SCRUM

Scrum

We believe that the Scrum Guide [1] defines what Scrum is. In addition to the guide, there are many tools and ways of working that complement it. When we take overall responsibility for a delivery, in the form of an agile team [3], we work according to Scrum.

The Scrum Guide is an easy to read and well written text of 14 pages. Rather than repeat the content here, we recommend that you read it yourself.

Below are some views on the introduction and use of Scrum.

Scrum is revolutionary

Scrum is quite revolutionary, i.e. it breaks many accepted principles. This is probably why many people find it difficult to adopt the framework. They are stuck in old ways of thinking and find it difficult to let go. There have been, and still are, many people who say they work according to the Framework when they do not.

According to Ken Schwaber [2], the reason why many teams and organisations do not work according to Scrum is the lack of training in the approach. We believe that both leaders and team members should receive good training.

We offer a well-tested course in Scrum and Agile, see more under Agile Training [4]. It is suitable for team members, their leaders and those who want to take the first step towards the responsibility of being a Scrum Master.

Often a course is not enough, teams and their surrounding organisation need ongoing coaching and mentoring in their daily work. Scrum has this built in with the role of the Scrum Master. By having an experienced person with integrity in this position, there is someone in the team who can help the team gain a better understanding of the way of working.

The surrounding organisation can be a barrier

In Scrum you work on identifying barriers that make it difficult for the team to work productively. Barriers can be internal or external to the team. The internal barriers can be solved by the team itself. External barriers are caused by the surrounding organisation not adapting to the way the team works. This could be, for example, payroll policies, the organisation of office space, or the way managers work.

Because Scrum is revolutionary, it requires quite big changes, which can be difficult to grasp for those not closely involved. A lot of dialogue and communication is needed to make change happen. To deal with this, it can be helpful to bring in facilitators who specialise in agile working to help explain and drive the change.

As the team works, the way of working evolves.

We think this is a good way of working for a new agile team. One of the most important elements of Scrum is the meeting called retrospective, which the team should hold regularly. At this meeting the team discusses its way of working and decides if it needs to change.

After that the team can no longer follow the Scrum Guide. The Scrum Guide says

This need not be a problem as long as the team and organisation follow the Agile Manifesto [5]. Again, good training and understanding of the Agile Manifesto can allow the team to embrace being a self-organised team.

External References

[1] - The Scrum Guide at https://scrumguides.org/download.html

[2] - About Scrum.org

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