In June 2018, on a heavy rainy day, I was on my way to the airport to catch my flight to Norway. The car driver decided to rely on Google Maps to reach the destination. Unfortunately, on our way to the airport, there was heavy rain and heavy traffic blocks (uncertainty and things not in our control).
Google Maps did its usual “rerouting” and found a new route to the destination. In other words, Google Maps managed the uncertainty in a complex traffic situation.
Couple of years ago, during a coaching conversation, the scrum master and the product owner mentioned that they are not able to succeed with Scrum. Intrigued, I sought for more information.
They said they are not able to deliver all planned tasks in the sprint. They felt the technology is much more complex and scrum doesn’t work for them.
I sensed that they were trying to bring predictability to a complex problem. When plans are not working, they felt the problem is scrum.
These techniques will help you if your scrum is not working.
- Be like Google Maps. The goal is important; not the plan.
- Apply empiricism to convert unknowns to knowns.
- Apply inspection, adaptation, and transparency into all your team events.
- The daily scrum is not a status meeting. Use the power of daily scrum to adjust your plan towards the sprint goal.
- Use the power of retrospectives, reviews, and sprint planning.
- Be at your user’s / customer’s fingertips (like Google Maps). Feedback will help you to reach the goal.
So, what are the obstacles you see in replanning?