Scrum for Enterprise

This chapter emphasizes additional aspects of Scrum that are applicable to programs and portfolios. Scaling Scrum for the enterprise, as defined in A Guide to the Scrum Body of Knowledge (SBOK® Guide), is applicable to the following:

• Programs, portfolios, and/or projects in any industry
• Products, services, or any other results to be delivered to business stakeholders

This chapter addresses the impacts (to inputs, tools, and outputs) that a program or portfolio has on the fundamental Scrum processes described in chapters 8 through 12. This chapter also introduces additional processes that apply solely to programs and portfolios that are not relevant at a project level.

This chapter is written from the perspective of a single program or portfolio team that coordinates and prioritizes activities of multiple underlying Scrum projects and/or programs. Additional information pertaining to the application of Scrum at the project level can be found in chapters 2 through 7, which cover Scrum principles and Scrum aspects.

Enterprise Scrum vs. Single Scrum Project

When dealing with Scrum at an enterprise level, there may be several hundred Scrum Teams, with several thousand people working in multiple projects within programs and/or portfolios in the company. Applying Scrum processes at a program or portfolio level will have certain impacts on the underlying projects. In general, the Scrum projects are still executed using the fundamental Scrum processes discussed in chapters 8 through 12 for typical small projects; with the additional inputs, tools, and outputs outlined in chapter 13 for large projects (having multiple Product Owners and/or Scrum Masters).

When scaling Scrum for the enterprise, certain additional processes may be required to manage the added complexity of several hundreds or thousands of people working on the associated projects, and the additional coordination requirements at a program or portfolio level. All these processes are not necessarily sequential and can be applied in parallel and iteratively as required by the enterprise. The additional processes required for Scaling Scrum for the enterprise, which are as follows:

• Create/Update Program or Portfolio Teams
• Create/Update Program or Portfolio Components
• Review and Update Scrum Guidance Body
• Create/Refine Prioritized Program or Portfolio Backlog
• Create/Update Program or Portfolio Releases
• Retrospect Program or Portfolio Releases