Uncovering the truth behind common Scrum myths

Scrum is one of the most popular frameworks for effective team collaboration on complex products. But Scrum practices are not set in stone. Instead, they are flexible and can apply on different project types and organizational structures. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, a lot of myths and misconceptions circulate about Scrum.

Thankfully, we stumbled upon the ultimate Scrum “Myth Busters”, Christiaan Verwijs and Barry Overeem, whose Medium blog called “The Liberators” has a section dedicated to the debunking of common Scrum myths!

Below, you will find four persistent Scrum myths and by clicking on their title you will be directed to a blog post on “The Liberators” that separates myth from reality:

Myth #1: The Scrum Master must be present during the Daily Scrum

Who owns the Daily Scrum? The Scrum Master or the Development Team? A Scrum Master’s responsibility is to make sure that Daily Scrums take place, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the meeting, even if the Scrum Master is not present.

Myth #2: In Scrum, new features are delivered only at the end of the Sprint

When employing a Scrum framework, is it imperative to provide functional outcome only when the Sprint comes to a close? Here, it is important to remember that every Sprint represents a minimal boundary for when to deliver a “Done” increment, so teams should be encouraged to release new features throughout, and not just at the the end of a Sprint.

Myth #3: The Scrum Master Must Resolve Every Problem

Is the Scrum Master the sole person responsible for offering solutions to each and every problem that might occur during a Sprint? Of course not! Scrum team members should cultivate the ability to solve problems on their own and the Scrum Master should assist them on this process.

Myth #4: The Scrum Master can’t remove people from the Scrum Team

This myth is based on an incomplete understanding of what it means for the Scrum Master to be a “Servant-Leader”. Acting as a Servant-Leader, the Scrum Master helps to create an environment where the Scrum Team can work effectively with Scrum. Therefore, if impediments occur and a Team’s process is jeopardized, the Scrum Master has the responsibility and authority to remove someone from the team.

For the fifth myth, we assume the role of the “myth buster”, since it is a myth that Agile Actors debunk with their personal development plan:

Myth #5: Scrum cannot be applied on a tech professional’s personal development process

Every tech professional, regardless of their job title, is the owner of a most important product… themselves! What happens when you see yourself as the product of a Scrum-like personal development process? You can then employ a framework that lets you scrum-ify your personal development to achieve the goals that you will set!

Yes, the scrum-ification of your personal development is not a myth, but a reality and at Agile Actors your personal development plan is owned and defined 100% by you!