Trashing Scrum
It seems that no matter what aspect of software development in which you’re involved, someone is always starting a holy war.
I found David Anderson’s post, Trashing Scrum or Reflecting Reality?, amusing. Not because it was humorous, but because it’s in response to the same sort of war we see time and time again. This time, it’s the Lean radicals versus the Scrum purists.
One thing I can’t stand is people who have a myopic view of things that they consider “correct.” Yes, I agree that Scrum is a wonderful tool for helping teams succeed. Relative to the waterfall way of doing things, Scrum can provide visibility and productivity increases that are almost undeniable for most teams. However, like everything, it is not the end of the journey.
In order to truly appreciate Scrum, one cannot assume that it is sacred. Scrum is about adaptability above all else, so the idea that Scrum cannot be improved, extended, or even superceded is absolutely ludicrous. One of the very reasons I created this blog was to examine agile and lean methodologies to get the most out of them, and if that means “trashing” a particular ideal, then so be it. Personally, I would rather trash Scrum than assume it is perfect.
Also be sure to read Alan Shalloway’s article, Is Scrum Failing Us?, linked from Mr. Anderson’s blog. I agree wholeheartedly with his observations and have witnessed several of them first-hand.