The  Value  of  Scrum  to  Organiza5ons:  A  Case  Study  

Dave  A.  Cornelius,  DM  MBA,  PMP,  PMI-­‐ACP,  CSP,  SSBB,  ITIL  v3  

©2014  Dave  A.  Cornelius     1  

Abstract  •  The  Scrum  prac55oners'  adop5on  of  the  agile  prac5ce  indicated  a  promise  of  a  new  way  forward  for  

soPware  development  management  and  delivery  predictability.  Despite  numerous  anecdotal  claims  of  Scrum  successes  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  a  lack  of  empirical  evidence  exists.  The  problem  has  been  to  close  the  knowledge  gap  of  the  value  of  Scrum  to  organiza5ons,  to  evaluate  the  value  of  Scrum  to  the  organiza5ons,  and  to  iden5fy  change  management  ac5vi5es  necessary  for  effec5ve  adop5on  of  Scrum,  as  perceived  by  experienced  Scrum  par5cipants.  

•  The  purpose  of  this  qualita5ve  mul5-­‐case  study  was  to  achieve  greater  understanding  of  the  value  of  Scrum  to  organiza5ons  by  examining  the  lived  experiences  of  32  study  par5cipants.  Guided  by  the  systems  thinking  theory,  which  holds  that  balancing  and  reinforcing  feedback  loops  are  central  to  con5nuous  improvements,  this  study  examined  the  perceived  value  of  Scrum  experienced  by  the  32  study  par5cipants.  The  respondents  came  from  soPware  companies  in  17  industries  in  which  soPware  professionals  prac5ced  Scrum  and  Scaled  Agile  Framework  methods.    

•  The  two  research  ques5ons  guiding  this  study  were  (1)  the  perceived  value  of  Scrum  to  organiza5ons  and  (2)  the  role  of  organiza5onal  change  management  in  implemen5ng  Scrum  in  the  organiza5on.  The  study  findings  include  (1)  Scrum  provides  a  higher  level  of  team  empowerment  and  collabora5on  and  (2)  Scrum  implemented  using  a  formal  organiza5onal  change  management  process,  informed  the  two  research  ques5ons  about  the  posi5ve  contribu5ons  to  the  study  par5cipants'  experiences.  The  results  of  this  study  finding  will  inform  exis5ng  and  future  business  leaders,  Scrum  prac55oners,  and  professional  development  organiza5ons  about  the  value  of  Scrum  to  organiza5ons.  

©2014  Dave  A.  Cornelius     2  

Research  Findings  Perceived  Value  of  Scrum:  1.  Enabled  a  higher  level  of  

team  empowerment  and  collabora5on  

2.  Supported  efficiency  and  waste  elimina5on  

1.  Allowed  the  soPware  product  teams  to  achieve  strategic  alignment  and  transparency  

2.  Enabled  the  delivered  soPware  to  improve  customer  experiences  

3.  Supported  sa5sfac5on  of  customer  demands  with  finished  soPware  faster  to  market  

Scrum  Framework  Implemented:  1.  By  using  a  formal  OCM  

process  2.  By  leaders  providing  external  

coaches  and  trainers  3.  By  with  limited  or  no  OCM  

processes  

Read  Full  Disserta5on  -­‐  Link  (h^p://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/3674139.html)  ©2014  Dave  A.  Cornelius     3