The first time someone told me that the framework was "deliberately incomplete", I was annoyed. Why couldn't they just finish it? Were they really that lazy?
Yeah, I sort of cringe looking back at that now.
No, the creators of Scrum were not lazy. In fact, this was a - well - deliberate move on their part.
"The Scrum framework is purposefully incomplete, only defining the parts required to implement Scrum theory. Scrum is built upon by the collective intelligence of the people using it. Rather than provide people with detailed instructions, the rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions." - 2020 Scrum Guide
When we say that Scrum is purposely or deliberately incomplete, it's not that they didn't finish writing the Scrum guide or that they have a little more research to do before the Scrum Guide is perfect. What we mean is that Scrum is a framework within which teams work together to deliver value. It's not a rulebook. It's not a set of work instructions. It's not a set of meeting agendas or recommended practices.
For example, Scrum includes 5 events. Each event has a purpose, but no set agenda is provided for any of the 5 events in Scrum. To see what I mean, let’s look at the Daily Scrum. The Daily Scrum is one of the 5 Scrum events. According to the 2020 Scrum Guide, "The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work." The Scrum Guide does not give teams an agenda for the Daily Scrum. Instead, the Scrum team should figure out what agenda or approach for the Daily Scrum will help them best achieve the purpose of the Daily Scrum.
Rather than providing a set of work instructions or pre-packaged meeting agendas, the Scrum framework establishes clear accountabilities, events and artifacts that help people learn how to work together to deliver value in their unique environment. Scrum has to be applied - not copied - in a unique way for every environment.
The so-called incompleteness of Scrum is actually its strength. That's why Scrum can be used for anything from software to fighter jets to Space Force. Because Scrum is flexible, it can be used to deliver products in complex environments. And that's the power of Scrum.
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Grow your network and rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in Scrum including Todd Miller, co-author of "Fixing Your Scrum", Stephanie Ockerman, author of "Mastering Professional Scrum", and Mary Iqbal, author of "Illustrated Scrum Myths" (coming in 2024). Meet industry leaders from Space Force, Functionaire, Comic Agilé and more!