Being Agile, Doing Scrum: Scrum Pillars — Inspection
This is another in a series of posts aimed at helping Scrum Masters coach “team members in self-management and cross-functionality []including [l]eading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption.”
With a simple cut and paste, Scrum Masters can share this post weekly or once per sprint, concurrently adding some frivolity with several fun facts and content.
Note: Some posts come with an intro to provide background and additional information/tips, followed by the ‘cut/paste’ content that can be shared with the team.
Note: There are lots of fun facts and content. Feel free to pick and choose what to include/omit.
Check back next week for another post, and more content to share!
[For an index of all Being Agile, Doing Scrum posts click here.]
Background:
Having shared some scrum content related to Agile and Scrum videos and podcasts, we return to core Agile and Scrum. Everyone learns differently, and so mixing things up increases the chance of providing value to a broader team. Agile and Scrum education is a marathon and not a sprint (sorry :) ).
Cut/Paste:
We have highlighted the Scrum pillars and Values, and Transparency. It’s now time to focus on another pillar; Inspection.
Let’s start with the non Scrum definition:
“careful examination or scrutiny.” — OxfordLanguages
This is clear but simplistic, and isn’t specific to Scrum so let’s look at what the Scrum Guide says:
“Inspection: The Scrum artifacts and the progress toward agreed goals must be inspected frequently and diligently to detect potentially undesirable variances or problems. To help with inspection, Scrum provides cadence in the form of its five events.
Inspection enables adaptation. Inspection without adaptation is considered pointless. Scrum events are designed to provoke change.”
We also need to consider the Agile Manifesto, specifically this Principle:
“At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”
Why should we inspect? Scrum is based on the empirical process or “empiricism” — a fact-based, event-based, experience-based and evidence-based manner. Quite simply if we don’t inspect, we can’t adapt. If we don’t adapt, we can’t improve. Again, “Inspection without adaptation is considered pointless.”
When can we inspect? As mentioned above there are Scrum events, and while the Daily Scrum gives the team the most frequent opportunity to inspect and adapt, the Retrospective is the best single opportunity to do a deep dive into how things are going, and what if anything should be or can be changed. The Scrum Guide again:
“The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done. Inspected elements often vary with the domain of work. Assumptions that led them astray are identified and their origins explored. The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved.”
In summary, Inspection is central and essential to Scrum. With apologies to Coca Cola, we’d like to teach the team to work, in perfect harmony!
Inspirational Quote:
“Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty.” — Tacitus
Fascinating Fact(s):
How much do you know about historical events? You might answer differently after reading these five half-truths, misunderstandings, and straight-up fabrications :)
- George Washington Didn’t Chop Down a Cherry Tree
Founding father George Washington got a hatchet as a gift when he was 6 years old and, eager to test out his new tool, he hacked up his father’s cherry tree, adding “I can’t tell a lie, Pa; you know I can’t tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.”
But this fable, ironically about honesty, is total fabrication. Biographer and pastor Mason Locke Weems, responding to public demand for more stories about Washington’s life, embellished his book, The Life of Washington, with many enduring myths.
2. Thomas Edison Didn’t Invent the Light Bulb
With 1,093 patents to his name, it’s easy to picture Thomas Edison with a cartoon bulb above his head at all times — especially since he’s sometimes credited with inventing the incandescent bulb. He didn’t invent it, though; he just improved on it.
Bowman Lindsay was likely the first to demonstrate a sealed glass bulb that provided constant light through incandescent wire.
3. Marie Antoinette Didn’t Say “Let Them Eat Cake”
“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (“Let them eat cake”) is an enduring legend about French Queen Marie Antoinette. The story says that when she was told her people didn’t have bread, she cold heartedly suggested they eat cake. The problem; the quote is not directly attributable to her — and some historians believe it would have been out of character for her to say it, anyway.
4. William Tell Didn’t Shoot an Apple Off His Son’s Head
You probably know the legend of William Tell. Tell, a local farmer and renowned marksman, refused to acknowledge Austrian authority and was forced to shoot an arrow at an apple on his son’s head. In case he failed, he saved an arrow for the governor who had ordered him to do so. This, the story goes, inspired resistance to Austrian rule among the Swiss people.
There’s one problem: Many historians say Tell never existed in the first place!
5. Paul Revere Didn’t Yell “The British Are Coming!”
Nearly 250 years after the fabled ride of Paul Revere leading up to the American Revolution battles of Lexington and Concord, many people believe he yelled the phrase, “The British are coming!” along the way.
While Revere did warn many households of the upcoming battle, the operation was far more discreet in large part because British soldiers were hiding out in the countryside and some residents still considered themselves British. It’s more likely that he quietly warned people of the attack.
Word of the Day:
Appurtenance — An accessory or other item associated with a particular activity or style of living.
Example: “He decorated his new office with fun appurtenances, such as a fuzzy seat cover and photos.”
National Day Calendar: August 4th
International Beer Day
National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
U.S. Coast Guard Day
National Water Balloon Day
Single Working Women’s Day
National White Wine Day
Hooray for Kids Day
It is also:
Admit You’re Happy Month
International Pirate Month
National Simplify your Life Week
Born On This Day:
Louis Vuitton: French founder of the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH, born in Anchay, France. (1821)
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: British consort of King George VI and Queen Mother after his death, born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. (1900)
Louis Armstrong: American jazz trumpeter and singer (“Hello, Dolly!”; “What A Wonderful World”), born in New Orleans, Louisiana. (1901)
Barack Obama: 44th United States President (Democrat: 2009–17) and first African-American president, born in Honolulu, Hawaii. (1961)
Roger Clemens: American baseball pitcher (7 x Cy Young Awards; AL MVP 1986 Boston Red Sox; Triple Crown 1997, 98 Toronto Blue Jays; 11 x MLB All Star), born in Dayton, Ohio. (1962)
Meghan Markle: American former actress (Suits), Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, born in Los Angeles, California. (1981)
On This Day In History:
George Washington: Becomes a master mason. (1753)
Indian Wars: Whilst protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, US 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, clashes for the 1st time with the Sioux near the Tongue River. 1 man killed on each side. (1873)
MLB Pitching Duel: Philadelphia A’s Jack Coombs and White Sox Ed Walsh pitch a 0–0 tie in 16 innings. (1910)
American Athlete Jesse Owens: Wins his 2nd gold medal at the Berlin Olympics; beats German Luz Long in the long jump final with an Olympic record. (1936)
Winston Churchill: Departs on Prince of Wales to US. (1941)
Anne Frank: Arrested in Amsterdam by German Security Police (Grüne Polizei) following a tip-off from an informer who was never identified. (1944)
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Authorizes $46 million for construction of CIA headquarters. (1955)
Elvis Presley: Releases “Hound Dog”, a cover of Big Mama Thorton’s original, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. (1956)
Nelson Mandela: Captured by South African police. (1962)
American Athlete Carl Lewis: Wins the 100m in 9.9 seconds in Los Angeles, first of 9 Olympic gold medals over 3 Games. (1984)
“Purple Rain”: Prince’s album goes #1 & stays #1 for 24 weeks. (1984)
New York Yankees: Retire Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto’s #10. (1985)
Howard Stern: Drops out of NY gubernatorial race. (1994)
Kim Jong-il: Meets former president Bill Clinton. He pardons and releases captured American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling who were found guilty of entering the country illegally. (2009)
Infowars Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones: Ordered to pay $4.1 million in compensatory damages to parents of child killed in Sandy Hook massacre after Jones claimed it was a hoax. (2022)
