Scrum is a variant of the Agile Development methodology of efficient, collaborative, and quality-driven project management. Though it originated in Software Development, it has been adapted by teams in Research, Sales, Marketing, and the technology industry.
Scrum is important to learn about because its benefits extend beyond optimized project management. With one criteria being fixed time periods in which an iteration must be complete (called “sprints”), products can be released earlier and increase revenue. It also enables teams to reduce the risk of project failure due to these small increments, in addition to transparency between team members and stakeholders.
事实证明,Scrum 为最终客户带来价值的速度比传统方法快 30% 到 40%。这是 Scrum 管理者(敏捷开发团队的推动者)被认为是美国最高薪的 25 种工作之一的其中一个原因,而且,随着组织将敏捷开发作为标准做法,Scrum 管理者很抢手。
除了担任 Scrum 管理者之外,学习者还可以期待在需要用到 Scrum 知识的技术领域中找到职位。这些职位包括:信息架构师、QA 分析师、项目经理、用户研究人员、内容策略主管、WordPress 开发人员、客户体验分析师,以及其他对敏捷开发的成功至关重要的职能团队成员。
Agile courses offered through Coursera cover Scrum. They equip learners with knowledge in creating an actionable, adaptive plan for a digital product team; applying skills that enable an Agile team to succeed; understanding the Scrum framework; participating effectively in Agile processes; and more.
Lessons on Scrum and Agile are taught by instructors from major universities, including University of Virginia, University of Minnesota, University of Alberta, and other institutions. Learners can enjoy exploring Scrum and Agile with instructors specializing in Business, Science and Engineering, and other disciplines. Course content on Scrum is delivered via video lectures, hands-on projects, readings, quizzes, and other types of assignments.
It's important to understand agile project management and agile frameworks before starting to learn Scrum. Having experience as a facilitator, project manager, or coach is also very helpful as you start to learn Scrum. Skills that will make learning Scrum easier for you include being able to follow through on complex projects, understanding what motivates people to be productive, communicating well with others, and managing team meetings. Also, having the ability to set goals and define the objectives that will help reach those goals are important skills to have before starting to learn Scrum.
People who have natural leadership skills and are positive thinkers are well suited for roles in Scrum. Having a role in Scrum usually means you're a Scrum master, which is a person who leads a small team of developers and one product owner through the process of solving a complex problem. Those best suited for roles in Scrum also appreciate and have the discipline to follow a step-by-step process to solve a problem or achieve a goal because leaving out aspects of Scrum or not following its rules limits the benefits of using Scrum. Someone who has a role in Scrum must be a team player and be skilled at working collaboratively with others to decide who does what, how it's done, and when it's done.
Learning Scrum may be right for you if you have a need in your current team or organization (or foresee a future need) to solve complex problems that would benefit from a structured framework. While Scrum was originally created for software product developers, learning Scrum may be right for you if you're a scientist, analyst, researcher, or another type of specialist as well. If you're interested in learning about project management, learning Scrum may be right for you.