Scrum is an agile framework for managing projects developed by Jeff Sutherland in 1993 based on earlier work. It uses short "sprints" to iteratively develop work items prioritized in a backlog. Key roles include the Product Owner who prioritizes the backlog, the Scrum Master who facilitates the process, and the cross-functional Scrum Team. Each sprint involves planning, daily stand-ups, development, review, and retrospective. The process is intended to be flexible and transparent compared to traditional sequential models like waterfall.