What is Scrum?
Scrum is an agile framework built on sprints, roles, and ceremonies. Learn how scrum works and how it compares to kanban.
Scrum is an agile framework that organizes work into fixed sprints, typically one to four weeks, with three roles (product owner, scrum master, developers) and four ceremonies (sprint planning, daily standup, review, retrospective). It is the most widely used agile methodology and the one Jira is built around.
Scrum roles
The product owner owns the backlog and priorities; the scrum master coaches the process and removes blockers; the developers self-organize to deliver the sprint goal. Scrum deliberately keeps roles to three, because each one has a clear job.
Scrum ceremonies
Sprint planning selects the sprint backlog; the daily standup coordinates the day; the review demos the increment; the retrospective improves the process. Skip the ceremonies and scrum is just sprints with extra steps.
Scrum vs kanban
Scrum is a timeboxed framework with roles and ceremonies; kanban is a continuous flow method with just a board and WIP limits. Scrum answers 'what will we ship by a date'; kanban answers 'how do we keep work moving'. Many teams use kanban's board inside scrum's cadence.
Nimbus
Nimbus is kanban-first: no sprint engine, no burndown reports, no roles to configure. Scrum teams that want the framework's cadence can still plan in sprints while the board itself stays simple.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 3 roles in scrum?
Product owner (owns the backlog), scrum master (owns the process), and developers (own the delivery). There is no project manager role in scrum — the team manages itself within the framework.
Is scrum the same as agile?
No. Agile is the broader philosophy; scrum is one specific framework for practicing it, alongside kanban, XP, and others.
Can scrum teams use a kanban board?
Yes, and most do. The board visualizes the sprint backlog; the scrum events handle planning and reflection on top of it.
Ship your first sprint today.
Create a workspace and invite the team — the board is live the moment you open it.