What Is Scrum? A Guide for Australian Project Managers

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

For project managers in Australia, Scrum has moved well beyond its origins in software development. The 2020 update to the Scrum Guide deliberately removed IT‑specific language, and the framework is now used in government service delivery, policy implementation, education, construction planning and any domain where the work is complex enough that detailed upfront plans are unlikely to survive contact with reality. This article explains how Scrum works, what each element does and what Australian project managers need to consider when applying it.

How Scrum works: the Sprint cycle

The core unit of Scrum is the Sprint, a fixed timebox of one month or less during which the team works to produce a usable Increment of the product. Every Sprint follows the same pattern. It begins with Sprint Planning, where the team decides what can be delivered in this Sprint and how the work will be done. During the Sprint, the team holds a Daily Scrum (a short daily meeting, typically 15 minutes) to coordinate work and identify obstacles. At the end of the Sprint, the team holds a Sprint Review to inspect the Increment with stakeholders and gather feedback, followed by a Sprint Retrospective to examine how the team worked together and identify improvements.

This cycle repeats continuously. Each Sprint produces a potentially releasable Increment, meaning something that works and could be deployed if the organisation chose to do so. The Sprint cycle forces regular delivery, regular feedback and regular reflection. Problems surface within weeks rather than months, and the team can change direction based on what they learn without waiting for a major project review.

The three roles in a Scrum team

Scrum defines three accountabilities within the team, and each one serves a distinct purpose. The Scrum Guide is deliberate about keeping the structure lean: there are no additional titles, no sub‑teams and no hierarchy within the Scrum team.

The Product Owner is responsible for maximising the value of the product. They manage the Product Backlog, which is the ordered list of everything the team might work on. The Product Owner decides what gets built and in what order, based on stakeholder needs, business value and strategic priorities. This is a single person, not a committee, because clear prioritisation requires clear accountability.

The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. They help the team understand and apply the framework, remove impediments that slow the team down and coach the broader organisation on how to work with a Scrum team. The Scrum Master is not a traditional project manager. They do not assign tasks or manage timelines. Their role is to create the conditions in which the team can do its best work.

Developers are the people who do the work of creating the Increment. The term is deliberately broad. In a software context, developers write code. In a policy context, they might draft policy documents. In a service design context, they might build prototypes. The Scrum Guide uses the word to mean anyone contributing to the delivery of the Increment, regardless of their specialisation.

Scrum artifacts and why they matter

Scrum defines three artifacts, each designed to create transparency about a different dimension of the work. The Product Backlog is the single source of truth for what the team might build. It is owned by the Product Owner and continuously refined as the team learns more about what is needed. The Sprint Backlog contains the items selected for the current Sprint, together with the team’s plan for delivering them. The Increment is the sum of all completed work that meets the team’s Definition of Done.

The 2020 Scrum Guide introduced a commitment for each artifact. The Product Backlog has the Product Goal (a longer‑term objective that gives the backlog direction). The Sprint Backlog has the Sprint Goal (a single objective for the Sprint that provides coherence). The Increment has the Definition of Done (the quality standard that every piece of work must meet). Scrum.org notes that these commitments were added to bring focus and transparency to each artifact.

What Scrum is not

Scrum is a framework, not a methodology. This distinction matters because a methodology prescribes how to do everything, while a framework provides structure and leaves the team to fill in the details based on their context. Scrum does not tell you how to estimate work, which engineering practices to use, how to manage dependencies across teams or how to handle procurement processes. It gives you a container (the Sprint cycle, the roles, the artifacts) and expects you to bring the practices and judgement needed to operate within it.

Scrum is also not a replacement for project management discipline. It changes how work is planned and delivered, but the need for clear objectives, stakeholder communication, risk management and governance does not disappear. Project managers who transition to Scrum environments often find that their skills in planning, facilitation, stakeholder engagement and risk assessment are more valuable than ever. The delivery mechanism changes, but the underlying management capability remains essential.

Scrum in the Australian public sector

Agile approaches, including Scrum, have gained significant traction in the Australian government. The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA)’s Digital Service Standard, which became fully effective from 1 July 2025, explicitly expects that government agencies work in an agile way, based on agile values and principles and using agile tools and techniques. This applies to all new, replacement and existing public‑facing digital services across the Commonwealth.

The DTA currently provides oversight for more than 100 digital projects across the Australian Government. Reporting on project performance has identified common challenges including financial pressures, scope complexities, resourcing constraints and a need to improve project management maturity. For project managers working in or with the government, this means the ability to apply agile frameworks like Scrum is no longer a niche skill. It is increasingly expected as part of standard project delivery capability.

Beyond digital projects, Scrum principles are finding application in policy development, program management and organisational change across Australian agencies. The short feedback loops, iterative delivery and emphasis on working products over comprehensive documentation align well with the public sector’s growing emphasis on user‑centred service design and evidence‑based decision making.

Building your agile project management capability

Applying Scrum effectively requires more than reading the Scrum Guide. It requires practical skills in facilitation, stakeholder management, iterative planning and the ability to adapt traditional project management disciplines to an agile context. AcademyGlobal (AG) has been delivering project management training for professionals across public, private and not‑for‑profit sectors since 2004. AG’s faculty bring direct experience from senior project leadership roles across government, commercial organisations and international development.

AG’s Agile Project Management program helps project managers apply agile frameworks including Scrum in practice. Participants learn how to plan and facilitate Sprints, manage backlogs, work with cross‑functional teams and navigate the governance requirements that accompany project delivery in Australian organisations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a lightweight framework for developing and sustaining complex products. It was created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland and is defined in the Scrum Guide. It uses short, fixed timeboxes called Sprints to deliver working results frequently and adapt based on feedback.

What are the three roles in Scrum?

The three roles (called accountabilities in the 2020 Scrum Guide) are the Product Owner, who decides what to build and in what order; the Scrum Master, who helps the team apply the Scrum framework effectively; and the Developers, who do the work of creating the Increment.

How long is a Sprint?

A Sprint is a fixed timebox of one month or less. Most teams use two‑week Sprints, though the right length depends on the complexity of the work and the team’s context. Shorter Sprints create more frequent opportunities to inspect progress and adapt direction.

Is Scrum only for software development?

No. The 2020 Scrum Guide deliberately removed IT‑specific language to make the framework applicable across industries. Scrum is now used in government service delivery, policy development, education, construction planning and any domain where the work is complex enough that iterative delivery outperforms detailed upfront planning.

What skills do project managers need to use Scrum effectively?

Project managers need skills in facilitation, iterative planning, stakeholder management and the ability to balance agile delivery with organisational governance. AcademyGlobal’s Agile Project Management program builds these capabilities through practical exercises and real‑world scenarios.

References

1. Schwaber, K. and Sutherland, J. (2020), The Scrum Guide: The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game. Available at: scrumguides.org

2. Scrum.org, ‘The Scrum Guide’. Available at: scrum.org

3. Scrum.org (2020), ‘Ken Schwaber and Dr. Jeff Sutherland Update the Scrum Guide on the 25th Anniversary of the Scrum Framework’. Available at: scrum.org

4. Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), ‘Digital Service Standard Now Fully in Effect’. Available at: dta.gov.au

5. digital.gov.au, ‘How the Australian Government’s Digital Projects Are Performing’. Available at: digital.gov.au