In the latest episode of "Scrum is Hard and Disruptive," Todd and Ryan dive into a controversial topic: why Scrum and iterative incremental development are often harder than traditional waterfall development. If you’ve ever been frustrated by the complexities of Agile, you’re not alone—and this episode breaks down exactly why that is.
Ken's 11th Statement: "Iterative, incremental development is much harder than waterfall development; everything that was hard in waterfall engineering practices now has to be done every iteration, which is incredibly hard. It is not impossible, but has to be worked toward over time."
1. Scrum Intensifies the Demands on Engineering Practices
In waterfall development, many engineering tasks are done once, often in lengthy, upfront phases. However, Scrum demands that these tasks are performed every iteration. This means constantly revisiting architectural and design decisions, making Agile development a relentless cycle of review, adjustment, and improvement. Todd and Ryan point out that while this approach provides flexibility, it also requires discipline and a new skill set that many teams and organizations are still learning to develop.
2. Early Design Decisions Can Lead to Unexpected Issues
A key insight from the discussion is that planning too much up front can be a trap. Waterfall teams often spend excessive time designing and diagramming, believing they are mitigating future risks. However, Todd notes that these early decisions can lock teams into paths that may not align with customer needs as they evolve. In contrast, Scrum encourages teams to make initial decisions but adjust them as needed, which is challenging for teams used to having a “set-in-stone” plan.
3. Parkinson’s Law and the Pitfalls of Over-Planning
One of the standout points Ryan brings up is Parkinson’s law: work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In waterfall, lengthy timelines often lead to over-planning or procrastination, resulting in rushed implementations that don’t meet the actual needs of customers. In Scrum, with its shorter sprints, there’s less time to waste on unnecessary planning, but this shift requires a significant change in mindset and working style.
4. Less Talk, More Action: Shifting Focus from Planning to Building
Todd’s rant about teams spending too much time talking rather than doing resonates with many Agile practitioners. Scrum’s emphasis on frequent delivery forces teams to build and test in short cycles, reducing the focus on endless planning sessions. This shift requires investments in engineering practices like automated testing and robust deployment pipelines, which many organizations are slow to adopt.
5. Fix Your Architecture Before Adopting Scrum
Perhaps the most critical advice from the episode is that Agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban will not fix underlying technical debt or poor architecture. Todd and Ryan emphasize that companies must address their engineering practices and get their “house in order” before attempting a full Agile transformation. The maturity of a team’s “definition of done” often reflects how well they handle iterative development challenges.
Conclusion
Scrum is undeniably hard, especially for teams transitioning from waterfall. It’s not just about adopting a new process—it’s about rethinking how you build, design, and adapt to change. Todd and Ryan’s insights are a sobering reminder that while Scrum offers many benefits, it also demands a disciplined approach to engineering and architecture that takes time and effort to develop.
Ready to tackle these challenges? Start by assessing your team’s definition of done and identify areas where engineering practices need improvement. Scrum may be challenging, but it's not impossible with the right mindset and approach.
⏩ Join Ryan and Todd for a Scrum.org course: https://buytickets.at/agileforhumansllc
Check out their books:
📖 "Unlocking Business Agility with Evidence-Based Management: Satisfy Customers and Improve Organizational Effectiveness" on Amazon -- https://amzn.to/4690qJy
📖 "Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems" on Amazon -- https://amzn.to/46dAQTC