Scrum is an agile framework for managing complex work. It utilizes short development cycles called sprints, daily stand-up meetings, and defined roles like Product Owner and Scrum Master. The framework includes events like sprint planning and retrospectives and artifacts like the product backlog and sprint backlog to facilitate transparency and process improvement. Adopting scrum requires changes to traditional roles and processes and can be disruptive to organizations, but aims to increase productivity through self-organizing teams and rapid feedback.