Purpose of the Scrum Guide
Part of the Scrum Guide chapter index. Read the canonical version inline in the app: Purpose of the Scrum Guide on app.prettyscrum.org.
Why this chapter matters for the PSM I exam
The Purpose section is short, but it sets up the whole rest of the Scrum Guide and explains the framing the PSM I exam tests. The key takeaway: Scrum is a framework, not a methodology, and the Guide is the canonical definition. Anything beyond the Guide is “tactics for using” Scrum, not Scrum itself. Exam questions exploit that distinction.
The Scrum Guide text
We developed Scrum in the early 1990s. We wrote the first version of the Scrum Guide in 2010 to help people worldwide understand Scrum. We have evolved the Guide since then through small, functional updates. Together, we stand behind it.
The Scrum Guide contains the definition of Scrum. Each element of the framework serves a specific purpose that is essential to the overall value and results realized with Scrum. Changing the core design or ideas of Scrum, leaving out elements, or not following the rules of Scrum, covers up problems and limits the benefits of Scrum, potentially even rendering it useless.
We follow the growing use of Scrum within an ever-growing complex world. We are humbled to see Scrum being adopted in many domains holding essentially complex work, beyond software product development where Scrum has its roots. As Scrum’s use spreads, developers, researchers, analysts, scientists, and other specialists do the work. We use the word “developers” in Scrum not to exclude, but to simplify. If you get value from Scrum, consider yourself included.
As Scrum is being used, patterns, processes, and insights that fit the Scrum framework as described in this document, may be found, applied and devised. Their description is beyond the purpose of the Scrum Guide because they are context sensitive and differ widely between Scrum uses. Such tactics for using within the Scrum framework vary widely and are described elsewhere.
Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland — November 2020
Source: 2020 Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, © CC BY-SA 4.0. License.
Key points to remember
- Scrum is a framework. Leaving elements out or changing the rules is not Scrum.
- “Developers” in the Scrum Guide is a deliberately broad term, not just programmers.
- Tactics for using Scrum (Kanban, story points, etc.) are outside the Guide and outside the exam.
Common exam trap
On the exam, watch for answer options that contradict the Guide because they describe how a specific company “does Scrum.” Those are wrong by definition — the Guide is the test, not your team’s practice.
Practice this chapter
The fastest way to lock in this chapter is to answer 5–10 questions on it adaptively right now while it’s fresh. The Pretty Scrum study mode will pick questions from this chapter and surface any gaps.
Related chapters
Or jump back to the Scrum Guide chapter index or the PSM I hub.
Author: Maurice Heinze (PSM I, certified by Scrum.org). Last updated: 2026-05-04. Scrum Guide content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.