Using risk management to balance agile methods: A study of the Scrum process

This study seeks to answer three main questions: How can Risk Management be used to effectively balance an agile method (particularly Scrum)? What are the benefits or limitations that could be encountered during the application of Risk Management as a successful procedure during Scrum projects? What other processes can be applied by organizations to effectively manage their risks during Scrum projects? The mixed methods of interviews and focus group discussions with Scrum/Agile practitioners and experts in three UK IT sectors were conducted to investigate the farragoes of assumptions on how the Scrum process in particular deals with risks. Results of data analysed suggest that most organizations using Scrum do not implement any risk strategy for their projects under the assumption that the `agile aspect of Scrum' will mitigate risks, however, all respondents agreed that this would most likely introduce other risks that could impact the objectives of the project.