Fact: Scrum does not remove all problems in an organization
We have all heard about silver bullets that will save our days and in miraculous ways make everything better. Sometimes it is Scrum, sometimes some management guru or XP or something else. I also admit to when reading through this book it sometimes sounds like me too am presenting Scrum like this. I actually don’t. The fact that Scrum works does not imply that it solves all the problems. It is very important to understand that no methodology or framework will make all the pieces in the puzzle fall into place. Scrum will merely give you the framework for creating this change. If your management gives contradictory directions or your teams don’t communicate or are not up for the core task (developing the software), this has to be dealt with. Scrum will help you addressing certain problems, but you will have to deal with it.
Sometimes, the introduction of Scrum will turn a deficient development organization around, but we cannot count on it. The problems often come from huge gaps in the organization, mistrust between the business people and the tech people and lack of communication all resulting in an uninspired organization. Introducing Scrum will not automatically remove these problems. The key is to use the lean change process within scrum to remove all impediments, but you will have to do it!
The notion that you have to do it leads to another myth: The Scrummaster is the key
1. Fact: Scrum is not a project methodology 2. Fact: Scrum is not a development issue 3. Big Question: Where will the improvement come from? 4. Fact: Scrum does not remove all problems in an organization. 5. Myth: The Scrum Master is key 6. Myth: Scrum is more important than common sense