Scrum Log Jeff Sutherland

Scrum is an Agile development framework that Jeff Sutherland invented at Easel Corporation in 1993. Jeff worked with Ken Schwaber to formalize Scrum at OOPSLA'95. Together, they extended and enhanced Scrum at many software companies and helped write the Agile Manifesto.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Why GANTT Charts Were Banned in the First Scrum


GANTT charts have some utility when a Product Owner has to present to naive users (non-Agile managers) to get a project funded.

Once implementation of the plan starts, the team enters the fog of war, just like a squad of troops entering battle. Military generals fully understand that once the enemy is engaged, all plans are shattered and the front line must self-organize to win the day.

Taking the GANTT chart into the Sprint has people look at a planning document that is absolutely wrong after the first day. At best it gobbles up a full time resource in the futile effort to keep the chart up to date. Even worse, it may lead the team to do the wrong thing and lose, i.e. a failed Sprint goes up in flames.

The GANTT chart was banned from Sprints for these reasons when I led the initial implementation of Scrum in 1993. 13 years later I don't see any reason to change this. In fact after consulting with leading companies up and down Silicon Valley and in other parts of the world this past year, getting their burndown charts updated daily and visible to the entire company is a top priority. Any distraction by GANTT charts is an exercise in futility.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

New Innovations in ScrumMaster Training

ScrumMaster has developed a line of contact equipment for use in training aspects of the sport of rugby -- the world's foremost Scrum Machines. The principal aim in the development of these products is to provide teams with safe, effective tools with which to improve the strength and skills of their players. It has incorporated fundamental scrummaging training with cutting-edge mechanical innovations to leap way ahead of the market.

A massive variety of resources were used to develop the products, from current International Players and Coaches, Professional Speed & Power Trainers, through to highly qualified Hydraulic and Mechanical Engineers. The sum of the research is a spectacular advance in scrummaging technology.