Assassins Creed and SCRUM
David Lara
Product Lead | Critical Techworks | BMW Group | Autonomous Driving Solutions | PSPO?| PSM?| LeSS
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
For the fans of video games, this phrase is well established in the Assassins' Creed Franchise, but what most don’t know is that, according to Friedrich Nietzsche, it is a real 1000-year quote from Hassan-I-Sabbah.
When I read about it and the various interpretations of the phrase, I couldn't help but think of Scrum. I will try my best to explain why ??.
Nothing is true
To say that nothing is true is related to the possible interpretation that there is no unique, definitive reality.
Each individual has his or her own perception of reality. The implication is that, because each of us perceives the world through our own senses, reality itself changes from person to person.
The analogy to Scrum is that, because reality is based on our individual perception of the world, we must realize that the foundations of our assumptions are fragile because when new information arrives, our perception can change.
Imagine a "Lone Wolf" Product Owner that has a perception that his product is awesome, the next top-notch market leader, but when arriving at the market, the users’ perception is that the product is useless. We must inspect often and adapt to new data accordingly.
Everything is permitted
To say that everything is permitted is related to a possible interpretation that, because there is no unique reality, we ourselves are promoters or creators of our reality and should be fully responsible for our actions and live with the consequences of our choices, whether they are good or bad.
The analogy to Scrum is that, because there are no hierarchies among members of a Scrum team, everyone is accountable for?delivering a useful increment at least once per sprint. Every Scrum member is fully accountable and responsible for their own actions.
Also, the Scrum team members should embrace empiricism, have the courage to make decisions, assume the consequences, learn from the results, and find a better solution for the next sprint. What was a "bad decision now" to solve a certain problem can be a great starting point to solve another different problem in the future.
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The idea is not to create development chaos or anarchy where everything is permitted and fine. It’s quite the opposite, because everything is permitted, the Scrum team can choose which path to follow, but must embrace and learn from the consequences of their decision.
Final thoughts
That's why it’s important to have small iterations and deliver valuable increments of the product, receive feedback, and adapt our product perception to add more value next sprint.
Because your perception is unique, it is critical to communicate your opinion in the retrospective in a transparent manner in order to align different perceptions toward a common product goal.
If you don’t communicate often and in a transparent way, you are giving others the opportunity to create a false perception of you as well.
False perception can have an impact on your mood, and if it remains for some time, the mood will turn into temperament, which if not changed, will turn into a personality trait.
Perception is a word I use a lot daily and it's everywhere:
Your perception of the company you work for, your market perception, your Head of or CEO's perception of you, your perception of your teammates, and vice versa, your perception of happiness, etc...
To improve your decision making process, ask for constant feedback to align or change your perception of something.
Your words and actions define the perception others have of you.
I know I used the word "perception" 20 times, but it’s all an attempt to give you a different perception on the subject.
Oops 21 times ??????.
Full Stack Developer eager for a new IT challenge | API Databases Docker Kubernetes Algorithms OOP Testing BA
2 年Whenever you are placed into a system a majority will inevitably be created, the majority usually seeks some kind of influential higher up that will lead it towards the incomplete formula of success, it's the human choice of safety over adversity, just like civilization built a world with safety at the core rather than instinct. The filter we apply to our perceptive lenses is called ego, the desire to preserve and protect the ego is the barrier to relatability and it is also adamant to remaining productive, believing in one's unique character traits and claiming merit. If ever you find yourself in a position where you are alone, wether your colleagues are your intellectual peers but don't pursue the same knowledge or the inverse, the stance you can take is that of an observer, you look at the system abstractly from the outside in and that everything we built is out of sentience and awareness to adapt things to the point that they are today. And if you feel like you are not being a part of anything you can play the role of contributor and you can self-actualizate yourself through information. If you simply use information which is pretty much what life amalgamates to you can avoid the trap of stumbling in the wrong directions.
Scrum & Agile Training Specialist at Scrum.PT / Scrum.org | Business & Product Development Agility. Certified Train the Trainer (TBR)
2 年Nice one! ????????