Scrum originated in the early 1990s as part of the Agile movement, which sought to replace rigid, sequential project management models with more adaptive, collaborative, and iterative approaches. The term was first introduced by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka in their 1986 Harvard Business Review article “The New New Product Development Game”, where they compared high-performing teams to a rugby scrum—advancing the project collectively through cooperation. Later formalized by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, Scrum became a cornerstone of Agile Software Development, emphasizing flexibility, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Scrum provides a lightweight yet structured framework for managing complex tasks where requirements evolve through collaboration and experimentation.

It organizes work into fixed-length iterations called sprints, typically lasting two to four weeks, during which a cross-functional team focuses on delivering a potentially shippable product increment.

The framework includes three main roles:

1. Product Owner – responsible for defining the vision, prioritizing the Product Backlog, and maximizing value delivery.

2. Scrum Master – facilitates the process, removes impediments, and ensures adherence to Scrum principles.

3. Development Team – a self-organizing group that executes the work and delivers the sprint goal.

Scrum operates through a series of events designed to maintain focus and transparency:

• Sprint Planning – defining the goals and tasks for the upcoming sprint.

• Daily Scrum (Stand-up) – a 15-minute meeting for synchronization and issue resolution.

• Sprint Review – presenting completed work and collecting stakeholder feedback.

• Sprint Retrospective – reflecting on performance to identify improvements for the next cycle.

Key artifacts include:

• Product Backlog – the prioritized list of features or tasks.

• Sprint Backlog – the selected subset of items for the current sprint.

• Increment – the tangible outcome produced at the end of each sprint.

In Contemporary Marketing Management, Scrum is applied to manage marketing campaigns, content creation, digital innovation, and customer experience projects.

Its iterative nature supports agile marketing—enabling teams to test hypotheses, learn from data, and refine strategies in real time.

By fostering collaboration and adaptability, Scrum transforms traditional linear planning into a dynamic system of continuous value delivery.

A marketing team using Scrum may organize sprints for campaign design: in the first sprint, they prototype messages and visuals; in the second, they launch test ads; in the third, they analyze data and adjust strategies. Daily stand-ups keep the team aligned, while sprint reviews and retrospectives ensure ongoing learning and optimization.