Improving your time management skills may require identifying a unique process that is suited to your needs. For example, SCRUM time management has become a powerful planning tool for various manufacturing terms, particularly software development. Its original design was precisely for that purpose, though its scope has expanded heavily in recent years.
If you’re interested in this unique process, it is vital to understand how to implement it in your life and how it will save you time. So let’s take a deep look at SCRUM, its connection to (and differences from) agile time management, the benefits of SCRUM, and how you can get started using this unique time management tool. Starting here should give you an idea of what to expect.
What is SCRUM Time Management?
SCRUM is a development plan that works on an iterative lifecycle that breaks down into sprints. These sprints can last between 2-4 weeks and utilize a detailed cycle that helps to make this process smoother and more effective.
It includes:
- Product Backlog: The starting point for SCRUM examines your backlog of products that need to be manufactured and creates a plan for your sprint.
- Sprint: During the sprint, your team focuses on handling the duties planned for production, including planning, testing, and developing your sprint.
- Sprint Backlog: Before executing the sprint, you need to examine your backlog to see what needs to be tackled first and focus on those steps before moving on to new ones.
- Sprint Execution: During the execution phase, your team makes daily sprints (including focusing on specific parts of your plan execution) and cycles back until the sprint cycle is over.
- Sprint Review: After your sprint, your team examines its success. If it is successful, you can send them out in shippable increments. If not, restart your initial sprint with a retrospective.
This process saves you time by streamlining your planning and execution steps. Rather than focusing too heavily on multiple steps simultaneously, you take incremental steps toward finishing your project.
SCRUM Design Layout
All SCRUM plans utilize a three-stage design that helps to make this process easier to execute. First, at the top, you have the product owner. They define the product, state what it should look like, and share any feedback from shareholders or others in the firm.
Next, the development team takes feedback from the owner to develop the product. Finally, they create a small group of self-organizing and cross-functioning team members who set processes and techniques and execute them.
The SCRUM Master is the team’s coach who holds them accountable. This methodology saves time by creating a managed workflow that you can adjust, as needed, to meet product demand and production needs.
What is the Difference Between SCRUM Time Management and Agile Time Management?
Agile and SCRUM time management focus on iterative processes and utilize client interaction to produce a collaborative decision-making process that helps streamline product development. However, SCRUM is a type of agile methodology and is separate from it in a few ways.
First, agile is technically a philosophy with broad underlying principles you can use to create time management plans. SCRUM is more streamlined and specific in its available options, meaning you need to take certain steps in a specific order to execute your schedule correctly.
SCRUM also focuses more on shorter sprints and small packages of deliverables rather than total product delivery. In essence, SCRUM focuses more on the short-term to improve manufacturing, while agile provides an overriding concept you can use when planning long-term ideas. Both help you save time by focusing your work on simpler tasks, creating a tighter scheduling platform.
Fun Fact About SCRUM Time Management
SCRUM was first developed in a 1986 paper entitled “The New New Product Development Game” by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka. The term SCRUM comes from rugby and is currently not trademarked, meaning it can be used and tweaked by any interested parties.
All SCRUM is Agile: But Not All Agile is SCRUM
The basic fact to take away here is that all SCRUM plans utilize agile philosophy to create a workable time management plan. However, not all agile concepts integrate SCRUM ideas. For example, agile time management for doctors differs heavily from the SCRUM manufacturing model.
This limited focus and scope don’t mean SCRUM isn’t helpful. Instead, it indicates that SCRUM has an intense concentration on improving specific parts of manufacturing and production. Understanding more about why this process works may be a practical option for many.
Why Does SCRUM Time Management Work?
SCRUM time management works for several specific reasons. Below, we’ll give you a more in-depth understanding of how this process handles your needs. In addition, each section will include a brief example that makes SCRUM’s real-world application easier to understand. In this way, you should find it easier to understand this process and get results that make sense for your needs as a person.
Creates Simple and Achievable Goals
SCRUM breaks down manufacturing into short, simple, time-managed goals that are easier to achieve. For example, your first sprint may focus on developing the design of a product based on the owner’s needs. Then, each sprint iteration could cycle back to fix any errors your team notices, working to streamline the overall look and feel of the product until it makes the most sense. This way, you save time on troubleshooting and other steps later by getting it right the first time.
Diverse Potential Uses
SCRUM was originally designed primarily for software development. However, other groups have utilized this time management tool over the years. These include manufacturing teams on many levels. This diverse range of uses makes it a powerful way to plan your work processes and minimize time management issues. It helps you save time by creating an all-in-one time management and scheduling platform.
Focuses Tasks on Small Teams
SCRUM utilizes just a handful of specialized team members who often serve many roles. The result is a streamlined process with minimal risk of conflict. For example, your design lead may also work as the efficient manufacturing expert, providing feedback that makes it easier for your SCRUM team to focus on proper time management. It also helps minimize potential work-related time conflicts.
Minimizes Potential Team Confusion
Working on long-term projects may result in some confusion if you don’t use SCRUM time management. For example, it allows your team to focus on just a tiny portion of manufacturing tasks during each cycle. As a result, they can minimize any potential conflicts with team time management. They can then systematically adjust their time management plan to improve their work scheduling.
Allows for Easy Adjustment
SCRUM focuses on such small tasks that it is usually easy to spot problems and fix them before they worsen. For example, if you work in a furniture manufacturing firm and your team notices a failure in the manufacturing process that could cause the legs to break, you can go back to the start of your sprint, brainstorm a solution, and solve the problem through a focused and determined design session.
What are the Main Benefits of SCRUM Time Management?
SCRUM time management system is beneficial due to its unique flexible design.
Like the best time control programs, it makes an adaptable plan that you can adjust to meet your needs without affecting your sprints and their overall effectiveness. Just a few benefits that you’re likely to get when using SCRUM time management include:
- Flexibility to handle many manufacturing processes and cycles
- Versatility in processing a broad range of different products
- Increased production speed and value for your customers
- Simplified team roles that help improve overall production time
- Transparency between product owners and the construction team
- Enhanced learning capabilities for your production crew
- An indefinitely sustainable pace that will enhance your manufacturing cycle
You will benefit if you make the necessary adjustments based on your manufacturing success and failures. For instance, if your design for a product costs too much per unit, you may need to utilize less expensive materials, identify ways of streamlining the process, or take other steps to ensure your production goes smoothly and effectively.
How Can You Start Using SCRUM Time Management?
If you’re interested in SCRUM, it is critical to take a handful of steps to ensure that you execute this process properly. While you may adjust the overall manufacturing, design, and execution plan depending on your needs, the steps below should give you a pretty good start in managing and tweaking your management plan as needed:
- Work With the Project Owner: Get feedback and instructions from the project owner to guide your overall construction and manufacturing.
- Plan Your Process: Start by breaking down your manufacturing process into simple steps that you can focus on when sprinting, such as planning, setting up, and building.
- Assign Teams: Create a series of small SCRUM teams who can adapt to your time management needs and streamline your operation, focusing roles intelligently.
- Create a Backlog: Examine your backlog of manufacturing needs, including new concepts you’ve introduced after working with the project owner.
- Execute Your Sprints: Go through the sprinting process over the next 2-4 weeks, adjusting the process as needed to handle any surprises you haven’t anticipated.
- Ship Your Goods: Once your sprints are over and your goods are ready to ship, send them to the proper retail stores or warehouses and move on to other projects to stay focused.
Before planning any new time management plan, it is important to sit down with your team managers and owners and discuss implementation procedures.
While SCRUM shouldn’t cost you extra money to use, any serious adjustments to your manufacturing or production process should be approved to ensure everyone is on the same page with this unique process.
