A Cross-Case Analysis Study on Scrum Culture Adoption in Three Digital Startups

Abstract

Indonesian startups actively embrace Agile development, but implementation can be difficult due to complexity, rapid change, and ambiguity. Scrum, the most popular Agile methodology, assists organizations in dealing with issues that arise during product development. Cultivating a Scrum culture can also take time, but truly implementing it can increase productivity, product quality, and customer satisfaction. Many businesses embrace Agile without first assessing their values and principles, resulting in poor performance. This study investigates how the value of Scrum is quantified and applied to digital startups, with the goal of understanding metric results for evaluation and recommending a better implementation of Scrum culture. A cross-case analysis study was conducted on three digital startups in Indonesia, with data collected through interviews. To evaluate and enhance Scrum implementation, a Values, Goals, Questions, and Metrics (VGQM) model developed from Scrum values was presented. Businesses demonstrated the same strengths in commitment and focus for Scrum values but needed continuous improvement in different values of respect, openness, and courage for better prioritizing requests and delivering feedback. Based on the findings, recommendations were made, including extensive training, cross-functional collaboration, assessing tools and processes, and establishing clear boundaries for customer satisfaction and productive work. Improving product backlog management and employing effective Scrum tools were also mentioned. There are no metrics used by the companies in order to evaluate scrum culture implementation in their organizations. The study suggests constantly retaining those values, while continuously improving the values of openness and courage.