It’s your first day in your first product management job. Perhaps you are excited–this is your dream role, after all, and you cannot wait to get your hands dirty and delve into the deep end. Perhaps you are nervous–you’re not sure how to act, and you’re awkwardly staring at a blank spot on your desk, waiting for your next instructions. Perhaps it’s a mix of both. Your supervisor then comes up to you, and gives you a run down of your roles and responsibilities. At some point, they say,

“We don’t do waterfall here, our team is agile and adopts Scrum practices.” 

What? Waterfall, agile, SCRUM…these all sound like words that belong in the zoo or athletics. Agile team? Scrum? Do we have company sports day? Corporate speak has gone too far, you think. If only there was someone to explain to you what these mean before your first day…

Don’t fret, we got you. In this article, we will break down these terms for you, and discuss the relevance of these concepts in relation to your role, the Product Manager.

Firstly, what is a "waterfall?'

Waterfall, in corporate speak, refers to a specific type of project management model. In essence, the waterfall model is a linear approach, where each process phase is carried out sequentially. It generally looks like this:

The waterfall model is the one of the oldest and most popular SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) approaches, and it is still regularly practised today.

Adopting the waterfall model for your project has its pros–it puts emphasis on doing a great deal of planning and discussion at the start, which means that everyone can be on the same page during the implementation stage. It is also very orderly, making it easier to keep track of and follow.

However, in recent years, many companies have retired the waterfall model for a newer, more lightweight and glitzier approach–the agile methodology.

What is agile, and why is it called "agile"?

Similar to the waterfall model, the agile methodology is a popular project management framework commonly adopted in software development. However, its essence is quite unlike that of the waterfall. Instead of adopting a solidly linear framework, the agile process is more circular in nature, following constant iterations of a similar process over and over again across the timeframe of a project. 

Now, why is it called an “agile” approach? This is because this practice prides itself in its flexibility. Agile focuses on completing the project in cycles–in each cycle, you repeat the process of designing and developing specifically chosen components of the project, such that the product at the end of every cycle is functional. 

Some of the key features of agile are:

• Customer Collaboration: Engaging customers throughout the development process to ensure their needs and feedback are continually addressed.

• Iterative Development: Breaking down the project into small, manageable increments that can be developed and delivered in short cycles.

• Cross-Functional Teams: Bringing together team members with diverse skills to foster collaboration and innovation.

• Adaptability: Embracing change and allowing for adjustments to the project plan based on customer feedback and evolving requirements.

What has SCRUM got to do with this?

SCRUM is a specific type of agile framework, and is one of the most popular ones. It may seem like “SCRUM” is an acronym for something, but the term was actually derived from rugby. In rugby, a "scrum" is a formation in which players come together in a tightly bound group to gain possession of the ball. This formation emphasises teamwork, coordination, and a unified effort towards a common goal. Similarly, SCRUM, in product & project management terms, is an approach where teams work as a unit to reach a goal. The principles of teamwork, iterative progress, and adaptability drawn from the rugby analogy are integral to how SCRUM operates.

Key components of the SCRUM framework include:

Roles

1. Product Owner, who is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the product backlog, and is the voice of the customer.

2. SCRUM Master, who ensures that the SCRUM process is followed and supports the team in continuous improvement.

3. Development Team, which refers to a group of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable increment of "Done" product at the end of each Sprint.

Events

1. Sprint: A time-boxed period (usually 2-4 weeks) during which a specific set of work is completed and reviewed.

2. Sprint Planning: A meeting at the start of each Sprint where the team discusses what can be delivered in the upcoming Sprint and how to achieve that goal.

3. Daily SCRUM: A brief daily meeting where the team synchronizes activities and plans the next 24 hours.

4. Sprint Review: A meeting at the end of the Sprint to inspect the increment and gather feedback.

5. Sprint Retrospective: A meeting after the Sprint Review where the team reflects on the past Sprint and identifies improvements for the next one.

Artifacts

1. Product Backlog: An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is dynamic, evolving as the product and environment change.

2. Sprint Backlog: The set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product increment.

3. Increment: The sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint, which meets the definition of "Done."

As you can see, there are quite a lot of moving parts that are part of the SCRUM methodology. However, its sheer adaptability makes it wonderful for creating a well-designed product that matches the stakeholder and customer’s needs, especially in a fast-paced and ever-changing market. With the emphasis on frequent check-ins and work distribution, it also can bring about increased productivity, making for a more efficient and flexible team overall.

Conclusion

SCRUM and Agile frameworks have significantly impacted product management by promoting a more flexible, collaborative, and customer-focused approach. By breaking down projects into manageable increments and continuously integrating feedback, teams can deliver higher quality products that better meet customer needs. Adopting SCRUM and Agile practices can lead to more successful projects, happier customers, and more motivated teams. We hope that these explanations can provide a better insight into some of the most common product management practices today.

About the Author