Changes for the next update of the Scrum Guide

Quotations from the Scrum guide:

“ If you get value from Scrum, consider yourself included.”

“Scrum is built upon by the collective intelligence of the people using it”

As a Scrum practitioner who gets value from Scrum, I feel invited to freely contribute my suggestions and ideas for the upcoming update of Scrum guide. Those suggestion are published for public discussion at social media and on scrum.org itself

These propositions are set in a form of the backlog. They are ordered by the author of this concept (myself) according to the priority and importance, not according to their position in the table of the Scrum Guide. Each proposition is independent from another and should be discussed as such.

Proposition 1

The paragraph “Purpose of the Scrum guide”

Removing the phrase “Changing the core design or ideas of Scrum, leaving out elements, or not following the rules of Scrum, covers up problems and limits the benefits of Scrum, potentially even rendering it useless.”

Purpose: making sure that Scrum guide is not preventing experiments and does not prevent transparent inspection and adaptation of Scrum itself.

Justification: There is no empirical evidence to confirm the hypothesis about chaining core design. This warning is limiting the room for experiments and prevents practitioners from transparently inspecting Scrum against itself and adapting framework to the changes. Many Scrum practitioners have experimented with changing the design of Scrum and reported positive results.

Proposition 2

In the paragraph “Product owner”

Replacing the phrase “Those wanting to change the Product Backlog can do so by trying to convince the Product Owner”

with the phrase

“Anyone can add items to the product backlog. Product owner can decide to keep or remove any items in Product Backlog”

Purpose: Allowing anyone to add items in the Product Backlog

Justification: Creating the barrier for input of information into the Product backlog limits transparency and stakeholders feedback. This creates the risk that a vital piece of information which is necessary for inspection and adaptation of the Scrum team, for product or its increments will be lost. Once the information reaches the Product backlog and analyzed, it's up to the Product owner to keep or remove it.

Proposition 3

Section “ Scrum Theory”

Replacing the phrase “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”.

With the phrase

“Scrum is founded on empiricism, lean thinking and free flow of information. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials. Free flow of information ensuring the access to the collective database of human knowledge”.

Purpose: adapting Scrum to the emerging AI industry and other open source databases.

Justification: Adapting scrum to the existence and availability of the Collective database of human knowledge, as described by AS IF concept. Adapting the idea of information being a matter and not an abstract concept.

More information at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/network-general-provisions-first-draft-nicholas-gabrichidze

Proposition 4

Section “Product backlog”, commitment “Product goal”

Adding the phrase

“The value of the product shall be monetary or other, depending on the purpose of the product, product goal and strategic goal of the organization. The metrics of this value are established jointly by the Scrum team, the Organization and the end users of the product”

Purpose: establishing clarity about value of the product

Justification : Scrum Guide is mentioning “the value” 25 times without single mention what the metrics of the value are. As a result many practitioners and stakeholders find themselves in the confusion about the actual nature of the value they deliver. Often the deviation has far reaching consequences for Product backlog ordering, Spring goal or Evidence based Management. Establishing clear metrics will help avoid this confusion.

Proposition 5

Section “Scrum team”

Adding the phrase:

“Scrum team is existing within the organization who is supporting, funding and protecting it. The Scrum team creates products and generates value on behalf of the organization. Organisation can be a larger entity or be limited to the Scrum team itself”

Purpose: establishing clarity about organisations.

Justification: Organization is mentioned in a Scrum guide 11 times without any definition of what is the organization and without defining its relationships with a Scrum team.

Proposition 6

Section “The Sprint”

Adding the phrase:

“ The forecasts shall not be used as a metrics to measure teams performance”

After the phrase

“Various practices exist to forecast progress, like burn-downs, burn-ups, or cumulative flows”

Purpose: preventing weaponization of velocity.

Justification: the complains from Scrum practitioners about improper use of velocity estimates, particularly about infamous “story points” are filling social media and Scrum related resources.

--------------------------------

Please feel free to discuss, reject, or support those changes to the upcoming edition of the Scrum guide at Scrum.org website

Adding more ideas will only increase the power of collective intelligence behind the Scrum guide