Abstract:

Context:
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps individuals, teams and organisations generate value through adaptive solutions to complex problems. The 15th Annual State of Agile Report conducted 1,382 surveys on Agile techniques and practices during 2021. 66% of their respondents used Scrum. If we take into account other Scrum variants, e.g. combined with Kanban, this percentage rises to 81%.
For this reason, Scrum is taught in all Computer Engineering degrees in Spain, and is also used in project-based subjects to develop the projects and practices that students carry out.

Goal:
The goal of this paper is to identify the main errors when teaching Scrum in software engineering courses and to propose the necessary changes to correct them.

Method:
We have analysed several articles published between 2021 and 2017 that describe experiences on teaching Scrum in Spanish universities. Then, we have compared the methodology followed by these papers with the definitions of the Scrum Guide.

Conclusions:
The 90% of the analysed articles applied Scrum differently from what is explained in the Scrum Guide. The set of discrepancies found is described below:
1. We found definitions that contradict the definitions from the Scrum Guide. For example, writing SCRUM instead of Scrum, defining Scrum as a methodology when it is a lightweight framework, or working outside a Scrum Sprint that is forbidden by Scrum.
2. We do not find adaptations to customer needs. Instead, we find lists of requirements (Product Backlog in Scrum) that never change during development, despite the fact that Scrum indicates that the work plan must be adapted from one Sprint to the next Sprint using inspection and adaptation. We also find all the requirements defined at the beginning of the project, despite the fact that Scrum is designed for complex problems where the requirements are discovered and adapted as you work.
3. We discover definitions and concepts that do not appear in the Scrum Guide and that are incompatible with Scrum. For example, using managers or supervisors, when Scrum teams are self-managed. Also defining commitments to have a certain functionality by a certain date when the commitment of a Scrum team is to achieve the sprint goal.
4. We find closed and bounded sets of requirements for developers to implement without participating in their definition. In Scrum, the responsibility of a development team is to achieve the sprint goal, having the freedom to discover the best way to implement that goal.

From the previous discrepancies, we present four points to verify that any university work using Scrum complies with the Scrum Guide.
1. The project must have a quantifiable Product Goal that is completed through the Sprint Goals achieved in each Sprint.
2. Each Sprint must have a quantifiable Sprint Goal. The level of achievement of the Sprint Goal at the end of the Sprint contributes to the progress of the Product Goal.
3. The Sprint Review event should be oriented to see how progress has been made towards the Product Goal and to plan the next Sprint Goals.
4. Practice groups should make research and proposals on what to develop to achieve the Sprint Goal and contribute to the Product Goal.

Keywords:

Software engineering, Scrum, Agile software Development, Project Based Learning.