Built-in Guard rails of Scrum

From Scrum Guide

If you read #scrumguide carefully - you will find the following on Page #3

Scrum is simple. Try it as is and determine if its philosophy, theory, and structure help to achieve goals and create value. The Scrum framework is purposefully incomplete, only defining the parts required to implement Scrum theory.

"Only defining the parts required..." - this statement highlights the core elements of Scrum. Which most of you would be aware of:

• 3 Accountabilities
• 5 Events and
• 3 Artifacts each with one commitment

Add to these:

• 3 Pillars of empiricism and
• 5 Scrum Values

The implicit Guard rails to ensure #scrum is not #derailed are as follows.

Guard Rail #1 - Timeboxes

Often, in our real work scenario's we see so many meetings (aka events) - check out these shocking statistics:

To ensure that your Scrum Teams are able to complete the events within the prescribed timeboxes - focus on these 3 critical elements of each event.

1. Purpose - each event has a purpose. Ensure that this purpose is achieved and the respective event is not deviated for something else. For example: #dailyscrum is for the developers to inspect their progress towards #sprintgoal. Its not a #problemsolving or #status meeting.
2. Participants - each event requires specific participants. For example - #dailyscrum is only for #developers for a reason. Ensure that only the intended #participants are there in these events.
3. Outcomes - focus on #outcomes instead of #outputs. For example - in #dailyscrum Developers self-organize on arriving at an #actionable #plan for that day's work.

For having an effective event - you can explore few techniques like Liberating Structures etc.

Guard rail #2 - Self-Management

#selfmanagement is a critical element of Scrum. Often, in several #organizations we may find this difficult to practice due to existing ways of working.

Enable and practice self-management by:

1. Authority - each accountability of #scrum should have enough #authority to carry out their work. For example - #productowner has #authority on #ordering the #productbacklog.
2. Decision making - each accountability has to take their own #decisions and they should have #freedom to take those. For example - #developers decide how to do #dailyscrum.
3. Empowerment - without #empowerment - the above two would not work. For example - #developers are empowered on #how part of the #sprintbacklog - they should have #authority over it, and they should #decide how - including #estimation.

Guard rail #3 - keep aliens out of Scrum Teams

Often times, we see how Scrum is #interpreted and #implemented in #organizations - to suit to their styles of working, hierarchies, existing practices etc. These will lead to several deviations from Scrum Guide - introducing #alien elements to #scrumguide - ultimately creating a #hybird kind of #framework that a new #scrummaster would think - #itsnotscrum at all.

Watch out for these 3 most common alien elements:

1. Management - additional unnecessary management roles like #projectmanager are not required in Scrum because what ever typical Project Manager does is taken care by each accountability in their respective areas of focus. To know more on this topic - watch out for next issue in this newsletter.
2. Waste - often we see Scrum Teams pulled for un-necessary status meetings, review meetings etc. This leads to #accumulation of #waste. Leave the Scrum Team to focus on its core purpose - #creatingvalue
3. Non Value add - this happens when a Scrum Team is deviating from #agilemanifesto core values like developing documentation that is not valuable. Please understand - I am not saying documentation is not required. I am only echoing - documents that doesn't add any value to the product's intended users, can be given a lower priority. For example - User Manual - how to use a product - is more helpful to its intended users rather than a contractual requirement like data model. These data models can be delivered with lower priority.

Have a happy Scrum Journey

Watch out and ensure that Scrum is not derailed.

Thanks for your time coming this far. #rawagility