Introducing Scrum in Companies in Norway: A Case Study

This paper describes a case study about introducing, implementing, and using Scrum in three software development companies in Norway. The study is based on several interviews and the data was analyzed using grounded theory practices. The motivation for this case study is to increase knowledge on the process of adopting Scrum in a company. In addition, we wanted to identify problematic issues regarding introduction and adoption of Scrum, issues that will be used to formulate further studies. The elements described in this paper are aspects of Scrum that the companies consider important. Specifically, we describe how Scrum was introduced in the companies, how it affected overtime, how self-organizing teams were handled, how the roles in Scrum functioned, and the relationship of the Scrum Team to the rest of the organization. The findings indicate that sudden implementation of Scrum is a painful process and that the role of the Scrum Master is unclear. Furthermore, there may be a lack of common understanding of the concept of self-organizing teams. In addition the companies did not experience the productivity gain they expected and finally, introducing Scrum implies large changes in organizational culture and work practices that may be difficult to adapt to.