Scrum’s ability to deliver functional software faster than traditional methods is one of its most appealing benefits. This is largely due to the fact that it encourages close collaboration with stakeholders, as well as team autonomy, and fosters the idea of continuous improvement within the development environment. However, a number of other factors contribute to the greater efficiency of Scrum projects as well such as the ability to release frequently, and the focus on short and concise sprints that focus on high priority customer requirements.
The use of sprints permits regular inspection of the product. This gives customers and other stakeholders the opportunity to monitor the development of the software and decide whether it meets their changing requirements earlier and more quickly than they would with the waterfall approach. TurboTax, for example, is an excellent example that instead of trying to develop software for all federal and state income tax at once, they focused on developing software only for a few or one state every sprint. This made it possible to release the product faster and generate more ROI than a traditional waterfall project.
Scrum also gives daily insight into the current state of a project that C-level executives and external stakeholders can easily access through tools like Workamajig. This transparency can help teams avoid costly mistakes by providing a clear picture of where the project is and what actions must be taken to keep it on course.