Is it ever OK to deviate from the Scrum Guide? - Mike Cohn
Oct 1, 2025
Is it time to bend the Scrum rules? The conversation challenges the rigidity of rule-following and promotes a practical approach. Established teams might adapt or break rules, like extending sprints for valid reasons. The ideal of a dedicated Scrum Master is explored, along with the economic realities for smaller organizations. Plus, mature teams can adjust the frequency of retrospectives, focusing on efficiency over strict adherence. New teams, however, are encouraged to stick to the Guide initially before making adaptations.
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Practical Sense Over Rule Worship
Strict adherence to Scrum rules can overlook practical realities and harm teams.
Mike Cohn argues teams should use common sense and understand why rules exist before breaking them.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Allow Reasonable Sprint Adjustments
Do allow occasional sprint extensions for clear, reasonable reasons like holidays.
Adjust sprint length when logic supports it rather than following rules blindly.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Be Flexible With Scrum Master Roles
Consider non-dedicated Scrum Masters when economics or team maturity demand it.
Let high-performing teams absorb some Scrum Master duties instead of forcing a full-time role.
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Is it ever OK to deviate from the Scrum Guide? - Mike Cohn
I’m out there on social media and I see all the same posts you do about the sanctity of the Scrum rules. And I get it. There are many rules of Scrum that teams break when they shouldn’t. But I don’t think it does anyone any good to be so hung up on rules that you throw practicality out the window. Here’s the thing: No team should break a Scrum rule before they’ve tried to do it by the book for a while, and given themselves a chance to understand why each rule exists in the first place. But teams that have been doing Scrum together for a while sometimes need to bend a few Scrum rules to fit their specific circumstances and situation. And in most cases no one needs to start calling foul if they do! Here are a few common rules most teams can safely break or bend: Never extending a sprint is a great rule. Usually. Can it be broken? Yes—not often and always for a good reason (such as a holiday that makes a longer sprint sensible). It’s ideal to have a dedicated Scrum Master–it’s the best way to build high-performing teams. But having a dedicated Scrum Master is an economic decision and it may not always be justified, especially once the team can take on some responsibilities for itself. Having a retrospective every sprint is a wonderful way to put improvement front and center. But if a team is running one or two-week sprints and things are going well, I think it’s OK for them to only do a retrospective every four weeks (or every other sprint). Teams that are new to Scrum should do Scrum by the book. But it’s unrealistic to expect teams to never bend or break a rule to better fit their context. Knowing when to follow the rules, and when to break them, helps teams succeed,
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