Uses of Scrum – Software

Scrum is designed to help people do complex work. Its origins in the early 1990s were in software development, where most work is complex.

Here are some organisations I have worked with using Scrum to do interesting and exciting things.

United Nations Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (UN CTBTO) – Vienna, Austria

In 2017, I completed an extensive program of Scrum training with the United Nations Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in Vienna, Austria.

The CTBTO is tasked with verifying the ban on nuclear tests and operating a worldwide monitoring system. The system includes a global network of monitoring stations using sensors, software and analysis to detect illegal atomic explosions.

The complex software that runs this system is now created and supported by a team based at the UN in Vienna, who use Scrum to maximise the value of their work to carry out their mission.

HP – Barcelona, Spain

2016, I trained a large group at HP in Barcelona, Spain. The business unit was responsible for personalised product printing for Coca-Cola. They produced the personalised name labelling for Coca-Cola products that were now widely available.

The considerable variety of name options that had to be supported in each country, combined with the logistics to print and distribute them effectively, was a complex process managed by a bespoke internal software system.

The team at HP, who are responsible for this, now develop this system using Scrum.

NASA – Jet Propulsion Laboratory. – Los Angeles, USA

In 2018, I was invited to Los Angeles to run Scrum training with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory teams.

The team was responsible for the complex software used to process and manage the footage beamed back from the Mars Rover! This footage is processed in real-time and then made available to various other systems inside NASA.

This team now uses Scrum to collaborate successfully and maximise value.