	Formal Change Management System
Leadership	Collaborative, Servant Leadership	Command and Control
Performance Measurement	Business Value	Plan Conformity
Return on Investment	Early and throughout project life	End of Project Life
Customer Involvement	High Throughout the project	Varies depending on project lifecycle

Why Use Scrum?

Some of the key benefits of using Scrum in any project are:

• Adaptability—Empirical process control and iterative delivery make projects adaptable and open to incorporating change.
• Transparency—All information radiators like a Scrumboard and Sprint Burndown Chart are shared, leading to an open work environment.
• Continuous Feedback—Continuous feedback is provided through the Conduct Daily Standup, and Demonstrate and Validate Sprint processes.
• Continuous Improvement—The deliverables are improved progressively Sprint by Sprint, through the Groom Prioritized Product Backlog process.
• Continuous Delivery of Value—Iterative processes enable the continuous delivery of value through the Ship Deliverables process as frequently as the customer requires.
• Sustainable Pace—Scrum processes are designed such that the people involved can work at a sustainable pace that they can, in theory, continue indefinitely.
• Early Delivery of High Value—The Create Prioritized Product Backlog process ensures that the highest value requirements of the customer are satisfied first.
• Efficient Development Process—Time-boxing and minimizing non-essential work leads to higher efficiency levels.
• Motivation—The Conduct Daily Standup and Retrospect Sprint processes lead to greater levels of motivation among employees.
• Faster Problem Resolution—Collaboration and colocation of cross-functional teams lead to faster problem solving.
• Effective Deliverables—The Create Prioritized Product Backlog process and regular reviews after creating deliverables ensures effective deliverables to the customer.
• Customer Centric—Emphasis on business value and having a collaborative approach to stakeholders ensures a customer-oriented framework.
• High Trust Environment—Conduct Daily Standup and Retrospect Sprint processes promote transparency and collaboration, leading to a high trust work environment ensuring low friction among employees.
• Collective Ownership—The Approve, Estimate, and Commit User Stories process allows team members to take ownership of the project and their work leading to better quality.
• High Velocity—A collaborative framework enables highly skilled cross-functional teams to achieve their full potential and high velocity.
• Innovative Environment—The Retrospect Sprint and Retrospect Project processes create an environment of introspection, learning, and adaptability leading to an innovative and creative work environment.