What is a Scrum Team?

In today’s dynamic and rapidly changing world, nonprofits face numerous challenges. To tackle these challenges efficiently, many organizations are formalizing their use of Agile methodologies like Scrum

 

But what exactly is a Scrum Team within a nonprofit organization? 

 

A Scrum Team in a nonprofit organization typically consists of individuals with different skills and expertise, ranging from project managers and developers to marketers and fundraisers. Each team member brings a unique perspective and set of abilities to ensure the successful implementation of projects and initiatives.

 

A layman’s way to describe a Scrum team? 

 

A group of colleagues in an organization that have a shared commitment to achieving their mission, vision, and service(s).

 

To be a Scrum team, and not “only” an Agile team, a team will be following the specific “rules” of Scrum laid out in the Scrum Guide. There will be 3 roles/accountabilities present in the team, 5 events that the team participates in, and 3 artifacts that help make their work visible.

 

So, what does this actually look like in nonprofits?

 

A Scrum team could be the Grant Team in an organization. Grant teams are a group of cross-functional colleagues, usually representing a wide range of skills/responsibilities in an organization from finance to program delivery to leadership, that have a stake in seeing grants be successfully applied for and managed.

 

A Scrum team could be a specific program delivery team within an organization. Program teams, whether focused on running an adult day program for people living with dementia, an after-school tutoring program, or delivering hot meals to home-bound community members, are cross-functional teams focused on providing the highest quality services to community members/clients.

 

Here are some examples you can check out from our 10-minute video case studies that we have highlighted through our Agile in Nonprofits Online Summit:

 

Interested in learning more about if running your team as a Scrum is right for your organization? View our journey map to see where your organization can start and strengthen your journey!