Let’s summarize the main principles of Scrum a bit.

We were a team of about ten people collaborating — just the right size for a Scrum team. At the time, I didn’t understand the purpose of the Monday morning meetings, which only caused me anxiety. I perceived them as a way to micromanage my work. I was so paralyzed that I never managed to articulate what I was working on. I was constantly juggling tasks, responding to requests from all team members.

Looking back now, and having studied Scrum, I realize that those meetings resembled what is known as a Sprint Retrospective, which is a way to align the team, ensure everyone has the same level of information, reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the completed tasks, gather feedback and improvement ideas, and set goals for the following week.

The idea is to organize recurring, structured international events. In this context, the products are the events themselves, the Product Owner is the company’s CEO, the Scrum Master would be me, and the Developers are the rest of the team. Let’s take the example of the company’s flagship event, which takes place in September.

Planning the Sprints

Before the Sprint Retrospective, the Sprint itself must be defined. A Sprint is an iterative Scrum event during which the Scrum team works within a set timeframe to deliver a useful, functional product that adds value. In my former company, preparations for the flagship event started three months prior to its launch. I would have divided this into six Sprints, as a Sprint should not exceed one month. This would mean two Sprints per month. Sprint Retrospectives would be scheduled at the end of each Sprint.

For every Sprint, a Sprint Goal is defined by the Product Owner and Developers, aligned with the overarching Product Goal. The Product Goal, along with the Product Backlog (the list of tasks to be completed during the Sprint), is established during Sprint Planning by the Product Owner.

For an international event that connects professionals from around the world, several steps are involved, such as setting the date, creating the participant list, planning activities, organizing meals, securing the event venue, obtaining all necessary permits, sending invitations, managing participant reception and accommodations, and more. By following Scrum, these steps can be incorporated and organized into specific Sprints.

Sprint Reviews and Feedback

Sprint Reviews are conducted with stakeholders (in this case, the participants) to gather feedback and improve the Done Increment (here, a successfully completed stage of the event) based on their evolving needs. The Scrum team must agree on the Definition of Done to ensure the work is consistent, transparent, and ready to move to the next Sprint.

Cross-Functional and Self-Managed Team

The Scrum team is cross-functional, meaning each member possesses the necessary skills to complete the work together. The team is also self-managed — there’s no authority figure dictating tasks; instead, there’s trust and respect.

To ensure the work is coherent, smooth, and — most importantly— transparent, Daily Scrums among Developers are crucial to plan and execute upcoming actions.

In moments of uncertainty, it’s always helpful to refer back to the Scrum Guide and adhere to Scrum values.

Reflecting on the Experience

I often think about this past experience and how adopting Scrum could have improved our teamwork. It would likely have been not only fascinating but transformative!