The Deeper Theory of Scrum
In response to requests for presentations on Scrum, my lectures in Minneapolis in 2003 are the best material. I'm moving it back to the top of the page for those interested in checking out the slides and the first slide says it all:
The Zen of SCRUM
So simple, anyone can implement it!
So easy, all can benefit!
So subtle, few achieve transcendent performance …
How is it that project manager does nothing, and achieves everything?
Interlocking principles emerge product out of chaos
Yet when novice removes one Scrum principle -- engine never fires …
Who can know why?
ScrumMaster must understand deeply and practice rigorously.
Only then will team members say, “This experience changed my life!”
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Topic: "Agile Software Development with SCRUM with Application to Healthcare Mobile Platform Development"
A distinguished lecture by Jeff Sutherland, inventor of the SCRUM software development process.
Location: O'Shaughnessy Education Center (OEC) Auditorium, University of St Thomas, St Paul Campus
Schedule: 5:30pm - 7:00: Hors d’oeuvres
7:00 - 10:00: Lecture
10:00 - 11:00 Questions and Answers
I had quite an evening in Minneapolis giving a three hour talk to OTUG followed by a discussion period that went to 11pm. My goal was to give some depth to the background and techniques for leading a Scrum development team to people who were already technology leaders. There are so many Scrums going on today around the world that it is easy for people to go through the motions without really understanding the movements. There is Tai Chi by the novice and Tai Chi by the master. They are the same Tai Chi but they are so different in effect that they appear to be two totally different things. I tried to outline the Zen of Scrum for those who are ready to practice.
The slides from the lecture are like the score of the music for the symphony. You can't really hear the music without being there. Yet people are asking for the slides which consist of two presentations. The second presentation was also given at Medtronics to a large group of their developers during the afternoon before the OTUG evening event. The two slide sets are an attempt to articulate a basic principle of Lao Tsu. "How can the project leader do nothing, yet achieve everything?"
Scrum: Theory and Practice
The Pursuit of Technical Excellence: Inventing and Reinventing Scrum in Five Companies