Scrum is an agile framework that helps teams structure and manage their work through a set of values, principles, and practices. Inspired by the rugby play of the same name, it encourages teams to learn through experience, self-organize while working on a problem, and reflect on their wins and losses to continuously improve.
A Scrum team is a self-organizing unit with three specific roles designed to optimize flexibility and productivity. Each role has distinct responsibilities, but they all collaborate closely to deliver the product incrementally. This structure ensures clear accountability and focus.
Scrum artifacts are key pieces of information that help define the product and the work required to create it. They provide transparency and create opportunities for inspection and adaptation. These artifacts ensure the entire team and stakeholders are aligned on goals and progress.
While both are agile frameworks, Scrum and Kanban offer different approaches to managing work and delivering value.
Scrum excels at helping teams adapt to changing conditions and user needs. Its iterative approach uses short release cycles for constant learning and improvement. This incremental delivery ensures teams can quickly pivot and deliver higher value to customers.
The framework also promotes transparency, clear communication, and collective ownership. Empowering cross-functional teams to self-organize reduces bottlenecks and increases resilience. Regular feedback loops keep the team motivated and stakeholders aligned on progress.
Implementing Scrum is a significant undertaking that often requires a major cultural shift. Teams can struggle with the new ceremonies and the need for deep-seated trust and transparency. Navigating these issues involves understanding the inherent trade-offs.
How long is a typical sprint?
Sprints are typically two to four weeks long. This fixed duration allows the team to deliver a usable product increment consistently, providing a regular cadence for planning, execution, and review. The length is chosen to be short enough to adapt to changes quickly.
Can Scrum be used for non-software projects?
Absolutely. While it originated in software development, Scrum's principles of iterative progress and continuous improvement are effective for marketing, sales, and other complex projects. Its adaptability makes it a versatile framework for various industries.
What's the difference between a Scrum Master and a Project Manager?
A Scrum Master is a servant-leader who facilitates the Scrum process and removes impediments for the team. A traditional Project Manager focuses more on planning, resource allocation, and managing timelines, often with a more directive approach.
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Expansion revenue is the extra money a business makes from its current customers via upgrades, new products, or additional services.
An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the perfect, hypothetical company that would get the most value from your product.
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Firmographics are descriptive attributes of organizations, used to segment companies by characteristics like industry, size, and location.
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A trusted advisor is an expert who builds a deep client relationship by consistently prioritizing their best interests over any single transaction.
Rapport building is the process of establishing a connection and mutual understanding with someone, creating a foundation of trust and affinity.
An Account Development Representative (ADR) identifies and qualifies new business opportunities, creating a pipeline for account executives.
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Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization, motivating them to contribute to the company's success.
Channel marketing is a strategy where a company sells its products or services through third-party partners, like resellers or affiliates.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.
Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, offering insights into user behavior and marketing effectiveness.
A lead list is a curated database of potential customers (leads) with contact information and other key data for sales and marketing outreach.
Think of a trademark as a brand's unique signature—a word, symbol, or phrase that legally protects its identity and sets it apart from the rest.
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Omnichannel sales is a strategy that integrates all physical and digital sales channels to create a seamless, unified customer experience.
A Request for Information (RFI) is a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers before issuing a more detailed proposal.
Forecasting uses historical data to make informed predictions about future trends, helping businesses anticipate outcomes and plan accordingly.
Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
Segmentation analysis is the process of dividing a broad market into smaller, distinct groups of consumers with similar needs or characteristics.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
A canary release is a deployment strategy where new software is rolled out to a small user group first, minimizing risk before a full release.
Content syndication is the process of republishing your web content on third-party sites to reach a much wider audience.
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A cold email is an initial outreach sent to a potential customer with whom you've had no prior contact, aiming to introduce your business.
Siloed describes the isolation of data, teams, or systems within a company, which blocks collaboration and creates operational bottlenecks.
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Content curation involves gathering, organizing, and sharing the most relevant online content on a specific topic for a particular audience.
Account Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of individuals from a target account who click on a link in an ad, email, or on a webpage.
Cost Per Impression (CPI) is the price an advertiser pays for each time their ad is displayed to a user, irrespective of clicks.
X-Sell, or cross-selling, is a sales strategy of selling additional, related products or services to an existing customer base.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system that uses voice and keypad inputs to interact with callers and route their calls.
Digital analytics is the analysis of data from digital channels to understand user behavior and optimize online experiences for business goals.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create, manage, and publish websites and blogs.
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Private labeling is when a company rebrands a product made by a third-party manufacturer and sells it as their own.
User Experience (UX) refers to a person's overall feelings and perceptions while interacting with a product, system, or service.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
Sales territory planning is the process of dividing customers into geographic areas to be assigned to specific sales reps or teams.
Marketo is a marketing automation platform used by B2B marketers to manage lead generation, nurturing, email marketing, and analytics.
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A marketing attribution model is a framework for assigning credit to the marketing touchpoints that lead a customer to convert.
A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is an action plan that outlines how a company will reach target customers and achieve a competitive advantage.
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Drupal is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) for building websites and applications. It's known for its robust flexibility.
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Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.
Video selling uses personalized video messages to engage prospects, build rapport, and guide them through the sales funnel to close more deals.
Data security protects digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire lifecycle.
Closed opportunities are potential deals that have concluded. They are categorized as either 'closed-won' (a sale was made) or 'closed-lost'.
A performance plan is a formal document outlining an employee's goals, expectations, and metrics for success over a specific period.
Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.
Personalization is the practice of using data to tailor products, services, or content to an individual's specific needs and preferences.
Data privacy is an individual's right to control their personal information, including how it's collected, processed, stored, and shared.
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Lead scoring is the process of assigning points to leads based on their attributes and actions to determine their sales-readiness.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is technology that controls access to copyrighted digital content, restricting its use, modification, and distribution.
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Mobile app analytics involves collecting and analyzing data from mobile apps to understand user behavior and optimize the app's performance.
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Yield management is a dynamic pricing strategy that adjusts prices based on demand to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable inventory.
Tokenization is the process of breaking down text into smaller units called tokens, such as words or characters, for AI to process.
Direct mail is a marketing method where businesses send physical promotional materials directly to potential customers' mailboxes.
SFDC stands for Salesforce Dot Com, a popular cloud-based CRM platform that helps companies manage their customer interactions and data.
A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.
No Forms is a method for capturing lead data directly from your website visitors' profiles without requiring them to fill out any forms.
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Inside sales metrics are quantifiable measures used to track the performance, activities, and effectiveness of an internal sales team.
Multi-threading allows a single CPU core to run multiple independent threads (or tasks) at the same time, boosting efficiency and performance.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that look and feel like native mobile apps, offering features like offline access and push notifications.
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Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and data from digital attacks, theft, and unauthorized access.
Data visualization is the practice of translating information into a visual context, like a map or graph, to make data easier to understand.
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Accessibility testing is a software testing method that verifies an application is usable by people with disabilities, like vision or hearing loss.
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Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is the metric that measures the percentage of customers a company has kept over a specific period of time.
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Upselling is a sales tactic encouraging customers to purchase a higher-end version of a product or related add-ons to boost revenue.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total cost a business spends to gain a new customer. It includes all sales and marketing expenses.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.