Skip to main content

Just been laid off - mass firing

Last post 07:06 pm January 8, 2024 by Niall Fallon
5 replies
03:32 pm December 29, 2023

Well, after hearing of some companies laying off agile roles, I never thought it would happen to me. I work for a well known large uk bank and just been informed that the scrum master role and agile coach role are being removed. This means around 1,000 jobs. There are also now only a handful of scrum master jobs available in job boards. Capital One has also just axed 1,100 scrum masters and Royal London made 90% of theirs redundant too. The agile landscape is changing it seems. 

I’m just grateful I’m also a software engineer with over a decade of experience too so will get back into that. 


07:28 pm December 29, 2023

Just been laid off - mass firing

The higher-ups are as classy as ever.

The agile landscape is changing it seems.

Have they achieved the outcomes they are looking for, and these skills have indeed now become redundant? Or are other forces at work?


11:03 am December 30, 2023

The rumour is that they aren’t seeing projects delivered on time and budget so agile must not be working. 


11:50 am December 30, 2023

The rumour is that they will use a hammer to try and drive in a screw. This is the behaviour of legacy institutions rather than challenger ones. The dust will settle on this, the need to innovate to survive remains.


08:40 am January 3, 2024

"they aren’t seeing projects delivered on time and budget so agile must not be working"

I also see this happening. In the past, and now again.

<rant>

Managers have heard about this great new thing and drop it onto their teams that this is their new way of working as of next week Monday morning - without the needed support; i.e. people who have real experience in it, both in what typically works and what doesn't.

I've seen it happen with CMMI - which is a requirements framework for ways of working. Managers without knowing better thought it was a process framework. Resulting in administrative burden for companies. What a bad framework!

I've seen it happen with PRINCE2 - which is a methodology for complicated work; i.e. more is known than unknown. Managers felt this is it. As it works in construction, why not in software and services. Resulting in big upfront plans for work that is still unknown and cannot be planned. What a bad methodology!

Now I see it happen with Scrum - which is a framework for "generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems". i.e. more is unknown than is known. Managers felt this is it; we can now change everything all the time and only the teams need to change. Resulting in a lot more unproductive meetings (ah yes, the PMO and Project Managers do not need to change). What a bad framework!

<end rant>

Fortunately there are also companies who do understand. And who take the change seriously. The whole organisation needs to support the change. And a large part of the organisation is impacted by this change. A Scrum Master working in such an environment can make quite an impact. His/her value will be visible. I have not seen lay-offs in such companies.

 

Hope this clarifies a little.
Feel free to shoot more questions!
 
PS You might be interested in my blog posts about the fundamentals of the Scrum framework. If so, please check out this page: https://boostyourscrum.com/professional-scrum-foundations-series/


07:06 pm January 8, 2024

Capital One was news early last year if I remember.
 

Always a shock to me when i hear orgs on an agile transformation when their obviously a conservative culture and interested in hierarchy and deadlines. agility is not always necessary, if you know your products are not are not interested in change or feedback then don't use agile.


By posting on our forums you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.

Please note that the first and last name from your Scrum.org member profile will be displayed next to any topic or comment you post on the forums. For privacy concerns, we cannot allow you to post email addresses. All user-submitted content on our Forums may be subject to deletion if it is found to be in violation of our Terms of Use. Scrum.org does not endorse user-submitted content or the content of links to any third-party websites.

Terms of Use

Scrum.org may, at its discretion, remove any post that it deems unsuitable for these forums. Unsuitable post content includes, but is not limited to, Scrum.org Professional-level assessment questions and answers, profanity, insults, racism or sexually explicit content. Using our forum as a platform for the marketing and solicitation of products or services is also prohibited. Forum members who post content deemed unsuitable by Scrum.org may have their access revoked at any time, without warning. Scrum.org may, but is not obliged to, monitor submissions.