blog

Pragmatism crushes Dogma in the wild

Published on
3 minute read

In my journey of delivering an immersive Product Development Mentor Program  over the last eight weeks, a compelling narrative unfolded that beautifully illustrates the essence and true strength of Scrum. This story, rooted in the practical application of Scrum through Minecraft, unveils the depth of adaptability and resilience that Scrum can foster within a team.

The program structured around a series of sprints in Minecraft, aimed to mirror the real-world complexities and dynamism present in product development projects. Starting from the initial chaos of Sprint 1, where participants grappled with the inherent complexity of a new project, the program progressively unfolded to reveal the power of Scrum. By Sprint 2, the fruits of understanding empiricism and embracing a philosophy of flexibility were evident. The teams learned to navigate and adapt to complexities with much less stress and frustration.

However, it was Sprint 3 that truly tested the resilience of the system we had built. With the introduction of unforeseen challenges, such as mobbing in Minecraft and the accidental loss of the project world, the teams were thrust into a scenario of significant complexity. Yet, the response was remarkable. The team’s ability to quickly organise, adapt, and maintain direction despite these surprises highlighted the real power of Scrum. It wasn’t about rigidly adhering to rules but about maintaining enough structure to guide while allowing for adaptability to unforeseen challenges.

This experience was not isolated to the Minecraft world. In a real-world scenario, one of the participating teams faced the need to cancel a Sprint due to a shift in business direction. Their response, a seamless adaptation to extend the next Sprint while maintaining the cadence for stakeholders, exemplified the philosophy of Scrum. It’s about choosing how to handle exceptions, focusing on adaptability over strict adherence to rules.

The Scrum Guide outlines ten elements that must be followed, all of which support the principle of empiricism. These elements serve as guardrails, ensuring visibility, inspection, and adaptation. However, everything beyond these is guidance, allowing teams the flexibility to navigate their unique challenges and opportunities.

Here are the MUST elements from the Scrum Guide:

As I reflect on the past sessions and the growth observed in the participants, it’s clear that Scrum is not a methodology but a philosophy. A philosophy that empowers teams to embrace complexity, adapt to changes, and continuously seek improvements. It’s about understanding that the path to success in an ever-changing environment is not through rigid rules but through adaptability and resilience.

How has pragmatically embracing the philosophy of Scrum enabled you to navigate complexity and adapt to change in your projects?

agility blog

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG) Logo
Hubtel Ghana Logo
Alignment Healthcare Logo
Freadom Logo
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo
Akaditi Logo

CR2

Schlumberger Logo
SuperControl Logo
Microsoft Logo
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation Logo
Epic Games Logo
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company) Logo
Ericson Logo
Deliotte Logo
ProgramUtvikling Logo
New Signature Logo
Big Data for Humans Logo
New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo
Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo
Royal Air Force Logo
Washington Department of Transport Logo
Nottingham County Council Logo
Ghana Police Service Logo
Microsoft Logo
Teleplan Logo
Freadom Logo
ALS Life Sciences Logo
Jack Links Logo
Akaditi Logo