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Scrum, Projects & Products

Last post 12:14 am December 14, 2019 by Mark Adams
4 replies
10:23 pm December 13, 2019

Why does the scrum guide talk about Products and not about Projects? Is it because a Project may span across multiple Products and therefore there will be a lot of context switching? If a Project is for a single Product would it make a difference? Can projects not exist around Scrum? If yes, what are those boundaries?


10:31 pm December 13, 2019

If I recall, a "Project" is a temporary endeavor with a defined end date, while a "Product" is a valuable service or item that exists up until it no longer makes business sense to maintain or support.


10:31 pm December 13, 2019

Why does the scrum guide talk about Products and not about Projects?

It does. The Scrum Guide says: "Each Sprint may be considered a project with no more than a one-month horizon. Like projects, Sprints are used to accomplish something."

See also "Projects and Products in Scrum": https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/projects-and-products-scrum

 


11:31 pm December 13, 2019

It does. The Scrum Guide says: "Each Sprint may be considered a project with no more than a one-month horizon. Like projects, Sprints are used to accomplish something.

@Ian Mitchell, I guess I should've articulated it as Scrum is more product focused, but after reading your article I think I kind of understand the message.

What I understood was that, rather than focusing too much on the long term, focus on the short term and through empiricism keep developing as needed. In this manner each Sprint can be considered a project and multiple Sprints may be equated to the traditional project. The focus of each Sprint therefore becomes a potentially releasable Increment (of that Product) or whatever was trying to be achieved.

Have I understood that correct?


12:14 am December 14, 2019

I'll go further and say that Project Managers are obsessively focused on time, budget and scope, whereas Product Managers/Product Owners are obsessively focused on the customer.


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