Don Gray (@donaldegray) Barry Tandy (@BarryTandy) and Amitai Schleier (@schmonz) joined Ryan Ripley (@ryanripley) to discuss mindsets, frameworks, manifestos, and how to humanize the world of work. [featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Don Gray[/fea...

98: Humanizing the World of Work

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Management

Ryan and Todd look back at a 2006 post by Ken Schwaber, which covers 15 ways Scrum is both hard and disruptive.

The eleventh statement from Ken:

"Iterative, incremental development is much harder than waterfall development; everything that was hard in waterfall engineering practices now has to be done every iteration, which is incredibly hard. It is not impossible, but has to be worked toward over time."

Iterative and incremental development in Scrum is more challenging than traditional waterfall development, requiring constant attention to engineering practices and frequent iterations.

Extensive upfront design and architecture planning in waterfall development is believed to reduce future risks. However, software development often leads to outdated designs as customer needs and market conditions change over time.

Scrum emphasizes quick decision-making on basic architecture, like frameworks and databases, while building the product incrementally. It demands disciplined, professional attention to ongoing architectural and design decisions in response to evolving customer demands.

The Scrum approach challenges traditional development models like waterfall, where work often expands to fill the allotted time, leading to over-engineered solutions. Scrum requires a shift in mindset, focusing more on doing and building features rather than extensive planning and discussion.

Adopting Scrum effectively requires gradual, sustained effort to improve engineering practices and architecture. Teams and organizations need to develop this skill set over time, including a solid understanding of their definition of "done" to reflect the maturity of their Scrum implementation.



Scrum is Hard and Disruptive 11 - Scrum is Harder than Waterfall

Ryan and Todd look back at a 2006 post by Ken Schwaber, which covers 15 ways Scrum is both hard and disruptive.

The tenth statement from Ken:

"Scrum is not a methodology that needs enhancing. That is how we got into trouble in the first place, thinking that the problem was not having a perfect methodology. Effort centers on the changes in the enterprise that is needed."

Scrum's Nature and Misunderstandings: The discussion emphasizes that Scrum is not a methodology needing enhancement, as attempting to perfect it led to initial troubles. It’s highlighted that Scrum is a framework, not a methodology, and should not be altered excessively.

Scrum's Simplicity and Accessibility: When Compared to more complex methodologies and frameworks, Scrum’s guide is concise (13 pages), making it easily understandable without the need for extensive training, unlike more elaborate methods that require significant learning and interpretation.

Adaptability and Contextual Use of Scrum: The speakers discuss the importance of adapting Scrum practices based on specific team and project contexts. They share personal experiences where certain practices were effective in one situation but not in another, illustrating Scrum’s flexibility and the need for situational awareness.

Evolution of the Scrum Framework: The evolution of Scrum is discussed, noting that over time, the framework has become more streamlined, with a focus on removing unnecessary elements rather than adding new ones. This evolution aims to prevent dogmatic adherence to processes and encourage teams to focus on the intent of each Scrum event.

Focus on Organizational Change Over Scrum Modification: The conversation shifts to the idea that efforts should be directed toward changing organizational structures and practices that hinder agility, rather than trying to improve Scrum itself. Emphasis is placed on overcoming organizational impediments to enhance the delivery of value to customers and gain competitive advantages.



Scrum is Hard and Disruptive 10 - Leave Scrum Along

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Ryan and Todd look back at a 2006 post by Ken Schwaber, which covers 15 ways Scrum is both hard and disruptive.

The ninth statement from Ken:

"The focus of using Scrum is the change from old habits to new ways of doing business. Scrum is not implemented or rolled-out as a process; it is used to foment change. "

Podcast Focus: The podcast "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive" by professional scrum trainers Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley explores a white paper published by Ken Schwaber, co-creator of Scrum, in 2006. They assess 15 statements about Scrum to see if they remain relevant 17 years later.

Scrum's Purpose: The primary focus of Scrum is to facilitate a transition from old habits to new ways of conducting business. It is emphasized that Scrum should not just be implemented as a new process but should be used to instigate significant organizational change.

Common Misconceptions: There's a critique of how many organizations misunderstand Scrum, often using it merely as a new process rather than a tool for real change. This leads to maintaining old habits instead of adopting genuinely new ways of doing business.

Technology and Business Integration: A key point discussed is the need to stop viewing IT departments as separate from the rest of the business. In the modern world, where technology is central, IT should be integrated into the core business processes.

Challenges of Implementing Scrum: The podcast underscores that implementing Scrum can be challenging and disruptive, as it requires significant changes in organizational behavior and mindset. The goal is to move beyond superficial adoption of Scrum as a process to deeply ingrained changes in how businesses operate.



Scrum is Hard and Disruptive 9 - Scrum is Change Management

Ryan and Todd look back at a 2006 post by Ken Schwaber, which covers 15 ways Scrum is both hard and disruptive.
The eight statement from Ken:
"The most serious impediments to using Scrum are habits of waterfall, predictive thinking over the last twenty to thirty years; these have spawned command and control management, belief that demanding something will make it happen, and the willingness of development to cut quality to meet dates. These are inbred habits that we aren’t even aware of anymore."


98: Humanizing the World of Work

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