Agile and Scrum Explained: A Guide to Agile Software Development
Traditional software development: months of analysis, then months of development, finally testing. By the time the project is done, the customer's needs have changed. Agile breaks this cycle.
What Is Agile?
Agile is a philosophy that embraces short iterations, continuous feedback, and openness to change in software development.
Agile Manifesto (2001)
| Value | Over | |-------|------| | Individuals and interactions | Processes and tools | | Working software | Comprehensive documentation | | Customer collaboration | Contract negotiation | | Responding to change | Following a plan |
What Is Scrum?
Scrum is the most popular Agile framework. It uses fixed-length iterations (sprints) to deliver value.
Scrum Roles
| Role | Responsibility | |------|---------------| | Product Owner | Decides what to build, manages backlog | | Scrum Master | Facilitates process, removes blockers | | Development Team | Does the work, self-organizing |
Scrum Events
- Sprint Planning — Select work from backlog, define sprint goal
- Daily Standup (15 min) — What I did, what I'll do, any blockers
- Sprint Review — Demo completed work to stakeholders
- Sprint Retrospective — What went well, what didn't, how to improve
Scrum Flow
Product Backlog → Sprint Planning → Sprint Backlog
→ Sprint (2-4 weeks) → Done → Review + Retro → Next Sprint
Scrum vs Kanban
| Feature | Scrum | Kanban | |---------|-------|--------| | Iteration | Fixed sprints | Continuous flow | | Roles | PO, SM, Dev Team | No defined roles | | Planning | Sprint planning | As needed | | Changes | Locked during sprint | Anytime | | Metric | Velocity | Lead time, cycle time | | Best for | Product development | Operations, support |
User Stories
As a [user role],
I want [goal/need],
so that [benefit/value].
Acceptance criteria:
- Login form has email and password fields
- Invalid login shows meaningful error
- Account locks after 3 failed attempts
Estimation: Story Points
Fibonacci-based complexity estimates:
1 — Trivial (CSS fix)
2 — Simple (single function)
3 — Moderate (new component)
5 — Complex (new page + API)
8 — Very complex (new module)
13 — Epic (should be broken down)
Conclusion
Agile is not a tool, it's a mindset. Scrum and Kanban are just frameworks — what matters is the team embracing a culture of continuous improvement and value delivery.
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