Scrum is an empirical process and is commonly referred to as the Scrum Framework or Agile Framework.
Scrum is a framework in the sense that it is an abstract concept that must be concretely applied in your domain within your context. Understanding the Scrum Framework is contextually dependent on how you implement your process, solve your problems and get to done. Each organization has unique projects/efforts and for each one the Scrum Framework can be 
applied.
Implementing Scrum will result in unique Agile Pathways for each organization. The Scrum Framework is typically applied for efforts that are more that just complicated but are actually complex. A complex thing in the case is something with more things that I want to think about at one time. For most work efforts that we commonly call a project this limit is easily reached thus, many efforts quickly enter the realm of complex. Pressures of time and the right way also impact complexity.
The biggest driver of complexity for most business efforts are demands from the requirements not technology. The Scrum Framework is ideally suited for complex efforts and requires discipline to execute. The framework is executed by people who are often using technology to build other technical products.
Scrum’s originated in software development but, the framework itself has been found to be is broadly applicable to other kinds of work. The ease, success rate and broad applicability of Scrum has lead to it’s rapid growth and adoption . Scrum replaces many traditional ways of thinking and challenges the team as a fundamental unit to be empirical. The Scrum Framework is deceptively simple to use and is hard to apply because of the changes in thinking that are needed.