A few years ago, the word “scrum-but” became quite popular. This phrase referred to the gap between just using Scrum and creating amazing products with the Scrum software. In Scrum circles, this term is very common and points out teams using the Agile Scrum software but skipping out some aspects of it for one reason or the other. Some common examples include:
• We’re using Scrum, but the retrospectives are not as effective, so we only use them on a monthly basis.
• We’re using Scrum, but our stakeholders are a bit too busy to come at Sprint Reviews, so we stopped using them.
• We’re using Scrum, but we cannot get everything done in a couple of weeks so now we just allow all our Sprints to run as long as they want to.
Using Scrum – while not using Scrum – is like being on full-fat-cheese-only diet. It won’t reduce your weight; instead it will only increase it. So you are basically going against the concept of dieting.
Most Scrum experts have an objection to Scrum-buts because they almost always cover up an impairment which could easily be removed or fixed to improve things. Some examples relating to the above examples are as follows:
• The retrospectives are quite commonly thought of as ineffective since no one does anything about all the issues raised. So it’s more probable that the teams need better retrospectives instead of fewer retrospectives.
• When interesting and essential new results are being displayed, while the team is responsive to the stakeholders input, the Sprint Reviews can be really productive and fun. Most probably, the team is working on topics which the stakeholders do not value or that they are not related to the needed changes.
• The most important part of Scum’s software is to hit the project deadline as top priority. Having a shorter deadline every couple of weeks will give the team practice on how to do it. It is most probable that the teams are missing out on important knowledge about what’s holding them from success.
These are the reasons why all the Scrum experts are so against Scrum-buts. They are just proof for why they are not able to get the complete benefits of Scrum by not using it properly. Instead of choosing to fix problems, they start avoiding them which leads to further problems on a larger scale.
Even though only using some benefits of Scrum may be helpful for some people and may satisfy them more, if one complies with buying the Agile Scrum software, it is important to follow out all the rules and regulations in their suggested methodology to ensure you get the maximum possible benefits which have been claimed for. Most people face a bit of problem in understanding what Scrum is about but learning about it will definitely be of huge value for you. So if you choose Scrum to help you, make sure you use it properly and do not become a Scrum-but.
–Slimane Zouggari