Importance of Goals and Mindset Shift in Scrum Practices

Ryan and Todd look back at a 2006 post by Ken Schwaber, which covers 15 ways Scrum is both hard and disruptive.

The fifteenth statement from Ken:

"The role of enterprise management changes from telling people what to do to leading and helping everyone do their best to achieve goals. People aren’t resources, and managers aren’t bosses."

Leadership Transition: In a Scrum environment, the role of enterprise management shifts from directive ("telling people what to do") to supportive, focusing on leading and helping team members achieve their best in reaching goals. This change emphasizes the importance of management's role in guiding and enabling rather than controlling.

Goal Setting and Constraints: Setting strategic and specific goals is crucial in Scrum. These goals act as constraints that guide teams. Practical goal setting aligns with the overall company strategy and should be outcome-oriented. Management's role includes facilitating setting these goals and ensuring they align with broader company objectives.

Redefining Productivity: Traditional productivity measures, such as presence at a desk or busyness, are seen as inadequate. Instead, the focus should be on the outcomes and impact on the customer. It's essential to shift from output (quantity of work done) to outcome (effectiveness and relevance of the work).

People Over Resources: There is a significant mindset shift from treating people as resources to be exploited to valuing them as team members with the potential to contribute meaningfully. This involves moving away from micromanagement towards empowering self-managing teams, emphasizing skills development, and creating an environment conducive to productivity and creativity.

Evidence-Based Management: Emphasizes using objective measures to assess progress towards goals and identify issues. It involves setting up boundaries and constraints, assisting in goal formulation, and removing obstacles that hinder team effectiveness. Managers are encouraged to partner with teams, aiding in eliminating impediments and focusing on long-term sustainable success rather than short-term outputs.

👉 Follow our journey through all 15 insights in Ken Schwaber's white paper, revealing the enduring relevance of Scrum principles.

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🔗 Here is the original white paper: https://www.verheulconsultants.nl/ScrumIsHardandDisruptive.pdf

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Explore more:

📖 "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

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