Scrum is NOT the goal. What is it WELL?

Scrum as a goal, in my opinion, has 3 main causes, which I bring to the table in this article. To wit:

You make theory more important than practice;
You think just Scrum is enough;
You expect two days to be enough.

After reading this blog, you will be able to look at your own team(s) and make an honest assessment of whether you are Scrumming for the sake of Scrumming, or whether you are truly engaged in making an impact and increasing work happiness.

Theory is more important than practice

Long ago I read Jeff Sutherland’s book on Scrum (The art of doing twice the work in half the time) and was immediately impressed by the Empiricism in the creation of Scrum. Scrum was not invented behind a drawing board, Scrum was always built bit by bit. If an obstacle was found in practice, a sustainable solution was sought very cleverly. That solution was tried out and, if successful, added to the way of working, the framework. In this way, Scrum was created based on best practices and evidence provided in practice.

In many implementations and trainings, theory is the focus. And that is an excellent starting point, but not an end point. Your practice and the world around you don’t stand still. So don’t wait for an update of the Scrum Guide every 2-4 years, but think for yourself. Don’t cast the knowledge gained from a training course in concrete for the next decade. But go with the mindset of experimentation to continually optimize your way of working. With the goal of delivering more and better value and ensuring a wonderful place to work. High Impact. Happy Teams, in other words.

Scrum alone won’t get you there

So does Dave West, CEO of Scrum.org. Indeed, from the podium of Scrum Day Europe, he tells us that more is needed to really have the focus on value. Scrum may focus on delivering value, but much less on creating value. This is, of course, partially true. The vision of a good Product Owner already results in value. And the entire team gets enough feedback during reviews to know if it is on the right track. Whether it is delivering value.

Dave West also sees a great role for Design Thinking and Lean Start-Up. The role of empathizing more with the customer and experimenting faster and better. In a previous blog from 2018, we already called this Lean Innovation. The goal is for the entire team to become engaged and interested. That the team wants to understand everything about the customer and set up and run smart experiments for that. That a team with Scrum and Lean Innovation ensures that the customer gets the highest value.

Two days of training is not enough

Our two-day basic Product Owner I and Scrum Master I training courses align with the Scrum.org assessment. In two days you’ll learn the ins & outs of Agile and Scrum, with lots of practical tools, and can confidently go up for your certification. Scrum is lightweight simple to understand, but difficult to master. Jeff Sutherland says it himself.

In two days, you basically become consciously incompetent. You find out that to really achieve the speed and effectiveness of Agile working, you will have to address the organizational structure and culture. You won’t learn how to do that in two days. You can delve into that with other courses such as Agile Coach Training I & II and the Product Owner Master track. These ensure that you tinker with your organization and increasing your value step by step. At the same time, you are encouraged to immediately make a lot of meters in practice. That is simply where you learn the most.

Does your team Scrum for the sake of Scrumming?

With the information from this article in mind, take a look at your team. And in that, try not to be too kind to yourself. Dare to put on your critical glasses. Are you using Scrum to deliver the highest value for the customer? Good job, delve into Lean Innovation and see what valuable elements can take your team even further. I’d be happy to help you with that. Do you now find out that in your team Scrum, unfortunately, ended up being only a process improvement? Then take action today.

Don’t panic, by the way! You don’t have to suddenly become a master in change management now to do help your teams and organization move forward in focusing on customer value. But more knowledge and skill as a Scrum Master, Product Owner or Agile Leader is desirable. So invest in yourself. Only then will you help your team or organization to reap many more ‘Scrum fruits’ in the future. Then you will focus on value. The customer happy with nice stuff, the team happy with nice work.

In conclusion

What opportunities are there in your organization? I am happy to spar with you about it. Feel free to make an appointment with me. Or call me at: 0611535207.