As companies race to digitise their business and shift from hardware to data-enhanced solutions, their internal workflow methodology is undergoing a transformation of its own. Agile and Scrum are finally applicable, opening doors to more flexible ways of collaboration.
How Scrum Helps in the ERNI lab
By Oscar Llorens, Development Lead / Scrum Master at ERNI laboratory, Barcelona
Scrum is a very dynamic method that is great for meeting tight delivery deadlines. It is especially useful in medtech software development, where, if adapted well, it enables the team to manage their goals and their time in sprints. Our team, for example, runs on two-week sprints, after which we all meet and review the sprint and plan the next one. These cycles, combined with daily stand-up meetings that typically only take 15 minutes, offer a very streamlined working experience.
Scrum also helps keep communication with the customer alive – on top of regular reports drafted by the project lead, we are in touch with the customer on a daily basis. This saves time, as relying on the traditional concept of a single entry point is a lot less effective.
„Agile methods and sprint-based development make our teams more effective, synchronised and focused, enabling us to deliver faster and better solutions.“
All in all, Agile and Scrum are helpful tools in any software-based business. However, you need to keep in mind that these are only ideas, principles and rules that need to be adapted to the way your team works and what your people need.
Typical Scrum shortcomings and how to overcome them
Implementing Scrum in an established team might not be as easy as it sounds. Methodological oversights often result in shortcomings that lead to delays, confusion and higher error rates. Thankfully, there are ways to overcome them. Typical reasons for these shortcomings include the omission of certain Scrum principles, alterations to goals during a sprint or a misunderstanding of roles and responsibilities within the team. These issues can usually be overcome through adequate leadership techniques that focus on individual motivation and responsibility.
To start a change of mindset, however, external help is often required. Internal leadership on its own typically has a hard time implementing Scrum fully, because it is influenced by established systems and lacks the experience with similar cases that external experts can provide. Hiring an external Scrum master is, therefore, becoming the number one choice for effective implementation of Scrum that ensures long-term growth of quality and efficacy.
Typical Scrum shortcomings
Changes during the sprint. The person in charge sets the specifications for the team or changes the priorities during the sprint, rather than handing over the responsibility.
Quantity over quality. The development of additional features becomes more important than the quality of the primary features.
Superior syndrome. The team does not take over responsibility for the implementation and quality of the delivery and expects coordination from a superior.
