Overview of the SBOK^® Guide

A Guide to the Scrum Body of Knowledge (SBOK^® Guide) provides guidelines for the successful implementation of Scrum-the most popular Agile project delivery and product development approach. It provides a comprehensive framework that includes the principles, aspects, and processes of Scrum.

Scrum, as defined in the SBOK^® Guide, is applicable to the following:

• Portfolios, programs, and/or projects in any industry
• Products, services, or any other results to be delivered to business stakeholders
• Projects of any size or complexity

The SBOK^® Guide can be used as a reference and knowledge guide by both experienced Scrum and other product and service development practitioners, as well as by persons with no prior experience or knowledge of Scrum or project management approach. This first chapter describes the purpose and framework of the SBOK^® Guide and introduces the key concepts of Scrum. It contains a summary of Scrum principles, Scrum aspects and Scrum processes. Chapter 2 expands on the six Scrum principles which are the foundation on which the Scrum framework is based. Chapters 3 through 7 elaborate on the five Scrum aspects that must be addressed throughout any project: organization, business justification, quality, change, and risk. Chapters 8 through 12 cover the 19 Scrum processes involved in carrying out a Scrum project. These processes are part of the five Scrum phases: Initiate; Plan and Estimate; Implement; Review and Retrospect; and Release. These phases describe in detail the associated inputs and outputs of each process, as well as the various tools that may be used in each process.

The Fourth Edition of the SBOK^® Guide adds to the collective knowledge of the Scrum framework with expanded content related to scaling Scrum for large projects, and scaling Scrum for the Enterprise, covered in Chapters 13 and 14 respectively.