Implementing SCRUM using Business Process Management and Pattern Analysis Methodologies

The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US has estimated that software defects and problems annually cost 59.5 billions the U.S. economy (http://www.abeacha.com/NIST_press_release_bugs_cost.htm). The study is only one of many that demonstrate the need for significant improvements in software development processes and practices. US Federal agencies, that depend on IT to support their missions and spent at least $76 billion on IT in fiscal year 2011, experienced numerous examples of lengthy IT projects that incurred cost overruns and schedule delays while contributing little to mission-related outcomes (www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-681). To reduce the risk of such problems, the US Office of Management and Budget recommended deploying an agile software delivery, which calls for producing software in small, short increments (GAO, 2012). Consistent with this recommendation, this paper is about the application of Business Process Management to the improvement of software and system development through SCRUM or agile techniques. It focuses on how organizational behavior and process management techniques can be integrated with knowledge management approaches to deploy agile development. The context of this work is a global company developing software solutions for service operators such as cellular phone operators. For a related paper with a comprehensive overview of agile methods in project management see Stare (2013). Through this comprehensive case study we demonstrate how such an integration can be achieved. SCRUM is a paradigm shift in many organizations in that it results in a new balance between focus on results and focus on processes. In order to describe this new paradigm of business processes this work refers to Enterprise Knowledge Development (EKD), a comprehensive approach to map and document organizational patterns. In that context, the paper emphasizes the concept of patterns, reviews the main elements of SCRUM and shows how combining SCRUM and EKD provides organizations with a comprehensive framework for managing and improving software and system development.