Scrum Principles
The six essential, non-negotiable principles that anchor Scrum and guide how teams deliver value: Empirical Process Control, Self-Organization, Collaboration, Value-based Prioritization, Time-boxing, and Iterative Development.
Key Points
- Empirical Process Control: work is made transparent, inspected often, and adapted based on evidence.
- Self-Organization and Collaboration: cross-functional teams coordinate closely with stakeholders to achieve goals.
- Value-based Prioritization: order the backlog to maximize customer value and manage risk early.
- Time-boxing and Iterative Development: fixed-length sprints create frequent, usable increments for feedback.
Example
A Scrum Team runs two-week sprints (Time-boxing), delivers a working increment each time (Iterative Development), reviews it with stakeholders (Collaboration), and reorders the Product Backlog to focus on the highest-value items (Value-based Prioritization). They use transparent sprint metrics and adapt their plan after each review and retrospective (Empirical Process Control), with the team deciding how to do the work (Self-Organization).
PMP Example Question
Which action best demonstrates Empirical Process Control within the Scrum Principles?
- Freezing scope for the entire release to prevent change.
- Running time-boxed sprints, making progress transparent, and adjusting the backlog after reviews.
- Having the project manager assign daily tasks to each developer.
- Prioritizing backlog items alphabetically to reduce debate.
Correct Answer: B — Empirical Process Control
Explanation: Empirical Process Control relies on transparency, inspection, and adaptation; time-boxed sprints with visible progress and regular backlog adjustments exemplify this principle.
