Scrum Guide 2020 Changes

The Scrum Guide has changed for the first time since 2017 and this is the biggest change for 25 years. On the surface the changes imply less complexity by reducing the guide from 19 pages to 13 pages. However as practitioners we know that Scrum is easy to learn but hard to master.

In terms of the framework itself there are no major impacts so Scrum Masters and Product Owners will not be in for major shocks to the system.

This article will go over the high level changes and highlights areas where these will require thinking about how this may change ways of working from a Team to an Organisational level. The biggest takeaway is software is no longer the focus and Scrum is now more explicitly inclusive to all areas of business.

What are your Goals?

Teams now align to a Product Goal which is a new commitment to the Scrum artefacts so that they look like this:

• The Product Backlog has the Product Goal
• The Sprint Backlog has the Sprint Goal
• The Increment has the Definition of Done

Take note that Definition of Done is no longer in quotes and its importance is a fact to take into consideration. With these two changes in mind Product Owners really need to take ownership of the Product Backlog. There has to be a convergence to a greater good and not just moving forwards.

Roles and Responsibilities

Take a look at this change to the Scrum guide:

Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal.

As this article mentions above Scrum no longer just deals with software. Organisations can work towards goals that span across other business functions such as Marketing, Finance, HR etc. This is a real opportunity for leaders to become more adaptive to change in an uncertain climate. Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches should now be shouting about the benefits of using Scrum even louder.

Team Management

This is an area that will raise more than a few questions in existing teams and will make for interesting discussion when forming new teams.

Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. They are also self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.

Why is this important? Self-management means much more responsibility and accountability than just self-organising. The team internally decide who does what, when, and how.

Planning Work

During Sprint planning there is a new dimension added to the What and How. The team now need to be able to answer Why. This should always be aligned to the Product Goal as mentioned earlier. The Scrum Master and Product Owner need to be comfortable knowing that each member of the team know the Why behind a sprint.

Daily Scrum

During the Daily Scrum the developers (professionals) can use any method to ensure progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. Just make sure you remember that there is still a 15 minute timebox!

Go For It

There you go, the 2020 revisions in time for your New Year resolutions in the world of Scrum. Have fun and be productive in the process.

For all the revisions please go to this official Scrum Guide link