How to create value with minimal effort: A different approach to Agile

✨ Empiricism – The Heart of Agile Scrum ✨ One of the core foundations of Scrum is Empiricism, which means making decisions based on what is known — through observation, experience, and evidence — rather than assumptions. Scrum is built on three pillars of empiricism: 1️⃣ Transparency – Everyone has a clear understanding of the work and its progress. Artifacts, goals, and the definition of “Done” must be visible and understandable. 2️⃣ Inspection – Regularly checking progress toward the Sprint Goal and identifying any variances. Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives are key opportunities to inspect. 3️⃣ Adaptation – Using insights from inspection to adjust plans, scope, or processes. Scrum teams continuously adapt to stay aligned with goals and deliver value. 🔸 This cycle of inspect → adapt, supported by transparency, allows teams to respond quickly to change, deliver better products, and continuously improve. 👉 In a world where uncertainty is the only constant, empirical process control gives teams the confidence to learn fast and adapt faster. #Agile #Scrum #Empiricism #AgileMindset #ScrumMaster #ContinuousImprovement #AgileLeadership #Transparency #Inspection #Adaptation

Agile Beyond IT: What Other Industries Can Learn from Scrum 💡 Although Scrum was born in the world of software development, its principles extend far beyond technology. The values of adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement are universal, making Agile thinking relevant to nearly any field that involves change, creativity, or complexity. 💫 In industries such as marketing, education, healthcare, and manufacturing, teams are beginning to realize that traditional linear planning does not always align with the fast-paced nature of today’s world. 💫 Markets shift, customer needs evolve, and projects rarely follow a perfect path. Scrum offers a way to manage this uncertainty by focusing on short cycles of work, constant feedback, and empowered teams. Read the whole blog on the link pasted in the comment section ⬇️ #xarptec #agile #scrum #IT

Iterative without incremental is daydreaming. Incremental without iterative is guesswork. Scrum’s power comes from combining the two. What’s the difference between “iterative” and ”incremental”? And why does Scrum need both? Many people use these words interchangeably—but in Scrum, they point to two complementary superpowers. From the Scrum Guide: “Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach.” From Cambridge Dictionary: - Iterative – doing something again and again, usually to improve it - Incremental – happening gradually, in a series of small amounts Iterative in Scrum Iteration is about learning loops. Doing something again and again, each time improving based on what you learned last time. In Scrum, the Sprint is the heartbeat of iteration. Every Sprint: - You plan together - You build - You review - You reflect and adapt Then, immediately after one Sprint ends, another begins. Analysis, design, build, validate, release—done again and again. Each loop is a chance to adapt the plan, the product, and the process. Incremental in Scrum Incremental is about delivering in small, usable chunks. In Scrum, the Increment is the output that adds value to your product—piece by piece, Sprint by Sprint. - Product capabilities grow gradually - Users can understand and give feedback on each step - The way of working improves a little each Sprint - Skills in the team increase over time Why both matter? - Only iterative? You could end up improving the wrong thing forever without ever delivering value. - Only incremental? You could deliver lots of small pieces without learning if you’re on the right track. Scrum combines both so you’re constantly learning, and constantly delivering. Your turn: - What are you and your team iterating on right now? - What’s your latest Increment? Share an example—let’s make it visible. Drop a comment—or tag someone whose might benefit from this. These are core concepts I cover in my Professional Scrum courses. Curious to learn more? Watch out for upcoming posts—or contact me directly. Wishing you a wonderful journey. Have fun. Scrum on. #BoostYourScrum #ProfessionalScrum #Scrum #ScrumMaster #Simplify Scrum.org

Where I think SAFe has failed many organizations is being implemented largely from the top down. SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) can be incredibly powerful when applied correctly. But when you try to scale delivery teams that haven’t yet learned how to be agile, you don’t get agility,  you get waterfall with extra steps. At its core, SAFe depends on strong scrum teams. No matter what you call their alignment or structure (ARTs, solution trains, or anything else), your smallest unit is still a scrum team. If those teams don’t have solid foundations in scrum principles, you’ll never be able to scale agile successfully up or down your organization. It’s like building a house on a weak foundation. Before you scale, nail the fundamentals: 1) Individuals and interactions over processes and tools (empower your teams). 2) Working software over comprehensive documentation (remove blockers so they can build). 3) Customer collaboration over contract negotiation (make space for experimentation). 4) Responding to change over following a plan (embrace test-and-learn approaches). I’d love to hear from others, what challenges have you seen with SAFe? How can the Product Ops community help close the gaps where SAFe breaks down?

Scrum is one of the most powerful frameworks ever created for complex work — but that doesn’t mean it fits every situation. In this week’s video, Lance Dacy (Big Agile) breaks down what happens when Scrum feels like the villain instead of the hero. From IT support teams to infrastructure work, sometimes forcing Scrum everywhere creates chaos instead of collaboration. Learn how to recognize when Scrum isn’t the right tool — and how to blend Scrum and Kanban effectively without losing agility. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gmwcvRSZ #Agile #Scrum #Kanban #AgileCoaching #ScrumMaster #BigAgile

You should expect the use of Scrum to become more successful when the Team lives the Values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect. Then empiricism starts to work and trust is being built. 👉 The more people become proficient in living the Scrum values, the more successful the use of Scrum will be. Each of the team members should live these values. So how can the Scrum Master show this? - Commitment to raising the effectiveness of the Scrum Team. Whatever it takes. - Have the Courage to say you don’t know what the best approach is. Because you know there is no "best approach". That you want to figure it out together. - Focus on the team’s goals. How can you as a Scrum Master support and guide them become more effective at reaching their goal? That’s your goal. - Be Open for any suggestions. Support the team in experimenting, and learning from their own experiences. - Respect people in each and every interaction. Assume positive intent, even if at this moment their ideas and actions seem to work counter-productive. Figure out why people took that action. There is no doubt a good and logical explanation for it when looking at it from their perspective. These are only one example of how each Scrum Value could be lived by the Scrum Master. Summary: Using the Scrum Values as a guide for the Scrum Team how to behave during the entire Sprint will support raising trust. Without trust there will be a low level of transparency - the cornerstone for Scrum. The more the team becomes skilled in living the Scrum Values, the more transparent the Increment will be. Prompt Together with your Scrum Team, evaluate how the Scrum Master can live the Scrum Values even better. How do you see that the values of Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness and Respect are lived? What can you do to make the Scrum Team live these even better? We hope you will find value in these short messages and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact. Interested in more? Watch out for upcoming posts. Don't want to miss any of these posts? You can have them weekly in your mailbox via https://lnkd.in/dmyDEqm I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to take contact. #Scrum #Simplification #BoostYourScrum

The 3 pillars of empiricism in Scrum: Transparency, Inspection, Adaptation. 🤔 Are your 'Agile' ceremonies just expensive status updates? The true power of Scrum rests on its foundation: Empiricism. This simply means making decisions based on what is observed, not on assumptions. The 3 Pillars that uphold this principle are: Transparency: Everyone sees the same reality. The process, the backlog, the actual product increment—it must be visible and understood by all. No hidden agendas or obscured work! 💡 Inspection: Regularly checking the artifacts and progress toward a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances. This isn't micro-management; it's a dedicated moment to pause and observe. 🔍 Adaptation: If an inspection reveals something is off, the process or material must be adjusted as soon as possible to minimize further deviation. This is where the change happens. 🛠️ If any of these pillars are weak, your Scrum might be just 'Scrum-in-name-only.' Are you truly letting empiricism guide your decisions, or are you just following a recipe? #AgileLeadership #ScrumMaster #Empiricism #ProductManagement #Agile ❤️ If this resonates with you, give it a like or share your thoughts below! 🔁 Repost to inspire your team! 💬 Comment your perspective — I’d love to hear!

In 1995 Scrum (or SCRUM) was described as a Development Process, in 1998* as an Extension Pattern Language, and in 2003 as a Methodology. The word "framework" was used in the 1995 paper but as a synonym for method, rather than a description of Scrum itself. The term was also used in the 2003 paper as a synonym for skeleton (an Agile process was described as having a skeleton and a heart). In 2005 I recall very clearly Ken Schwaber informing the attendees at the first Scrum Gathering: "Scrum is not a methodology, it is a pathway". The first reference I can find to Scrum being described purely as a framework is in the 2009 draft Scrum Guide: "Scrum is not a process or a technique for building products; rather, it is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques." So, to summarise, Scrum is a process, not-a-process, a pattern language, a skeleton, a method, a methodology, not-a-methodology, a pathway, and finally a framework. Confused? You are not alone :) * I first wrote 1999, but the Beedle paper was actually 1998 (Thanks Brad Appleton for the correction). The papers I reference in this post can all be read from this page: https://lnkd.in/ehVc7Gse #scrum #process #methodology #pattern #framework

What Is Scrum — In Simple Terms 🔹 Scrum is not just a process — it’s a lightweight framework that helps people, teams, and organizations create value through adaptive solutions to complex problems. Here’s Scrum in a nutshell 👇 1️⃣ The Product Owner organizes the work for a complex problem into a Product Backlog. 2️⃣ The Scrum Team selects work from that backlog and turns it into an Increment of value during a Sprint. 3️⃣ The Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the results and adapt for the next Sprint. 4️⃣ Then — they repeat. That’s the power of empirical process control — continuous inspection, adaptation, and transparency. Scrum is simple, but not easy. It doesn’t tell you exactly how to do the work — instead, it provides a structure to help teams self-organize, collaborate, and continuously improve. The framework itself is purposefully incomplete, allowing teams to build on top of it using their collective intelligence. You can integrate existing processes or even discover that some are no longer needed. ✨ The beauty of Scrum lies in its simplicity — try it as is, inspect, adapt, and watch how it transforms the way your team delivers value. #Scrum #Agile #ProductDevelopment #ScrumMaster #ContinuousImprovement #Teamwork #Leadership

Uncovering Scrum Guide 2020 Series - Part 2 The Three Pillars That Hold Scrum Together!! Scrum is built on the foundation of Empiricism, learning through experience and making decisions based on what is known. To make this possible, Scrum stands on three strong pillars Transparency: Everyone involved must see the same truth. Work, progress, and goals are made visible to ensure shared understanding. Inspection: Regularly reviewing progress helps identify what’s working and what’s not. Every event in Scrum provides an opportunity to inspect. Adaptation: Once inspected, we adapt quickly. Adjusting plans, scope, or processes ensures we stay aligned with the goal. Together, these three pillars support every Scrum event, artifact, and accountability, creating a culture of continuous improvement and trust. Which pillar do you think your team relies on the most? #Scrum #Agile #ScrumValues #TeamCulture #AgileMindset #Empiricism