J.J. Sutherland - The Scrum Fieldbook. A Master Class on Accelerating Performance, Getting Results, and Defining the Future

j-j-sutherland-the-scrum-fieldbook

Section 1. Choice

Moore's Law predicts that the cost of transistors decreases, while their sizes decrease every year.

The Saab modular approach involves placing parts as plugins on the main frame.

Scrum Values:

  • product is more important than documentation
  • communication with the client is more important

Section 2. How to Rethink Cheaply

In Scrum, there are only three roles:

  • product owner
  • Scrum master
  • team member

Sprint Stages:

  • sprint planning
  • sprint
  • daily Scrum
  • sprint review
  • sprint retrospective

Scrum Artifacts:

  • Scrum backlog
  • Scrum sprint
  • product increment

The product owner should formulate a vision of what the team will do and set tasks by prioritizing value.

How to Repair a House Using Scrum?

  • create change blocks
  • plan the budget
  • move iteratively
  • show results weekly

Remember Hempfry's Law: you can't fight, but you can accept. If you can't understand what you want until you see what you don't want, get feedback and adapt.

Use Scrum 3-5-3 (roles-actions-artifacts).

Section 3. Why We Can't Decide

Apply the Eisenhower Matrix when making decisions.

Decisions should not take more than an hour.

If it takes longer, it should be escalated.

Manage complexity through simplicity.

Section 4. In Progress vs. Completed

Two tasks cannot be a priority simultaneously. Always define completion criteria before starting a task.

If you don't prioritize, the worst employee will.

Finish the previous task before starting a new one.

Carefully define readiness criteria.

Use a modular approach to reduce dependencies.

Section 5. If Something Seems Crazy, It Probably Is

Challenge rules.

Someone is responsible for implementing the rule one way or another; find them, ask why it's needed? Think about what other outdated rules you can overcome? Rules should fight for life.

Zero-sum game: I win - you lose. Private meetings with the team contribute to understanding.

Section 6. Structure Is Culture

The worst problem of all is not having a problem.

Scrum Values:

  • Honesty
  • Concentration
  • Transparency
  • Respect
  • Minimal bureaucracy

Feedback is crucial, get as much feedback as possible if you want to grow.

Your culture sets the boundaries.

Section 7. How to Do It Right

Patterns are used in any industry, including architecture.

By using patterns, the result can be scaled.

The team goes through 4 stages in the process of formation:

  • forming, checking personal boundaries
  • storming, accompanied by emotional responses in the task sphere, people get angry and form personal boundaries between themselves and others
  • normalization, adaptation, and proper task distribution
  • performing, group energy and joint task completion

The art of conversation doesn't exist, it's part of Scrum.

Swarm technique, taking one task and doing it with the whole team is effective, as it ensures completion in the shortest time.

Use a buffer for unplanned tasks, use it only for the most important tasks.

Be honest, make sure the cost of decisions is clear. Never pass on work with defects.

If the burn-down chart shows that you can't close a task in a sprint, use the Scrum emergency procedure:

  1. Change the team's working methods, do something different.
  2. Ask someone for help and delegate backlog items to someone.
  3. Reduce the workload and replan it. During each retrospective, the team must improve at least one aspect.

Scrum Templates:

  • Swarm
  • Distraction Buffer
  • Emergency Stop
  • Cleanliness Compliance
Section 8. How Not to Do It

Look for anti-patterns.

Selective Scrum can only help temporarily. If you want radical acceleration, use Scrum fully, where parts of Scrum intersect and reinforce each other.

Scrum creates large arrays of data that can be used to avoid private thoughts.

People who make your company great should work for you.

Section 9. Organization Rebirth

If something doesn't work, it's not the people to blame, but the processes.

Section 10. What the World Could Be Like

The world is changing and never stands still, everything is real.

What was considered nonsense yesterday is true now.