Scrum vs. Traditional Project Management

This 7 minute video provides a quick overview of how Scrum is different compared to Traditional Project Management methods:

The following table summarizes many of the differences between Scrum and traditional project management models.

	Scrum	Traditional Project Management
Emphasis is on	People	Processes
Documentation	Minimal—only as required	Comprehensive
Process style	Iterative	Linear
Upfront planning	Low	High
Prioritization of Requirements	Based on business value and regularly updated	Fixed in the Project Plan
Quality assurance	Customer centric	Process centric
Organization	Self-organized	Managed
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/throughout project life	End of project life
Customer involvement	High throughout the project	Varies depending on the project lifecycle

Table: Scrum vs. Traditional Project Management

Traditional project management methods, like the waterfall model, are normally used in highly structured environments where changes can be extremely expensive, if not impossible. In general the progress in traditional models is seen as flowing steadily downward through the continuous and progressive elaboration of the planning and work of the project, thus the name waterfall.

Scrum methodology is employs iterative decision making based on observation and experimentation rather than detailed upfront planning. It utilizes an inspect-adapt cycle and shared-value approaches.

Often, traditional models suffer from inflexibility and the resulting high cost of addressing changes and errors, making it difficult to manage changing customer needs and expectations. In contrast, Scrum manages change much more effectively, thereby minimizing the cost of changes in the project.

In traditional models, a usable product is made available only at the completion of the project, whereas in a Scrum project, each Sprint produces a potentially usable product increment. This allows the team to demonstrate results and obtain valuable feedback from customers at predefined intervals throughout the project.

Scrum methodology, unlike traditional project management methods, is based on the belief that employees can offer much more than their technical skills. When provided with a supportive environment that fosters empowerment, collaboration, active involvement, and motivation, the employees of today can be much more productive and provide significantly high levels of value. Although salary is certainly a factor, it is not the most important factor in the modern day work culture. Traditional project management methods typically adhere to an order, monitor and control approach whereas Scrum encourages team members to have ownership of the tasks. In Scrum tasks are not assigned to Scrum team members to take ownership of the project and its associated work. In Scrum, tasks are not assigned to Scrum Team members. The team members themselves select tasks based on their individual skill sets. More modern psychological and social theories are followed in Scrum as compared to traditional project management where emphasis is more on the processes.

In traditional project management, a comprehensive, detailed plan is put in place early in the project. The aim of the project is to adhere to and meet the objectives of the plan. Often these projects succeed in meeting the objectives of the plan, but fail to ultimately satisfy the customer.

The objective of a Scrum project is to maintain focus on satisfying the needs and requirements of the customer, and to provide maximum business value. Unlike traditional project management methods, Scrum facilitates collaboration among all parties involved in the project including the customer, the business team and the stakeholders. Feedback is solicited from stakeholders and customers throughout the project, which leads to a higher degree of customer satisfaction, and minimizes the risk of failure. The completion of a Sprint in Scrum results in a potentially usable deliverable or product for the customer. This means that return on investment often begins much more quickly than in traditional project management methods.

There are many differences between Scrum and other project management models. Scrum projects require only minimal formal documentation, where traditional project management methods require a significant amount. In Scrum, the management style is decentralized, unlike the typically more autocratic style in traditional models. Scrum addresses quality differently as well. One of the most significant and beneficial differences between Scrum and other methods is how Scrum handles change. In Scrum, the iterative nature of developing and delivering a set of User Stories in each Sprint makes the incorporation of new requirements and changes easier and much less disruptive. On the other hand, traditional project management methods require a lengthy change control process with substantial documentation, resulting in significantly higher costs to implement change.