The “Startup” Scrum Method
Project Management for Startup Founders Explained
The “Startup” Scrum Method (or Scrum) is a framework for startup development, with the goal of being lean and effective.
Scrum is a framework for software development that works. It provides an empirical process that works to deliver the highest quality product in the shortest amount of time.
The result is a faster, better product with less waste. It’s about learning from your mistakes, and focusing on the most important tasks to maximize productivity.
Scrum breaks work into small pieces, often called “user stories” or “tasks” in agile software development terminology.
A task is an atomic unit of work that can be estimated and completed in a single timebox. The team agrees on the order of the tasks, then each person works on their assigned task until it is complete.
At the end of each timebox, or iteration, the team gets together to share what they’ve learned and decide what to do next.
This framework gives you the structure you need to stay focused on your most important tasks. It lets you measure your progress so you can adjust your plans based on real data instead of guesswork.
It forces you to think about what value your software is delivering to users, which will give you a better product at the end of development.
It also ensures that you don’t get stuck working on unimportant tasks because everyone can see what needs to be done next and when it needs to be done by.
The Startup Scrum Method works for startups because startups are built by people with limited resources who want to deliver high-quality products quickly.
These goals are achieved through fast iteration and learning from mistakes as quickly as possible.
Scrum works for startups because it’s very lightweight, which means it doesn’t take much time or effort for new team members to get up-to-speed with how things work.
If a startup has limited resources but still wants their employees to have as much training as possible, Scrum is an excellent choice because it takes less time than other frameworks like Kanban or XP (extreme programming).
Scrum works for startups because its flexibility allows founders and their teams to use whatever tools they want while keeping track of their progress towards goals like product market fit and customer acquisition cost (CAC).
This lets founders focus on what matters most: delivering value quickly with minimal waste.
And if something isn’t working out, there are ways for them to change direction quickly based on feedback from customers without getting stuck doing something that isn’t going anywhere useful anyway.
When Is The Startup Scrum Method Not Right For Your Product
If you have a lot of money and people with experience in using frameworks like Scrum, Kanban or XP, then The Startup Scrum Method might not be right for you yet.
It might make sense if one or more people already know how these frameworks work, but otherwise it will probably take longer than necessary for everyone else in your company learn how these things work when there are already good options available out there that can save time by starting off with knowledge already built in.
The Startup Scrum Method is also not right for you if you have a large amount of money and people with experience in using frameworks like Scrum, Kanban or XP.
There are lots of companies that can afford to do this, but The Startup Scrum Method is built around doing things quickly and cheaply with limited resources.
This means the first version of your product might not be as good as what’s available out there already, but it will be better than if you try to create something from scratch without any structure at all.
What if there are limited people in the team?
Even if you don’t have a lot of people, Scrum works well for startups because it’s lightweight and flexible. This means that even if you have only one person on your team, you can still use Scrum.
You might be wondering how one person can do everything needed to build a startup from scratch, and the answer is they can’t. Instead, they can do the most important tasks that move the company forward towards its goals.
They can prioritize what needs to be done next based on data and customer feedback instead of guessing or doing things based on tradition or rules that were created without regard for your specific situation.
They can focus on getting value out to customers as quickly as possible instead of spending time making sure everything is perfect.
But even if there are multiple people in the team, it’s still okay to use The Startup Scrum Method if you have limited resources and need something lightweight and flexible.
You might not be able to afford training for everyone in your company, but Scrum doesn’t require training before you start using it. It does require commitment from everyone involved with making sure things get done correctly by keeping focused on delivering value to customers instead of working in silos or making things perfect before showing them off to customers.
The framework also lets you change direction quickly based on feedback from customers without getting stuck doing something that isn’t going anywhere useful anyway.
This will save you time by preventing wasted effort, which means less money spent while also increasing the chances of creating a successful product that generates revenue in a timely manner and provides a positive return on investment (ROI).
About the Author
I am the Founder of Cudy Technologies (www.cudy.co), a full-stack EdTech startup helping teachers and students teach and learn better. I am also a mentor and angel investor in other Startups of my other interests (Proptech, Fintech, HRtech, Ride-hailing, C2C marketplaces and SaaS). You can also find me on Cudy for early-stage Startup Founder mentorship and advice.
You can connect with me on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderlhk) and let me know that you are a reader of my Medium posts in your invitation message.
