Scrum is not an engineering process

Explains why Scrum is a social framework, not just engineering, emphasizing inclusive training, alignment, collaboration, and breaking command-and-control mindsets for true agility.

Published on 21 May 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/2meGTZZAPdw

Scrum is not an engineering process. It’s a social technology that invites everyone in the organisation into the conversation.

When I trained 147 people at Healthgrades, it wasn’t just Developers and Product Owners. It was the whole engineering department. Because if you want agility, you don’t cherry-pick who learns Scrum. You don’t gate understanding behind job titles. You bring everyone in.

That’s how you break the illusion of command and control. That’s how you expose the assumptions, habits, and dysfunctions that stall delivery.

It’s not enough to say “we do Scrum.” You have to ask: is everyone aligned around how value flows? If not, you’re just playing at agility.

Real change starts when everyone speaks the same language. Is your whole organisation part of the conversation?

Also published on: LinkedIn

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