If you’re thinking “I’ve heard of scrum, but I don’t really know what it is,” you’re not alone. I was there too and now that I understand the basics, I’ve adapted the process for myself and am here to share my findings. Before we get to that though … a little bit about Scrum.

Scrum is defined as “a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.” The Scrum Guide rules are as follows:

• • The Sprint: Predetermined time to create a product or complete a task 
  • Sprint Planning: Meeting to plan what needs to be done during the Sprint
  • Sprint Goal: What you hope to accomplish at the end of a sprint
  • Daily Scrum: Quick daily meetings to discuss successes & next steps 
  • Sprint Review: Review after sprint to determine successes & next steps
  • Sprint Retrospective: Reflection & creation of a plan to improve next sprint
  • Scrum Board: While not a requirement, this is what made me want to try the Scrum framework myself. (I can’t resist anything involving post-its or productivity.) The Scrum Board is a way to organize tasks you have to accomplish during your project. You can see my Scrum Board below.

HOW SCRUM WORKED FOR ME

I didn’t want this to be a complicated process, so I experimented two different ways:

• • 1. Accomplishing my to-do list (at work)
    2. Planning the launch for my blog (at home)

At work, I wrote out everything I wanted to accomplish on individual post-its and moved them under the columns “to do”, “currently working on”, or “done” accordingly.

At home, I wrote individual post-its for everything I needed to accomplish to launch WithCheryl.co.  As I worked on each, I moved them to the respective column (to do, in progress, or done).

Scrum Board Before Accomplishing Tasks

Scrum Board After Completing Tasks

While I liked using the board for both, I definitely preferred using this for the blog launch (at home) versus a to-do list (at work). Not only did I feel completely organized when accomplishing so many little tasks, but I was motivated to move my post-its from “to do” to “done” too!

CHALLENGE

Now, if this system sounds appealing to you, I challenge you to create your own Scrum Board! While the official system may have strict rules, I’m all about bending the rules to make things work for you. Adapt the system for your own to-do list, next big project, or anything else you can think of. Who knows if it will work for you unless you give it a try!

Let me know how this experiment goes in the comments below or email me at withcheryl.co@gmail.com.