The limitations and benefits of the Scrum framework in practice: a systematic literature review

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Author
James, David
Date
2013Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cardiff Metropolitan University
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Show full item recordAbstract
The Scrum framework has grown in popularity and use in recent years to become the most
commonly applied of all the Agile project management methods. This growth is also
mirrored by significant research attention. This review will address four important research
questions: (1) what are the limitations and benefits of Scrum? (2) what are the themes that
contribute to successful or unsuccessful adoption and utilisation of Scrum? (3) what is the
current nature and extent of the application of the Scrum framework outside of software
and Information Technology (IT) contexts? and, finally (4) what is the strength of the
academic research that has evaluated Scrum in practice?
A systematic literature review methodology was used to locate and evaluate the literature
that has investigated the Scrum framework thus far. A total of 409 articles were identified,
of which 36 studies were included in the final review.
A number of themes regarding the framework's limitations were uncovered: distributed
work; efficacy beyond software projects; contexts that demand documentation; risk
management; scaleability; and guidance on critical issues. Five themes were identified
concerning the benefits of using the Scrum framework: individual; team; organisation;
customer and quality. The themes that determine successful and unsuccessful adoption
and utilisation of Scrum were: training and support; environment; team attributes; team
dynamics; and fidelity to the model. The review found no evidence to support the
framework's use outside of a software or IT context. Importantly, the overall quality of the
evidence that has evaluated Scrum in practice was considered to be very good.
A number of recommendations are provided that have relevance for: (a) project managers;
(b) potential customers; and (c) practitioners who want to stay up to date. Finally, this
review will contribute to the academic literature concerning Scrum and may inform where
future research attention should be focussed.
Description
Master of Business Administration
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