We do Scrum but…

We hate the Scrum events!

A kick in the ScrumBut — episode 4

Many people hate one, some or all of the Scrum events. What I hear often is that they don’t add value. People see it as a waste of time because nothing comes out of it. Or worse: they kill productivity, they kill the flow of the team.

I hear these remarks a lot. I believe it is a concern that a Scrum Master has to take very seriously.

What you certainly shouldn’t say is that we have to have the meetings because the Scrum Guide says so. “It say so” is not a good enough reason. It’s vital to understand why the Scrum Guide says so. Here is a quote from the Scrum Guide that already sheds a light:

“Prescribed events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.” — SG

Ironically, these events exist to limit the number of meetings and to be effective.

In most cases the Scrum Guide states what the maximum length of a meeting should be for a 1 month Sprint. It is up to the Scrum Team to decide what fits them best. Maybe they can manage with shorter events. But maybe not at all, when the true meaning of the events is fully…