Overview
What is Scrum? is the second SMPC learning-objective area. It asks you to define Scrum precisely using the 2020 Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. The Guide summarizes the flow in four moves: a Product Owner orders the work in a Product Backlog, the Scrum Team turns a selection into a valuable Increment during a Sprint, the team and its stakeholders inspect the results and adjust, and the cycle repeats.
The area also covers what Scrum is not. It is a framework rather than a full methodology, it is purposefully incomplete so that teams add their own practices, and its roles, events, artifacts and rules are immutable. CertiProf's syllabus follows the 2020 Guide, so you also need to know what that revision changed from 2017.
How it's tested
SMPC items here usually test definitions and boundaries. You may be asked which statement best describes Scrum, whether a modified practice is still Scrum, what the Guide deliberately leaves out, or which term was introduced or removed in 2020. Many distractors are phrases from the 2017 Guide or from generic project management.
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Best definition
Four descriptions of Scrum are offered and you pick the one matching the 2020 Scrum Guide, a lightweight framework for complex problems.
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Is it still Scrum
A team changes or drops a Scrum element, and you decide whether the result can still be called Scrum.
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What changed in 2020
You identify a term or rule introduced by the 2020 revision, such as the Product Goal or the self-managing team.
A manager says the company uses Scrum but has replaced the Sprint Review with a monthly status report to executives. Is this still Scrum? The tempting answer is yes, because Sprints still happen. The Scrum Guide states that its elements are immutable and that implementing only parts of Scrum is possible but the result is not Scrum. Removing an event removes an inspection and adaptation opportunity, so the answer is no.
Topics 3
Official topics from the CertiProf outline, in outline order.
2.1 Scrum definition in the 2020 Scrum GuideThe official definition and the four-step summary of how Scrum works.
- What it means
- The Scrum Guide defines Scrum as a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. It requires a Scrum Master to foster an environment where a Product Owner orders work, the Scrum Team produces an Increment in a Sprint, and everyone inspects and adapts.
- What to understand
- Lightweight means Scrum specifies the minimum needed: three accountabilities, five events and three artifacts with their commitments. Framework means it provides structure while leaving practices open. The definition is not limited to software; the Guide says Scrum is used in many domains. The Scrum Master is named in the definition as the person who fosters the environment, which links this area to Act as Scrum Master.
- How it shows up
- Expect a definition-matching item where only one option uses framework, complex problems and adaptive solutions together.
- Common confusion
- Calling Scrum a methodology or a project management process, terms the Guide does not use.
2.2 Scrum as an incomplete and immutable frameworkWhy Scrum leaves gaps on purpose and why its core cannot be changed.
- What it means
- The Guide describes Scrum as purposefully incomplete: it defines only the parts required to implement Scrum theory and leaves the rest to the collective intelligence of the people using it. At the same time, its accountabilities, artifacts, events and rules are immutable.
- What to understand
- Teams may add practices such as user stories, estimation techniques or Kanban boards inside the framework. They may not remove or rename core elements and still call the result Scrum. The Guide also warns against mechanical use; rules guide relationships and interactions rather than replacing judgement. This combination, a fixed small core with open practices, is the reason two Scrum Teams can look very different yet both follow Scrum.
- How it shows up
- A team modifies Scrum and you decide whether it is still Scrum, or whether a practice belongs in the Guide.
- Common confusion
- Believing user stories, story points or burndown charts are required parts of Scrum.
2.3 Origins and the 2020 revisionWhere Scrum came from and what the November 2020 Scrum Guide changed.
- What it means
- Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland first presented Scrum in 1995 and published the first Scrum Guide in 2010. The current Guide was released in November 2020 and is the basis of the SMPC exam.
- What to understand
- The 2020 revision made the Guide less prescriptive and less software-specific. It removed the separate Development Team in favour of one Scrum Team containing Developers, changed self-organizing to self-managing, introduced the Product Goal, added a commitment to each artifact (Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done), described the Scrum Master as a true leader who serves, and dropped the three Daily Scrum questions. It also states the team is typically 10 or fewer people.
- How it shows up
- Questions check whether you recognise 2020 terms and avoid 2017 wording in answer choices.
- Common confusion
- Choosing options that mention a Development Team or the three Daily Scrum questions as required.
High-yield concepts
The terms, rules and formulas this domain turns into questions most often.
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Lightweight framework
Scrum's own description of itself.
- Remember
- Minimal structure, not a full process.
- Tested as
- Core of definition questions.
- Trap
- Picking 'methodology' or 'process'.
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Complex problems
The kind of work Scrum is designed for.
- Remember
- Links Scrum to empiricism and Cynefin.
- Tested as
- Appears in purpose questions.
- Trap
- Saying Scrum is only for software.
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Purposefully incomplete
The Guide leaves practices open on purpose.
- Remember
- Teams add techniques inside the framework.
- Tested as
- Used to judge whether a practice is mandatory.
- Trap
- Treating common practices as Scrum rules.
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Immutable core
Accountabilities, artifacts, events and rules cannot be changed.
- Remember
- Partial Scrum is not Scrum.
- Tested as
- Is-it-still-Scrum scenarios.
- Trap
- Accepting a version without a key event.
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One Scrum Team
The 2020 Guide has no separate Development Team.
- Remember
- Developers are one accountability within it.
- Tested as
- Terminology checks.
- Trap
- Choosing answers about the Development Team.
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Self-managing
The team decides who does what, when and how.
- Remember
- Replaced self-organizing in 2020.
- Tested as
- Team autonomy questions.
- Trap
- Thinking a manager assigns Sprint tasks.
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Product Goal
A long-term objective for the Scrum Team, introduced in 2020.
- Remember
- It is the commitment for the Product Backlog.
- Tested as
- 2020 change questions.
- Trap
- Confusing it with the Sprint Goal.
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Commitments
Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done.
- Remember
- One commitment per artifact.
- Tested as
- Recall and matching items.
- Trap
- Pairing the Definition of Done with the Sprint Backlog.
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Scrum creators
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland.
- Remember
- First presented in 1995; first Guide in 2010.
- Tested as
- Occasional history question.
- Trap
- Naming Agile Manifesto signatories in general.
Side by side
Concepts candidates mix up, compared on the point that decides the answer.
2017 vs. 2020 Scrum Guide wording
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Team | 2017 sub-team inside the Scrum Team | 2020 uses Developers within one Scrum Team | Treating it as a current term |
| Self-organizing | 2017 description of team autonomy | 2020 says self-managing, adding who and how | Picking the older word as the 2020 term |
| Three Daily Scrum questions | 2017 suggested agenda | 2020 lets Developers choose any structure | Calling them mandatory |
| Product Goal | Not present in 2017 | 2020 commitment for the Product Backlog | Assuming it always existed |
Framework vs. methodology
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framework | Minimal structure with open practices | Scrum's own description | Expecting it to prescribe every step |
| Methodology | Complete set of methods and procedures | Not how the Guide describes Scrum | Choosing it in definition items |
| Practice | A technique a team adds, such as story points | Optional within Scrum | Calling it a Scrum rule |
Exam traps
Each trap is an answer that looks right. Learn the clue that should change your mind.
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Scrum as methodology
- What candidates pick
- An option calling Scrum a complete project methodology.
- Why it looks right
- Many companies describe it that way.
- Why it's wrong
- The Guide calls Scrum a lightweight framework and leaves methods to the team.
Clue to watch for Look for the word framework.
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Software only
- What candidates pick
- Stating Scrum applies only to software products.
- Why it looks right
- Scrum grew up in software teams.
- Why it's wrong
- The 2020 Guide removed software-specific language and notes use in many domains.
Clue to watch for Options that restrict Scrum to IT.
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Partial Scrum still counts
- What candidates pick
- Accepting a version without a Retrospective as Scrum.
- Why it looks right
- Most of the framework is still used.
- Why it's wrong
- The Guide states that implementing only parts of Scrum means the result is not Scrum.
Clue to watch for A removed or replaced event.
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Old team terms
- What candidates pick
- Answers built on the Development Team.
- Why it looks right
- Older study materials use it everywhere.
- Why it's wrong
- The 2020 Guide has a single Scrum Team with Developers as an accountability.
Clue to watch for Watch for 2017 vocabulary.
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Practices as rules
- What candidates pick
- Selecting story points as a required Scrum element.
- Why it looks right
- Most Scrum Teams use them.
- Why it's wrong
- Estimation techniques are complementary practices, not part of the immutable core.
Clue to watch for Words like required or mandatory beside a technique.
Answer framework
Apply this check when a question asks what Scrum is or whether something counts as Scrum.
- Look for the 2020 definition elements in each option: lightweight framework, people and teams generating value, adaptive solutions and complex problems.
- Check whether the scenario keeps all three accountabilities, all five events and all three artifacts together with the commitment attached to each one.
- If a core element is removed, renamed or replaced by something else, conclude that the result is not Scrum, whatever the organization calls it.
- If a practice such as story points or a Kanban board is added on top of the core, accept it, because Scrum is purposefully incomplete.
- Discard options using 2017 terms such as Development Team or mandatory three-question Daily Scrums.
Practice question
Want more like this? The SMPC practice test has questions for every domain.
Checklist
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Study strategy
Download the 2020 Scrum Guide from scrumguides.org; it is about 13 pages and is the single most important source for the SMPC. Read the Purpose, Definition and End Note sections slowly and underline every word that describes what Scrum is or is not. Then write your own two-sentence definition and compare it with the Guide.
Next, build a short list of 2020 changes. If you learned Scrum earlier or use older courses, mark every page in your notes that says Development Team, self-organizing or the three Daily Scrum questions and update it. CertiProf builds the SMPC on the 2020 version, so outdated terms in answer options are almost always distractors.
Finally, practise the immutability rule with small cases: a team that adds Kanban, a team that removes the Sprint Review, a team that appoints two Product Owners. Decide for each whether it is still Scrum and explain why in one line.
FAQ
How much of the SMPC exam tests What is Scrum?
CertiProf does not publish per-area weights for the SMPC, so the exact share of What is Scrum? is not known. It is a short area; plan for a small number of definition questions, perhaps three of the 40.
Which Scrum Guide version does the SMPC use?
The 2020 Scrum Guide. CertiProf labels the current exam version smpc-v2020.
Is Scrum a methodology?
The Scrum Guide describes Scrum as a lightweight framework. Exam options calling it a methodology or a full process are usually wrong.
Can a team change Scrum's rules?
Teams can add practices, but the accountabilities, events, artifacts and rules are immutable. Removing any of them means the result is not Scrum.
Is Scrum only for software?
No. The 2020 Guide removed most software-specific language and says Scrum is used across many kinds of work.
Who created Scrum?
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, who first presented it in 1995 and maintain the Scrum Guide.
Other Agile & Scrum certifications
Where the same subject shows up in other exams. Cards marked "Same subject" open the matching domain.
Test your Domain 2 knowledge
Answer a few SMPC questions on the Scrum definition and 2020 terminology to make sure older wording no longer catches you out.