SCRUM - 1 sentence that can change EVERYTHING

Hey there, thanks for opening this article. Your simple act of clicking on this link proved that you have an interest in scrum.

Having worked with scrum for the last 4 years, I have seen the difficulties and challenges that people and organization have with Scrum. What I have realized is that the source of all the difficulties comes from misunderstanding the basics of scrum and not embracing an open mind. So, I thought a lot about how can I change the way people view scrum and I came up with an idea to break down a single sentence.

Whether you are a Professional or a Beginner, my aim is to change the way you see scrum with this single sentence and help you better understand and accept Scrum.

Enough talk, let's get started.

The one Sentence

Scrum (n): A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.

This is probably the most important sentence that you need to know and understand about Scrum.

Now let's analyse this sentence and try to find out what is all this Scrum about...

1. Scrum is a Framework... It is not a method, it not an implementation, it is a Framework. It is a complete structure designed to help you in your endeavors and there are specific set of rules to follow if you want to achieve maximum results. Understand that being a Framework, it can be adapted to any industry and any circumstances. From professional to personal, Scrum can be adapted to any field.
2. ...within which People... Scrum needs people to work. And by that, I mean people are key elements to scrum's success and key people are at the heart of Scrum. I believe that the framework does not fail but rather it is the people who fail the Framework. Whenever I need to set up a Scrum Team, gathering the right people is the most important aspect I look into. On a personal note, there is one skill that I find invaluable for Scrum: Empathy. For the team to thrive and be productive, as a leader, empathy is the number one skill you need to develop.
3. ...can address complex... Now this is something that I figured out late into my career, but which was the most eye opening one. I used to think that scrum is used only to solve extremely complex problems. Problems only companies like NASA, Google, Amazon, Oracle would actually try to solve. What a huge misunderstanding on my part... I later figure out that the complexity is based on what YOU see as complex. What ever the level of complexity for another person, IT DOES NOT MATTER. If you see a problem as "complex" from your point of view, then Scrum can help you solve YOUR issue.
4. ...adaptive... Let's face it. The world is evolving at an amazing speed. We are living in a world where Solutions created Today to solve the problems of Yesterday, can cause the problems of Tomorrow. Everything is changing rapidly, so we needed a framework that could survive and dominate this hostile environment and marketplace. Scrum is particularly adapted to survive in this situation by making use of a concept called the Feedback Loop. The feedback loop is a way of frequently reanalyzing the problem + the current progress and then realigning your focus towards your goal so that the chances to hit your target are maximized. This is done frequently through small iterations called the Sprint. Though i won't cover what is sprint in this article, I would like to know your opinion. Do you want an article to deep dive into Sprints? comment below and let me know.
5. ...problems... Whatever you see as a problem/challenge can be solved using Scrum. Stick with me till the end of this article because I will share with you my personal history with Scrum at the end.
6. ...while Productively... As the saying goes, you cannot grow without measuring progress. You need to have a scale to measure your current level so that you can figure out where to go next. This is something I particularly love about Scrum. It measures productivity, and subconsciously, pushes you out of your comfort zone. One way in which productivity is measured is through a metric called Velocity. Velocity is the amount of work that a Scrum Team has accomplished during an iteration. What I like and have been implementing with my Scrum Teams, is that I use this metric to push my team out of their comfort zone. Every iteration I encourage them to deliver just a little bit more. But this does not end here, whenever I see that the velocity of an iteration is not very good, I can automatically guess that something was not or is not right, and this gives us a chance, as a team, to gather up and openly discuss about it. Whether it is on a professional or personal level, the leader has to show empathy for the well being of his team. Remember: People are at the heart of Scrum.
7. ...and Creatively...Hey Stop!! Let's hold down for a moment here. I would like to share my experience with you. I've been on many scrum teams through out my career, and while it has been a brilliant success in some projects, not all projects have had this chance. I personally believe that we grow through failure and we have to accept failures, and while analyzing my failures, I noticed one common factor: Lack of Creativity and Openness. I personally believe that a success factor of Scrum is Creativity. Creativity in the people,in the process, in the thinking, in the design and in the environment in general. I believe that as a leader and user of Scrum, it is Your responsibility to create an environment that encourages and develops creativity.
8. ...Delivering... Another thing that I absolutely love about Scrum is that it is a Result Oriented Framework. Think scrum in a simple way. Firstly you have a vision which is your major goal. To achieve your vision, you break it down into smaller manageable goals. You then create a plan of action for these smaller goals called Sprint Goals. Now you need to deliver on your plan to achieve these smaller goals. Meaning if you continuously deliver upon your sprint goals, you will automatically hit your major goal.
9. ...Products...Now this is something that I do not completely agree with the scrum guide. Having used Scrum on multiple level and various industries. I can tell you that Scrum can deliver much more than just products. I would rather replace products with Results because I have experienced the power of Scrum in various ways.
10. ...of the Highest Possible Value. I guess that by now you have noticed that Scrum is based a lot on values. You may be asking "but... it creates value for whom?" Let me tell you what I have understand. It creates value for THE PEOPLE. For you as the Scrum Master. For you as a Product Owner. For you as a Developer. For you as a Team member. For you as a human being. For you as an organization. For you as the Marketplace. For you as the Client. There are various techniques used to foster High Value. Though I will not discuss these techniques in this article, I would like to know your opinion. Do you want an article to deep dive into this particular topic? comment below and let me know.

So here we are. The single sentence that can change your entire view of scrum. Before I end this article, let me share with you my personal story with Scrum. The one question that I get a lot is: "Ravi, but I am not in the IT business, how can Scrum apply to my business case?"

My friend, remember, Scrum is a FRAMEWORK. It can be applied to any industry and in any situation. The wonders of scrum are so powerful that I decided to share my story with you.

Remember, this is something I viewed as a complex problem/challenge and which is deeply personal. You may not be in the same situation and the only reason I am sharing this with you is that I believe it can be eye opening to where you can apply scrum and encourage you to test Scrum on your own path.

So let's jump right into this...

Some years back , I was at a very dark point of my life. Due to lack of financial literacy, I made major wrong financial decisions which caused me to be in over Rs.650,000 in debts by the age of 25. Due to negligence, there were time where I didn't even have the money to buy a Rs. 25 lunch and where my bank account showed a negative balance.

This was such a huge pitfall for me and for months and years I struggled to get out of this challenge. I tried many things, many techniques, many businesses which would work for some time but which would eventually fail. When my personal life started to be affected by my financial problems, I had to find a way out, and it had to be quick and straight forward.

I made a promise to myself that I will turn this situation around before I turned 28 and asked myself what is the one thing that I am good at that could completely change the course of my life. For days and nights I thought about it until my lady told me...

What the hell Ravi!! how can someone who is so good at work be a total mess in finances and personal life.

This is where it struck me. She was right...

What was I good at work?

It was Scrum. I embraced Scrum. I promoted Scrum. I was living Scrum professionally, yet, this is where my vision stopped: at the office.

So I went on to study myself and took the Scrum guide. I came across this sentence that would change a lot for me. I sat down and analysed this one sentence and it is the same sentence that I shared with you today and shared my view of Scrum with you.

Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.

I sat down with a vision. Created smaller goals. Curated my life in sprints recklessly for the last 2 years with the right people and adopted to the Scrum Values.

And today, 19-June-2019, exactly 1 month before I turn 28. I'm very happy to say that I just made my last payment of Rs.19,687.00.

So this is it my friend. This is MY personal history with scrum and why I embrace its power so much. Do not be fooled that Scrum can only be used in the IT world.

Remember, it is a framework that can be used in any situation, in any environment, under any circumstance and in ways YOU deem necessary.

So, If you found anything of value and learned anything in this article. Please like this article and share it with people who can benefit from this short story.

Comment below, let me know. How do you think you can apply scrum in your life now? I'm curious to know and learn the various application of Scrum.

Till then, take care and have a productive day ahead.