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We all bring assumptions and expectations when we’re trying something new. Sometimes our expectations are well-founded and reasonable, and sometimes they’re not so much. You might be wondering.
How much do my expectations about Scrum match reality?
This article will walk you through some common expectations I’ve seen people bring to Scrum.
Scrum is simple to learn, but it takes time to master it
Expectation: Because it’s simple, installing Scrum will be easy.
Reality: It’s a learning process, and it will take a few iterations for your team to master Scrum.
Scrum is simple to learn, but it takes time to master it. Different people struggle with various aspects. For some, it’s all the new terminology, and others will have trouble adjusting to the change in meeting schedules. For most teams, it will take time to develop the trust necessary to thrive.
Expectation: Scrum is only for software developers.
Reality: You can apply Scrum across many domains.
Scrum originated in software development and is still where you will most commonly find it. However, I’ve seen scrum applied to creative design, marketing, content creation, personal development, and many other disciplines. The trouble is most resources are still written primarily for software audiences. This lack of resources is why I created the What is Scrum? Guide to help people apply Scrum to new contexts.
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Expectation: We will get more done using Scrum.
Reality: This is pretty consistently true, though it might take a few sprints to see the increase.
Every time I’ve helped a team begin to practice Scrum, their productivity increased. Many times they were surprised by how much they accomplished. While during the first sprint, everyone is still learning the process, but they still have greater clarity and focus, so it usually breaks even productivity-wise. There is a big jump in the second sprint, and by the third, the team looks back at the first three sprints and is proud of what they’ve done.
Scrum has a lot of meetings and it can be hard to keep them straight, especially when you're getting started.
The Scrum meeting checklist has all the details you need to run effective Scrum meetings.
Expectation: Everyone will be excited about implementing Scrum.
Reality: Aspects of Scrum are counterintuitive and will take time for some people
You will have your early adopters and enthusiast who will geek out over Scum. 🙋🏼 If there has been a lot of organizational change, some might see it as just the next thing and not expect it to last. I’ve also seen leaders feel uncomfortable with a structure that doesn’t have apparent top-down authority, and they usually overcome this concern when they see the teams deliver.
If prioritization isn’t part of the organizational culture, Scrum will make this reality more apparent.
Expectation: Collaboration will increase when we use Scrum
Reality: Yes, but it likely will take some re-learning to see it happen.
The Scrum framework both supports and requires good communication and collaboration. The team as a whole owns the work and decides how to get it done together. This is how healthy teams operate. Unfortunately, a lot of teams aren’t healthy. Old habits will need to be unlearned and new ones adopted.
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Expectation: The rest of the organization will adopt Scrum
Reality: Some teams will, some should, some shouldn’t.
Scrum will create interest and excitement. You’ll likely get other teams or leaders asking you about how it works and if you would recommend it. If you’re the Scrum Master, this is an excellent opportunity to help others learn about Scrum. But be open about the fact that Scrum isn’t for every team or every type of work. Applying Scrum in the wrong parts of the organization is a quick way to kill adoption.
Scrum can also create tension. If prioritization isn’t part of the organizational culture, Scrum will make this more apparent. This tension can cause some leaders to be uncomfortable, and they may become obstacles to seeing broader Scrum adoption.
Customizing Scrum before you start opens the door to bringing in past non-agile practices that will ultimately create challenges for the team to excel
Expectation: We will customize Scrum to our specific situation.
Reality: You really want to start using Scrum as simply and purely as possible.
Scrum can be adapted to all kinds of situations. In fact, it’s designed to adapt. But making too many changes at first can be problematic for a few reasons. Customizing Scrum before you start opens the door to bringing in past non-agile practices that will ultimately create challenges for the team to excel. It also makes it harder for the Scrum Master to teach and the development team to learn unless it’s a customization you’ve already used on another team.
How to learn more about Scrum
While Scrum is a simple framework, there can still be a lot to learn, especially at first. If you want to learn more about Scrum, here are some topics I think will be helpful to you.
To learn more about Scrum, check out my What is Scrum? A Guide for Everyday People to Learn Scrum. If you have more questions, please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.
If you’re curious about Scrum can be applied to different kinds of work, I've linked some helpful articles below.
Action Plan
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Scrum?
What is the definition of scrum?
Scrum is founded on three essential pillars leading teams to ask the following questions:
- How does this make things more visible? (Transparency)
- Where does this create space to evaluate? (Inspection)
- When does this encourage growth? (Adaptation)
Further explore the definition of scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Is Scrum hard to learn?
This is because Scrum’s simplicity makes learning easy, but Scrum truly changes how you work, and that adjustment can be difficult. It changes power dynamics and expectations within the team and between the team and the rest of the organization.
You can explore further is Scrum hard to learn, along with the pros and cons of Scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
When did Scrum start?
Scrum was initially used as a term related to project management in 1986 by Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka in their paper “New New Product Development Game” In the Harvard Business Review. The first recorded Scrum project came a little later in 1993 from Jeff Sutherland.
You can learn more about Scrum’s backstory. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What do all the scrum words mean?
Learning Scrum for the first time can be overwhelming. There are a lot of new terms and concepts in Scrum. I’ve listed the most common terms in a Scrum glossary.
How to use Scrum
Why use Scrum?
It forces clarity and prioritization, which provides the focus necessary for teams to be effective. Scrum embraces complexity and change by keeping many things simple and iteratively evaluating and adapting.
You can learn more about why to use Scrum and three challenges Scrum solves. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
When does Scrum not work well?
Scrum isn’t always the best option for teams. Scrum can fail when there is a substantial mismatch between organizational culture and the Scrum values. It also depends on the nature of the work you do. If you work if very linear, predictable and tightly defined, you may not experience many benefits Scrum provides.
Find out more about aligning your organizational values with Scrum or how Scrum might fit in your context. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
How do I know when to use Scrum?
Scrum functions at its best when you have a dedicated team focused on developing a singular product. Its agility shines when there are time constraints combined with uncertainty.
Explore the pros and cons of Scrum along with expectations vs. realities with Scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Learning to apply Scrum
How to choose between Scrum and Kanban?
Important factors include your team size and the type of work you do. Kanban is very process-oriented, so you should consider how defined, static, or long your process is?
You can explore Scrum and other agile approaches. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
How does scrum help an organization?
Scrum forces clarity and prioritization, which are critical to organizational effectiveness. It provides a competitive edge by allowing teams to adapt as the market or priorities change. Teams operate more effectively because Scrum combines empowerment of the team members with alignment to top priorities.
Learn more about scrum’s impact on organizational culture. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Is scrum a methodology or a framework?
Scrum is more of a framework than a methodology, and it helps teams adhere to Agile principles and get stuff done. Scrum provides basic rules but doesn’t prescribe how to do the work. It provides principles, values, rules, and some core structure but still leaves a lot undefined.
Learn more about scrum as a framework. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What’s the difference between scrum and agile?
When people say “agile,” they usually refer to it as a mindset. Scrum is a framework for how to organize people and work in an agile way. If you’re practicing Scrum, you’re working in an Agile way.
Learn more about the relationship between scrum and agile. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
