We do Scrum and…
Modern Agile and Scrum — Make Safety a Prerequisite
Facets of Make Safety a Prerequisite applied to Scrum
Scrum takes safety very seriously. This is very clear in relation to the Scrum Team. It is embodied in several ways. The first that comes to mind are the Scrum Values:
“When the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect are embodied and lived by the Scrum Team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life and build trust for everyone.” — SG
Another important factor involving safety is self-organisation. A team chooses how to organise the work without being directed by others. But there’s also the Product Owner, who’s decisions should be respected by the entire organisation.
Scrum also protects people’s time:
“Prescribed events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.” — SG
And Scrum protects time and money by having short feedback loops. Scrum allows you to inspect and adapt at regular intervals, avoiding to be on the wrong track too long.
Yet another way that Scrum protects you is with the Definition of Done. As a stakeholder you know what you get with a ‘Done’ increment which reduces the amount of unpleasant surprises.
Modern Agile — Make Safety a Prerequisite
Modern Agile amplifies safety:
“Safety is both a basic human need and a key to unlocking high performance. We actively make safety a prerequisite by establishing safety before engaging in any hazardous work. We protect people’s time, information, reputation, money, health and relationships. And we endeavor to make our collaborations, products and services resilient and safe.” — ModernAgile.org
Modern Agile broadens the horizon of safety. It looks at safety for everyone within the environment.
Applied to Scrum
You can translate this Modern Agile principle to Scrum. Here are some examples:
- Let’s inspect our Definition of “Done” (DoD). Can we do more to protect our stakeholder’s reputation and health? If so: let’s look how to expand the DoD.
- How do we enact upon the Scrum values with our stakeholders?
- Are there specific areas on safety that we can address during the Sprint Review?
- Are there specific areas on safety that we can take into account for the Sprint Retrospective?
Bottom Line
Modern Agile’s principle “Make Safety a Prerequisite” and Scrum go hand in hand. There are numerous ways where Scrum can help to protect your stakeholders. Scrum can function as a great framework for this Modern Agile principle.
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