SCRUM Solo: Agile for Individual Developers

Overview

SCRUM Solo adapts traditional SCRUM methodology for solo developers. While pure SCRUM requires teams, its core principles of iterative development, timeboxing, and continuous improvement remain valuable for individuals.

Philosophy: Keep ceremonies that enable self-reflection and meaningful iteration, eliminate team-oriented overhead.

Why SCRUM Works for Solo Developers

Even without a team, SCRUM provides:

1. Structured planning: Sprint planning forces prioritization
2. Release cadence: Sprints enforce regular delivery
3. Self-accountability: Ceremonies create checkpoints
4. Continuous improvement: Retrospectives drive growth
5. Stakeholder communication: Backlog provides visibility

Ceremonies: What to Keep

Sprint Planning (~1 hour)

Purpose: Select work for the sprint, define sprint goal.

Solo adaptation:

• Review product backlog
• Select stories totaling 12-18 points (adjust based on experience)
• Define one clear sprint goal
• Create sprint backlog

Template: See references/ceremony-guides.md

Daily Check-in (~5 minutes)

Purpose: Personal standup for reflection and course correction.

Solo adaptation (answer mentally or in notes):

• What did I accomplish yesterday?
• What will I work on today?
• Any blockers or distractions?

When: Start of each work session, not necessarily daily.

Template: See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/pm-artifacts/references/templates/daily-checkin.md

Sprint Review (~30 minutes)

Purpose: Inspect increment, adapt backlog.

Solo adaptation:

• Demo completed work (even to yourself)
• Compare against sprint goal
• Update product backlog based on learnings
• Note what could be demoed to stakeholders

Sprint Retrospective (~30 minutes)

Purpose: Reflect on process, identify improvements.

Solo adaptation:

• What went well? (Keep doing)
• What didn't work? (Stop or change)
• What will I try next sprint? (Experiments)
• Update Definition of Done if needed

Template: See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/pm-artifacts/references/templates/sprint-retrospective.md

Ceremonies to Skip or Simplify

Daily Standup (Team Format)

• Skip: No team to synchronize with
• Replace with: Personal daily check-in

Sprint Review (Demo to Team)

• Simplify: Self-review or stakeholder demo only when meaningful

Backlog Refinement (Team Session)

• Simplify: Do during sprint planning or ad-hoc

Sprint Configuration

Recommended Sprint Length

Context	Length	Rationale
Freelance/Consulting	1 week	Client feedback cycles, billing periods
Side Projects	2 weeks	Less overhead, more flexibility
Learning Projects	1 week	Fast iteration, quick pivots

Capacity Planning

For solo work, account for:

• Context switching: Multiple projects? Reduce capacity by 20%
• Interruptions: Client meetings, support? Reduce by 10-20%
• Energy levels: Reserve 10-15% buffer for low-energy days

Rule of thumb: Plan for 60-70% of theoretical capacity.

Story Pointing Guide

Use Fibonacci sequence for relative sizing:

Points	Complexity	Solo Time Estimate
1	Trivial, well-understood	~1-2 hours
2	Simple, minor unknowns	~half day
3	Moderate, some exploration	~1 day
5	Significant, multiple steps	~2-3 days
8	Complex, research needed	~1 week
13	Very complex	Break it down!

Important: Points measure complexity + uncertainty, not time. A 5-point story might take 1 day if you're experienced, or 3 days if it's new territory.

Kanban Elements to Incorporate

Add these Kanban practices for flow optimization:

WIP Limits

Limit work-in-progress to maintain focus:

• In Progress: Max 2-3 stories
• Review/Testing: Max 2 stories

Visualize Flow

Use a simple board:

Backlog → Sprint → In Progress → Review → Done

Pull System

Only start new work when current work is complete. Resist the urge to start new stories before finishing current ones.

Definition of Done

Maintain consistent quality with a Definition of Done checklist.

Story-level DoD example:

• Code implemented and follows conventions
• All acceptance criteria met
• Unit tests written and passing
• Self-reviewed (no obvious issues)
• Documentation updated (README, docstrings)
• Integrated with main codebase
• No known bugs or blocking issues

See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/pm-artifacts/references/templates/ for customizable templates.

GTD Integration

SCRUM Solo complements GTD (Getting Things Done):

System	Level	Purpose
GTD	Meta	"What's next for [Project]?"
SCRUM Solo	Operational	Detailed sprint work, story implementation

Integration pattern:

• GTD projects-registry.md points to PM folder
• GTD weekly-plan.md references current sprint items
• Weekly Review syncs GTD next actions with sprint backlog

Common Pitfalls

Over-planning

• Problem: Spending too much time in ceremonies
• Solution: Timebox strictly, keep ceremonies lean

Skipping Retrospectives

• Problem: Missing improvement opportunities
• Solution: Even 10 minutes is valuable; schedule it

Ignoring Velocity

• Problem: Consistently over-committing
• Solution: Track points completed per sprint, adjust

Gold-plating

• Problem: Adding features beyond acceptance criteria
• Solution: Strong DoD and acceptance criteria

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/ceremony-guides.md - Detailed ceremony scripts and facilitation guides

Related Skills

• pm-artifacts - Templates for all PM artifacts

External Resources

• Scrum for One (Lucidchart)
• Scrum of One (Kodeco)