Comparing Agile and Scrum Project Management in Software Development
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Key Distinctions Between Agile and Scrum in Software Development
Section 1
Name:
Student No:
Courses (eg MBA, Msc HRM, etc):
Year of Study (Cohort):
Final Dissertation submission date:
Target submission date:
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Section 2: Research Topic
Two well-liked project management techniques in the software development sector are agile and scrum. Both strategies place a strong emphasis on teamwork, adaptability, and iterative development, although they differ significantly from one another.
Agile is a wide phrase that describes a set of beliefs and ideas for software development that put the needs of the client, teamwork, and adaptability first. It fosters regular feedback and ongoing improvement and places a greater emphasis on functional software than thorough documentation. But Scrum, a particular framework within the Agile methodology, offers a structured method of project management. At the conclusion of each sprint, which is generally a two-week period of development, Scrum focuses on providing a potentially shippable product increment. It involves a predetermined set of roles, rituals, and artefacts that facilitate good teamwork(Beck, 2021)
This topic was selected for two reasons. First off, because being an engineering student, I am expected to have a thorough awareness of several processes and frameworks, such as Agile and Scrum, as well as each one's advantages and disadvantages. Second, as Agile and Scrum are both commonly used in software development and have been more well-known recently, knowing the key distinctions between the two methodologies may help determine which technique is more appropriate for certain project types and team dynamics. Additionally, given the complexity of software development, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the different project management methodologies that are available to teams. Teams may decide which method is appropriate for their needs and boost their chances of project success by understanding the distinctions between Agile and Scrum (Schwaber,2017).
Section 3: Research Aim
The two important research aim related to the selected topic are mentioned below:
This study aims to compares and contrasts the Agile and Scrum project management approaches for the software development sector.
Additionally, the study aims to pinpoint their main distinctions and decide which strategy is better suited for various projects and team structuring.
Section 4: Literature review
International rivalry, changing prospects, and extremely complicated corporate procedures. In accordance with the conventional approach to project management, managers of projects have attempted to anticipate and prepare for all potential information and requirements prior to the understanding of the project in such a complex and rapidly evolving setting. Nevertheless, in the contemporary swiftly evolving surroundings, project management as a profession change under the impact of the weaknesses of the conventional approach to project management in order to make modifications appropriate and to succeed. Organisations must adapt to changes and be more flexible as they occur in order to remain competitive (Ciric, 2019). Due to their emphasis on adaptability, teamwork, and ongoing improvement, Agile and Scrum are two project management approaches that have become extremely popular in the software development sector. Both methodologies have their origins in the Agile Manifesto, which is a set of ideals and guidelines for software development that places a premium on teamwork, customer satisfaction, and adaptability to change (Beck et al., 2001). The agile technique favours functional software over in-depth documentation and places a strong emphasis on flexibility, customer satisfaction, and ongoing feedback. According to Schwaber and Sutherland (2017), agile project management is an iterative process that entails segmenting the project into smaller, more manageable tasks and prioritising them according to their significance to the client. Agile project management is built on the concept of self-organizing teams, where members are given the freedom to decide for themselves and work closely together to complete projects (Cohn, 2006). But Scrum, a particular framework within the Agile methodology, offers a structured method of project management. It is based on a set of roles, rituals, and artefacts that facilitate good teamwork and enable teams to produce an incremental possibly shippable product at the conclusion of each sprint (Fowler, 2001). Like Agile, Scrum also involves breaking the project down into smaller, more manageable tasks, but it also has particular ceremonies like daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, and sprint review to make sure the team is in sync and making progress on the project (Sutherland & Schwaber, 2013). The degree of structure between Agile and Scrum is one of their primary contrasts. Although the Agile methodology offers a general framework for software development, it does not specify any particular project management procedures or practises (Highsmith, 2002). Contrarily, Scrum is a highly organised methodology that offers detailed instructions on how to manage a project while utilising the Scrum framework (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2017). Agile and Scrum differ significantly from one another in terms of how they handle planning. Project planning is done just-in-time, with teams just preparing what is required for the upcoming iteration because agile approach favours flexibility and responds to changing needs (Highsmith, 2002). Scrum, on the other hand, uses a structured planning approach in which teams plan out the whole project over the course of two-week development cycles called sprints (Larman, 2003). Their approaches to team roles provide a third significant distinction between Agile and Scrum. Agile approach places a strong emphasis on self-organizing teams, where members may freely make decisions and work closely together to complete projects (Highsmith, 2002). The Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team roles in Scrum, on the other hand, are created to guarantee that each team member has a distinct job and duty within the project (Pikkarainen,2008).
Also considering the theoretical prospective of the given topic it can be said that, the requirements might vary throughout the project since agile approach places a larger focus on customer satisfaction and ongoing input (Beck et al., 2001). Agile teams usually establish tight communication with customers and stakeholders to comprehend their requirements and preferences, and they prioritise work according to the importance of the customer (Highsmith, 2002). In contrast, Scrum teams prioritise work based on the sequence in which needs should be provided and keep track of all project requirements in a Product Backlog (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2017). Scrum offers a more organised approach to needs management, whereas Agile is more flexible with requirements. The way Agile and Scrum handle project monitoring and control is a significant theoretical distinction between the two methodologies. Agile technique places a strong emphasis on self-organizing teams, where members may freely make decisions and work closely together to complete projects. Agile teams adjust to changing needs and conditions as necessary by relying on ongoing feedback from customers and stakeholders to monitor and control the project. Scrum, on the other hand, takes a more systematic approach to monitoring and control. For example, it uses rituals like the Sprint analyse and Sprint Retrospective to analyse progress and pinpoint areas that need improvement. Scrum also emphasises transparency more strongly by using visual management tools, such the Sprint Burndown chart, to monitor development and spot possible issues.
Overall, it can be said that there are numerous parallels between the two well-known project management techniques Agile and Scrum, but there are also significant distinctions. While Scrum offers a more structured framework for managing projects, with specific roles, ceremonies, and artefacts to guide the team, Agile is a more adaptable and iterative approach with a focus on customer satisfaction. It is crucial for software development teams to comprehend the distinctions between Agile and Scrum in order to select the best methodology for their project type and team dynamics.
Section 5: Research Methods
Data collection and analysis for the proposed research will be done using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. To collect information on their experiences with the Agile and Scrum techniques, software development professionals will be surveyed as part of the study's initial phase. The survey will be made to elicit responses on a variety of subjects, such as team dynamics, project success rates, communication trends, and risk management techniques. Regression analysis and other statistical techniques will be used to analyse the survey data in order to find significant variations between the Agile and Scrum processes for these KPIs (Bryman, 2016) The study will also include qualitative data acquired through in-depth interviews with software development experts who have expertise with both Agile and Scrum techniques, in addition to the survey data. The interviews will be organised around a number of critical issues, such as team dynamics, project success factors, and risk management techniques(Creswell, 2017) A purposeful sample of software development experts with at least three years of combined experience using the Agile and Scrum techniques will be the subjects of the interviews. To find significant themes and patterns in the data, the interviews will be transcribed and subjected to a thematic analysis. To offer a thorough knowledge of the distinctions between Agile and Scrum project management approaches, survey and interview data will be combined. The findings will be presented in a comparison of the two techniques, emphasising the significant parallels and divergences in terms of project success determinants, team dynamics, communication patterns, and risk management tactics(Patton, 2014)
Regarding my own skills, I have knowledge of statistical analysis and data visualisation with the aid of software tools like R and Python. I am also skilled at qualitative data analysis utilising programmes like Atlas.ti and NVivo. These abilities will be put to use in the analysis of the survey and interview data as well as in the succinct and clear presentation of the findings.
It is significant to highlight that the study's suggested research methodologies have certain restrictions. The survey results will, first and foremost, rely on self-reported replies, which might be biased and could not correctly reflect the experiences of software development professionals. Additionally, because the study will only include a purposive sample of participants, it is possible that it will not accurately reflect the overall population of software development professionals. Finally, other project management methodologies that might be applied in the software development industry may not be taken into account because the study will only concentrate on Agile and Scrum methodologies.
Section 6: Timetable of Activity
The time table activity will be presented in the form of a Gantt Chart which is created below:
Task
Month 1 Apr
Month 2 May
Month 3 June
Month 4 Jul
Month 5 Aug
Month 6 Sep
Month 7 Oct-Apr
Scheme briefing
Taught support
Complete proposal
Submit proposal
Allocated supervisor
Contact supervisor
Literature review
Methodology chapter
Data collection
Data analysis
Findings chapter
Discussion chapter
Conclusion
Recommendations
Submission
So, it can be depicted from the above given Gant Chart that the entire project will need a minimum of 7 months to be completed. Within these months daily work progress will be shared with the tutor so as to get feedback from them and based on those further development of the project can be carried out. The main agenda of sending everyday progress to make the overall project before final submission.
Section 7: Ethical considerations
The core study on the key distinctions between the Agile and Scrum project management methodologies may bring up certain moral questions that need to be taken into account. The requirement to protect the participants' identities and confidentiality is one possible ethical dilemma. Data from the survey and interviews will be obtained from software development experts who may work for different companies. To avoid any potential bad outcomes for the participants, it is crucial to make sure that the information gathered is kept private and that their identities are secured. The requirement to gain informed permission from study subjects may provide another ethical dilemma. Participants should be thoroughly informed of the goals, methods, risks, and rewards of the research (American Psychological Association,2017). Additionally, they ought to have the freedom to stop the study at any time without suffering any repercussions. Additionally, social desirability bias or fear of repercussions could lead to bias in survey results. To solve this, it's crucial to make sure that participants are aware that their answers will be kept private and that they won't suffer any bad effects as a result of them. Aiming to reduce any potential bias, the study design should include methods like randomised sampling or open-ended questions. The researcher should also make sure that the findings are presented objectively, without any data modification or deception. This necessitates abiding by the standards of academic honesty and openness in research reporting(Creswell, 2017).
Question
Yes
No
N/A
1. Does the aim and method of your research respect the independence of your participants?
Yes
2. Are measures in place to ensure confidentiality for participants?
Yes
3. Are participants clearly asked to give consent to take part in the research?
Yes
4. Can participants withdraw at any time if they chose?
Yes
If you ticked NO to any of the above questions, you should indicate below how you intend to address these ethical concerns.
Question
Yes
No
N/A
5. Do the objectives of your research lead participants to break confidentiality or otherwise engage in deceit?
No
6. Will your respondents be in a position where they might feel coerced into taking part in the research?
No
7. Will the data be used in ways not fully explained to the participants or respondents?
No
8. Is your research at all likely to cause physical or psychological harm or stress to participants?
No
9. Is the impartiality of the research at risk of being compromised by dependence upon the support of a particular sponsor or organization?
No
If you ticked YES to any of the above questions, you should indicate below how you intend to address these ethical concerns.
Section 8
Accounting & Finance
Strategy
Professional Effectiveness & CPD
Marketing
HRM & Organisational behaviour
Enterprise/ Economic Development & Leisure/ Tourism
Purchasing and supply
Y
Business information systems
Section 9
I declare that the above questions have been answered correctly, and that if ethical issues emerge in the course of my research, then I will notify my supervisor immediately
Student Name (Print):
Student Signature:
Date:
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended June 1, 2010 and January 1, 2017). https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/ethical-principles-code-2017.pdf
Beck, K., Beedle, M., Bennekum, A. V., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., ... & Kern, J. (2001). Manifesto for agile software development. Agile Alliance.
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Ciric, D., 2019. Agile vs. Traditional Approach in Project Management: Strategies, Challenges and Reasons to Introduce Agile. Procedia Manufacturing, 39(4), pp. 1407-1414
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. Sage publications.
Cohn, M. (2006). Succeeding with agile: software development using Scrum. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Fowler, M. (2001). The new methodology. Martinfowler.com.
Highsmith, J. (2002). Agile software development ecosystems. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Larman, C. (2003). Agile and iterative development: A manager's guide. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice. Sage publications.
Pikkarainen, M., Haikara, J., Salo, O., Abrahamsson, P., & Still, J. (2008). The impact of agile practices on communication in software development. Empirical Software Engineering, 13(3), 303-337.
Sutherland, J. (2007). Agile development: Lessons learned from the first Scrum. Cutter Consortium.
Schwaber, K. (2004). Agile project management with Scrum. Microsoft Press.
