The average Aussie might point towards rugby when asked about a ‘scrum.’ We’re here to introduce you to a whole new world, with a taste of rugby thrown in for any sports fans out there.

A business is a living and breathing entity (not in a creepy way of course). What may be profitable today may be long gone tomorrow. And if you have your mirror ball handy, it might just provide a window into all of the new business opportunities at your fingertips tomorrow that don’t even currently exist.

Here’s the million dollar question for every business to answer:

Is your business capable and prepared to adapt to change?

Scrum isn’t a term used solely in the IT sector - it’s a process and an agile methodology or framework beneficial to any business that needs to be responsive to changing market conditions. In other words, Scum is useful to pretty much every business out there.

Here’s what we know…

Markets change constantly and they’ll continue to do so moving forward. Your business - along with every other organisation out there - will encounter new challenges and threats, both internal and external. What dictates your business’ survival, is its ability to plan for what’s ahead and to adapt accordingly.

Let’s look towards a very timely example: Amazon Australia. It launched in late 2017 and despite a slow start, it’s likely that the US retail goliath will change Australia’s retail sector in the long-term (have a read of our thoughts on this here). So is your business ready for Amazon? Have you opened up a store and are you generating new customers by tapping into a credible global marketplace filled with shoppers on the hunt for products and services your business may sell?

Massive online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have set-up shop in Australia and they’re not going anywhere soon. Both provide recent examples of disruptions in the marketplace - businesses must react quickly to ensure they remain one step ahead of their competitors and have a plan for how they can benefit from what at first, may look like a major stumbling block in their ongoing journey towards success.

How Scrum fits into the equation

By enabling businesses to adapt and modify a project in real-time, Scrum promotes forward thinking and innovation. It replaces the more traditional ‘Waterfall’ project management method (we know, where do these names come from?) that sees a brief handed down and a project delivered in full based on that static brief.

Because the Scrum methodology caters for real-time thinking, organisations have the ability to integrate new technologies as soon as they become available and in some cases, this means in just weeks!

The most popular form of agile methodology, Scrum works on the notion that involves a series of small, fast moving teams who are in constant communication with each other and clients. Borrowed from rugby (we knew sports fans were waiting for a mention), it relates to a group of people coming together to:

• Discuss ideas
• Exchange and discuss the problems in the picture
• Involve people from different departments bringing in different ideas and resources

Better understanding your business

Within any business, various people and different teams bring their own expertise to the table. Scrum helps each individual and every team to work together to learn more about everyone else’s contribution to the business. This ensures any solutions developed work for the entire organisation before they’re implemented.

Scrum promotes improvement across the board, both internally and with your clients by ensuring everyone is on the same page, working towards the same goals. It highlights needs as opposed to wants, resulting in a better outcome for everyone (hooray!).

Learn more about how Woven uses Scrum to deliver projects in a quick and flexible manner.