The title of this article is simply “SCRUM,” because, in truth, not much more needs to be said. Yet, here we are in 2025, dedicating an entire blog post to it. Why? Because it seems necessary. It’s hard to grasp, but somehow everyone appears to have their own interpretation of this framework, and then, despite these misinterpretations, judgments are still cast upon it.
Let’s start with the basics: What exactly is Scrum? To find out, just visit scrum.org!
Thanks to Ken Schwaber, co-founder of Scrum and the creator of that very website, I believe there’s no framework, no set of principles, that’s better documented than Scrum.
And yet, despite this clear documentation, there are so many interpretations of Scrum that bear little resemblance to its true essence, its principles, or the core idea behind the framework. I have to wonder: How can this be?
I believe the main reason is that people often don’t truly understand the Scrum values, or what they really mean. Do you know the Scrum values? Can you recall how many there are offhand? You don’t need to memorize them to internalize them, but you do need to intrinsically feel what lies behind them when you read them.
Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness.
Now, of course, anyone can interpret these words and believe they understand Scrum. But have you felt them intrinsically? What does courage truly mean in this context? What should you focus on? Are you genuinely committed? Who respects you? And what’s really meant by openness?
You won’t find the answers to these questions in this article. There are people who can explain them far better. My aim is more to raise awareness about what these values don’t say and why we should stop making incorrect assumptions. Most false assumptions stem from viewing the Scrum framework as a buffet where you can pick and choose, leaving out what you don’t fancy. While adapting the framework to specific circumstances can certainly make sense in some cases, most often, this approach removes an entire pillar from the foundation, thereby destroying the very idea behind Scrum.
Please, stop saying that Scrum is a framework you can simply adapt to yourself and your team. If you’ve been working in the same team with the Scrum framework for years, then yes, there might be opportunities to optimize your processes and adjust the way Scrum offers to better suit your team. But if you start with the idea that Scrum is a buffet from which you can help yourself, the meal will not taste good. It simply doesn’t work that way.
Scrum is a fragile framework that can only unleash its full power when used in its entirety. It might initially complicate some processes, slowing them down, but it optimizes many other processes and, when used well, ensures that even previously well-functioning processes become excellent again in the long run. What else is the Retrospective for, after all?
If you believe you can individualize something that works well from a process perspective, you might end up like Lidl did with their SAP implementation. Validate which development method is best for your use case, and if it’s Scrum, then use it as it’s written in the book, just as it’s stated in the title.
Thank you, Ken Schwaber.
Happy Birthday, SCRUM!
† November 18, 1995