What is scrum?
Scrum is an agile framework that organizes work into fixed-length iterations called sprints, typically one to four weeks long, with defined roles, ceremonies, and artifacts. At the start of each sprint, the team selects a set of items from the backlog to commit to. During the sprint, the team works to complete those items. At the end, they review what was delivered and reflect on how to improve. Then the cycle repeats.
Scrum defines three roles: the product owner (who prioritizes the backlog and represents the customer), the scrum master (who facilitates the process and removes blockers), and the development team (who does the work). It also prescribes four ceremonies: sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint review, and retrospective. This structure provides a predictable cadence that helps teams plan and deliver with consistency.
Why teams use scrum
Scrum works well when a team needs predictable delivery cadence and regular stakeholder check-ins. The sprint boundary creates a natural forcing function: the team must ship something at the end of every sprint, which prevents indefinite scope creep. Sprint planning forces prioritization decisions at regular intervals, and sprint reviews create accountability by demonstrating completed work to stakeholders.
The framework also provides built-in improvement mechanisms. The retrospective at the end of each sprint gives the team a structured moment to identify what went wrong and commit to specific changes. Over time, these incremental improvements compound, and well-run scrum teams measurably improve their delivery speed and quality sprint over sprint.
Scrum vs. kanban
The fundamental difference is iteration vs. flow. Scrum organizes work into time-boxed sprints with committed scope. Kanban uses continuous flow with WIP limits and no fixed iterations. Scrum's cadence works well for teams with predictable feature work and regular stakeholder communication needs. Kanban's continuous flow works better for teams with variable or interrupt-driven work, like support teams or maintenance squads. Many teams practice a hybrid - continuous kanban flow with periodic planning and review sessions - which captures benefits of both.
How Flux supports scrum workflows
Flux is a kanban-first platform, but its flexibility supports scrum workflows effectively. Teams can set up a sprint board with columns like Sprint Backlog, In Progress, Review, and Done, then use labels to tag cards by sprint number or iteration. The customizable columns let you model any sprint workflow, and the activity log provides the data needed for sprint reviews and retrospectives - exactly what changed, who did it, and when. While Flux does not enforce sprint boundaries or burndown charts natively, the board's structure gives scrum teams the visual workspace they need to track sprint scope and progress.
Related terms
See also: Sprint, Sprint Planning, Retrospective.