I’ve been working with scrum for a few years now and here’s what I like with this methodology …

Features gets broken up into small pieces

Usually a sprint is 2 weeks long which isn’t a great deal of time to get large features developed and tested. This encourages us to break work up into small pieces which is good for estimation - small bits of work can be more accurately time estimated than larger work. There are more useful benefits to work getting broken up though …

Encourages the MVP

Given that we need to break large features into bits, it makes you really think about which bits should come first? Often it makes sense to deliver the core of the feature first - just the bits that are needed for users to be able to viably use it. With the core of the feature released, it means we have delivered real value to the product much quicker than we would have if we had developed the whole feature before release. We then get real feedback from users on the core feature before we start developing bells and whistles that we think are important.

Encourages feedback

Going down the wrong path during development can be very costly. Sprints encourage every bit of work to be tested regularly. The sprint review gives the wider business a chance to give input and help developments stay on track.

Regular reprioritisation and planning

The demands on a product change frequently - change requests, bugs are reported, … Only committing to work at start of each sprint gives flexibility to help meet these demands.