Scrum Theory And The 3 Pillars Of Scrum [Video]
Scrum Theory as defined in the official 2020 Scrum Guide
Scrum Theory
Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.
Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and to control risk. Scrum engages groups of people who collectively have all the skills and expertise to do the work and share or acquire such skills as needed.
Scrum combines four formal events for inspection and adaptation within a containing event, the Sprint. These events work because they implement the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Transparency
The emergent process and work must be visible to those performing the work as well as those receiving the work. With Scrum, important decisions are based on the perceived state of its three formal artifacts. Artifacts that have low transparency can lead to decisions that diminish value and increase risk.
Transparency enables inspection. Inspection without transparency is misleading and wasteful.
Inspection
The Scrum artifacts and the progress toward agreed goals must be inspected frequently and diligently to detect potentially undesirable variances or problems. To help with inspection, Scrum provides cadence in the form of its five events.
Inspection enables adaptation. Inspection without adaptation is considered pointless. Scrum events are designed to provoke change.
Adaptation
If any aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits or if the resulting product is unacceptable, the process being applied or the materials being produced must be adjusted. The adjustment must be made as soon as possible to minimize further deviation.
Adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing. A Scrum Teamis expected to adapt the moment it learns anything new through inspection.
References and Additional Learning Resources
View the “Scrum Theory” section in the Interactive Scrum Guide.
Listen to the “Scrum Theory Audio Clip” from the Scrum Guide Audio Book.
Listen to the official 2020 version of the Scrum Guide Audio Book.
View the official online digital version of the 2020 Scrum at InteractiveScrumGuide.com.
Watch the official 2020 Scrum Guide YouTube Playlist at sg20_playlist.mvizdos.com.
Learn more about Implementing Scrum with Michael Vizdos at ImplementingScrum.com.
Subscribe to your free weekly Saturday morning, emails with the original Scrum Chicken and Pig Cartoons about Implementing Scrum by visiting subscribe.mvizdos.com.
Finally, you can learn more about Michael Vizdos, creator of ImplementingScrum.com, the Scrum Guide Audiobook and the Interactive Scrum Guide at michaelvizdos.com.
Get even more FREE resources to learn about Implementing Scrum at learn.mvizdos.com.
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